Laphria aimatis McAtee

Dennis, D. Steve, Barnes, Jeffrey K. & Knutson, Lloyd, 2008, Pupal cases of Nearctic robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae), Zootaxa 1868 (1), pp. 1-98 : 23-24

Laphria aimatis McAtee

The following description of Laphria aimatis is based on a male pupal case with pinned adult in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences and a female with associated pinned adult from the United States National Museum of Natural History. The male is labeled "Dinuba, Tulare Co., Cal.; IV­1914; emerged from yellow pine telegraph pole." The female is labeled "Cache Crk., Lake Co., Cal.; IV­18­60; F. D. Packer Collector. "

Description: Greatest length, including anterior antennal processes, ♂ 16.5 mm, ♀ 18.4 mm; greatest width of thorax ♂ 3.3 mm, ♀ 4.1 mm; greatest width of abdomen ♂ 3.3 mm, ♀ 3.9 mm, tapering to ♂ 1.7 mm and ♀ 1.5 mm at greatest width of abdominal segment 8. Integument subshining light golden brown, becoming darker at margins of wing and leg sheaths, and anterior part of head; spines and other processes glistening reddish brown, darker apically, except for uniformly colored, shorter dorsal abdominal spines; bristle­like spines uniformly reddish brown.

Head with pair of cone­shaped, recurved, anterior antennal processes not joined at base and group of 4 basally fused posterior antennal processes, curving and becoming shorter posteriorly; inner or first posterior process longer than and separated from outer or other processes by flattened area of heavily sclerotized cuticle; outer 3 posterior processes fused and very close together. Facial area with small, basally fused, median spines on each side of midline and single, larger spine lateral to each outer posterior antennal process. Labral sheath elongate, smooth, with median furrow. Proboscial sheath smooth, with median furrow and small, yellowish posterior tubercle. Maxillary sheath smooth, extending one­half length of proboscial sheath.

Anterior coxal sheath smooth, with anterior, median, longitudinal split. Prothoracic spiracle round, on slight callosity, situated midlaterally at anterior margin of thorax. Anterior mesothoracic spines on side of thorax above base of mid leg sheath consisting of anterior pair of basally broad and fused, posteriorly curved spines and single short, narrow, straight, posterior spine widely separated from anterior pair. Posterior mesothoracic callosity at base of wing sheath small, smooth, with small, apically rounded posterior mesothoracic spine. Wing sheath smooth, with median elongate groove; median and/or basal tubercles absent. Thoracic area above wing sheath smooth to slightly rugulose. Apex of hind leg sheath reaching to middle of abdominal segment 3.

Abdominal spiracles round, light reddish brown, flush or almost flush with cuticle, situated along midline laterally.

Abdominal segment 1 with dorsal transverse row of 20 short, stout spines of unequal length; dorsolateral bristle­like spines absent; 2 lateral bristle­like spines behind each spiracle; venter obscured by wing and leg sheaths.

Segments 2–5 with dorsal transverse row of 25–30 short, stout spines; outer 4–6 spines and often every group of 1–3 spines shorter than surrounding spines; some spines bifurcate; posterior segments with fewer spines. Segments 6–7 similar to segments 2–5, but with 10 and 14 spines, respectively. Median spines on segments 2–7 always shorter than adjacent spines; segments 2–7 with 1–6 dorsolateral bristle­like spines on each side and 3–6 lateral bristle­like spines behind each abdominal spiracle; some lateral bristle­like spines long, curved, and basally thick, other spines of irregular lengths. Segment 2 with 0–1 ventral bristle­like spines on each side of wing sheath; segments 3–4 with 6–8 bristle­like spines on each side of median space; segment 5 with complete transverse row of 14 bristle­like spines; median and some other bristle­like spines very short; segments 6–7 with complete transverse row of 19–21 bristle­like spines, outer and median 1–2 bristle­like spines short; ventral bristle­like spines become longer on posterior segments, some very thick.

Segments 8–9 curved downward; segment 8 with 1 long, thick, dorsal spine, small spiracle and 2 short dorsolateral spines on each side of midline; lateral and ventral spines absent. Segment 9 with pair of very small dorsomedian tubercles separated by median groove, pair of larger, straight, dorsal posterolateral tubercles, and pair of short, thicker, rugose, recurved, ventral posterolateral processes; segment 9 of male bearing pair of elongate, low ventromedian tubercles forming V­shape, not touching anteriorly.