Efferia, Coquillet 1893

Scarbrough, Aubrey G. & Perez-Gelabert, Daniel E., 2008, Review of the West Indian species of Efferia Coquillett (Diptera: Asilidae): Part 1. Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, and Jamaica, Insecta Mundi 2008 (49), pp. 1-29 : 4-5

EFFERIA Coquillet 1893

Efferia Coquillett 1893: 175 . Type species: Ef. candida Coquillett ; Coquillett 1910: 536.

Nerax Hull 1962: 476 . Type species: Asilus aestuans Linnaeus (orig. des.).

Erax , of authors, not Scopoli.

Description. Black. Head: Gibbosity prominent; antennae entirely or mostly black setose, at most pale setae sparse; scape and flagellum twice as long as pedicel, style longer than 3 antennal segments combined; diameter of face at antennae and frons at ocellar tubercle only slightly wider than vertex at narrowest point; long ocellar setae black, usually

as long as scape, pedicel, and flagellum combined;

dorsal postoccipital bristles usually stout, black;

pronotal bristles usually present, black or pale;

proboscis entirely and occiput mostly pale setose.

Thorax: Scutum with wide longitudinal stripe and

2 lateral spots dark tomentose, stripe divided nar-

rowly; posterior dorsocentrals thinner and shorter

than lateral bristles. Halteres yellow or brown-

ish-yellow, knob darker, sometimes reddish. Wing:

Costal margin with or without dilation; surface

hyaline, pale yellowish, or brownish, darkest an-

teriorly. Veins usually reddish-brown or dark

Figure 4a. Ovipositor of Efferia bromleyi n. sp. 4b-4e. brown, basal veins pale, usually yellowish or red- Spermatheca of E. bromleyi n. sp., E. cubensis (Bromley) , dish-yellow; costal cell brown medially; R 4 with or E. insula n. sp., and E. nigritarsis (Hine) . Abbreviations: without a recurrent vein basally (Fig. 2-3). Legs: tg8, tg9=tergites 8, 9; cer=cercus.

Coxae, trochanters, and femora usually black, setae mostly pale; bristles mostly or entirely black; tarsi reddish-black or black, bristles black. Abdomen: Male with wide sides of tergites 1-5 or 6 white tomentose, segments 6-7, sometimes 5-7, white tomentose; basal 3 segments with long erect pale setae laterally and ventrally.

Male terminalia (Fig. 5-38, 42-52): Epandrium 2-3 times longer than wide, black setose, sparse pale setae dorsally; phallus as long or slightly longer than gonostylus, flanges present anteriorly, often strongly reduced; aedeagus small, usually curved or angled 45-75 degrees, with 3 tubes of equal length. Gonostylus usually slender, hyaline apically, with narrow, thicker, somewhat sclerotized costa; abundant, sometimes dense, short, setulae present apically, often longer, thicker setulae along posteriorly margin; gonostylus with apex slightly expanded, usually asymmetrical, margin usually pointed, sometimes rounded or angular. Gonocoxite usually pointed apically, sometimes gradually tapered to apex or abruptly narrowed, contrastingly narrow beyond; setae usually long posteriorly, often dense, sometimes short and sparse. Female with wide sides of tergites 1-6, sometimes 7, white tomentose, brown with dark setae dorsally, usually abundant on tergites 5-7.

Female terminalia (Fig. 4a): Ovipositor black, flat, usually without significant vestiture; spermathecal ducts confluent basally, fused just before base to form short common oviduct; spermathecae spherical or oval, usually slightly longer than wide, surface mostly brownish (Fig. 4b-4e).

Remarks. The following key is based mostly upon the structures of the male terminalia. The shapes of the epandrium, gonostylus, gonocoxite, and aedeagus, are the most valuable characters for identifying species ( Wilcox 1966, Bullington and Lavigne 1984, Fisher in press). We recommend that the male terminalia be cleared in warm KOH to expose its parts and then compared with the illustrations in this paper. Females may be identified with the following key but should also be paired with males collected from the same location and date.

Species of the aestuans and staminea groups are distinguished by wing venation ( Hine 1919, Wilcox 1966). In the staminea group, the fork of veins R 4 and R 5 occurs before the apex of cell d, and vein R 5 curves forward joining the costal above the wing apex. In the aestuans group, veins R 4 and R 5 fork beyond the apex of cell d, and vein R 5 curves posteriorly joining the costal below the wing apex (Fig. 2-3). Thus far all species except Ef. caymanensis ( Scarbrough 1988) reported from the West Indies belong to the aestuans group.