Tephrochlamys flavipes (Zetterstedt, 1838)

Rotheray, Graham E., 2012, Morphology of the puparium and breeding sites of eight species of Heleomyzidae (Diptera), Journal of Natural History 46 (33 - 34), pp. 2075-2102 : 2084-2088

Tephrochlamys flavipes

Puparium. Length 3–5 mm (n = 4), length of second abdominal segment 0.4 mm, red-brown in ground colour; dorsal transverse striae slight, more developed on posterior segments; locomotory spicules numerous and variable in size with middle rows consisting mostly of large spicules ( Figure 7A ); anterior spiracles ( Figure 3D ) transverse rosette in shape with 10–12 respiratory bulbs (bulbs broken and missing in some specimens); projections bearing posterior spiracular plate about as tall as basally wide and plates separated by more than twice the width of a spiracular plate; spiracular plate ( Figure 4D ), with indented rim and a projection between spiracular slits 1 and 2 bearing a tuft of peristigmatical setae; posterior spiracular slits long, longer than diameter of the ecdysial scar; head skeleton ( Figure 10A,B ), length 0.9 mm; mandible with a pin-hole window; intermediate sclerite club-shaped with ventral bridge towards anterior end ( Figure 10B ); epipharyngeal plate lightly sclerotized.

Material examined. Berkshire, Farnham Royal, one puparium ex nest of song thrush, Turdus philomelos , 1.2 m high in a hedge, consisting of grass, mud lining, egg shells, nest collected 20 October 1931, adult emerged 30 April 1932, one puparium, ex rotted apple, adult emerged 23 April 1934; Buckinghamshire, Beaconsfield, one puparium ex nest of greenfinch, Carduelis chloris , 2.4 m high in a hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna , consisting of grass, moss, dead leaves, broken eggs, nest collected 26 November 1932, adult emerged 4 April 1933; Berkshire, Temple, one puparium ex nest of grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis , 8.2 m high in a horse chestnut tree, Aesculus hippocastanum , consisting of dead leaves, twigs, pine needles, bones and feathers, nest collected 6 January 1934, adult emerged 25 April 1934, EB Basden.

Additional rearing records. Excluding material referred to above, Basden reared 138 specimens from 16 nests and burrows of 10 bird and mammal hosts: Berkshire, Farnham Royal, one specimen ex nest of a songthrush, Turdus philomelos , 1.2 m high in hedge, nest collected 20 November 1931, adults emerged 21 and 31 April 1932; same locality, six specimens ex nest of a house sparrow, Passer domesticus , 4.2 m high in a lime tree, Tilia europaea , nest collected 16 November 1932, adults emerged 8–29 April 1933; same locality, four specimens ex nest of a house sparrow 4.8 m high in a lime tree, nest collected 13 January 1934, adults emerged 4–11 May 1934; Buckinghamshire, Temple, one specimen ex nest of a field mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus , 38 cm along a tunnel excavated by a kingfisher, Alcedo atthis , nest collected 19 December 1931, adult emerged 1 May 1932; same locality one specimen ex nest of a magpie, Pica pica , nest 15.2m high in a Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris , nest collected 30 April 1932, adult emerged 17 May 1933; same locality 26 specimens ex nest of a grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis , 8.2 m high in a beech tree, Fagus sylvatica , nest collected 6 January 1934, adults emerged 21 April to 11 May 1934; same locality same host, 10 specimens, ex nest of a grey squirrel 6.7 m high in a horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum , tree, nest collected 7 April 1934, adults emerged 25 April to 15 May 1934; Buckinghamshire, Boveney ex nests of a blackbird in a hedge collected 12 November 1931, nests 1.3 m high from which one specimen emerged 21 April 1932, the other 1.1 m high, 12 specimens emerged 4–29 April 1932; Oxfordshire, Otonor, 32 specimens ex nest of a field mouse in a blackbird nest, nest 1.1 m high in a sloe bush, Prunus spinosa , nest collected 20 November 1932, adults emerged 4–22 April 1933; Buckinghamshire, Beaconsfield, one specimen ex nest of a greenfinch, Carduelis chloris , nest 2.4 m high in a hawthorn, nest collected 26 April 1932, adults emerged 4 and 12 April 1933; Buckinghamshire, East Burnham, 14 specimens ex nest of a blackbird, nest 1.3 m high in a hawthorn hedge, nest collected 14 January 1933, adults emerged 8–27 April 1933; Buckinghamshire, Burnham Beeches, nine specimens ex nest of a wood pigeon, Columba palumbus , nest 10.3 m in a beech tree, nest collected 17 October 1932, adults emerged 1 April to 6 May 1933; Buckinghamshire, Penn, one specimen ex nest of a dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius , height of nest in hedge not recorded, nest collected 31 January 1932, adult emerged 1 May 1932; Buckinghamshire, Seer Green nr Beaconsfield, 19 specimens ex nest of a grey squirrel 7.6 m high in an oak tree, Quercus sp. , nest collected 26 November 1932, adults emerged 12 April to 6 May 1933; same locality one adult ex nest of a wren, Troglodytes troglodytes , nest 1.2 m high in a hedge, nest collected 11 November 1933, adult emerged 16 May 1934.

Figures

Figure 3. Heleomyzidae, anterior spiracles, lateral view, scale bar 0.1 mm, fan shape: (A) Eccoptomera microps, (B) Scoliocentra brachypterna; transverse rosette shape: (C) Heleomyza borealis, (D) Tephrochlamys flavipes, (E) Tephrochlamys tarsalis, (F) Heteromyza rotundicornis; rosette shape: (G) Suillia variegata, (H) Suillia laevifrons, and (I) Suillia ustulata.

Figure 4. Heleomyzinae and Heteromyzinae, posterior spiracles, apical view, scale bar 0.1 mm, Heleomyzinae: (A) Eccoptomera microps, (B) Scoliocentra brachypterna, (C) Heleomyza borealis; Heteromyzinae: (D) Tephrochlamys flavipes, (E) Tephrochlamys tarsalis, (F) Heteromyza rotundicornis.

Figure 7. Heteromyzinae, locomotory spicules, across mid-ventral zone of the posterior margin of the second and the anterior half of the third abdominal segment, uppermost vertical line indicates the mid-ventral point, horizontal line indicates approximate segment boundary, (A) Tephrochlamys flavipes, (B) Tephrochlamys tarsalis, (C) Heteromyza rotundicornis.

Figure 10. Heteromyzinae, head skeletons, left hand figures, whole structure, lateral view, mandible to the right, right hand figures, dorsal view of intermediate sclerite and mandible in that order, scale bar 0.25 mm, (A, B) Tephrochlamys flavipes, (C, D) Tephrochlamys tarsalis, (E, F) Heteromyza rotundicornis.