Eccoptomera microps (Meigen, 1830)

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 : 2079-2080

Eccoptomera microps

Puparium. Length 3 mm (n = 1), length of second abdominal segment 0.4 mm, yellowbrown in ground colour; dorsal transverse striae slight and mainly confined to middle regions of abdominal segments; locomotory spicules numerous, generally uniform in size and occurring in short bars or rows, except on posterior margin of abdominal segments ( Figure 6A ); anterior spiracles fan-shaped with six respiratory bulbs ( Figure 3A ); projections bearing posterior spiracular plate short (shorter than basally wide) and in dorsal view, spiracular plates separated by more than twice the width of a spiracular plate; spiracular plate ( Figure 4A ), with smooth rim, not indented or with additional projections (e.g. Figure 4C–F ); posterior spiracular slits short, about as long as the diameter of the ecdysial scar; head skeleton ( Figure 9A,B ), length 0.8 mm; mandible with a pin-hole window; intermediate sclerite bar-shaped with ventral bridge towards anterior end ( Figure 9B ); epipharyngeal plate lightly sclerotized.

Material examined. One puparium, Buckinghamshire, Medmenham , ex nest of the mole, Talpa europaea , nest consisting of grass and leaves approximately 20 cm underground, nest collected 20 January 1934, adult emerged 8 April 1934, EB Basden .

Additional rearing records. Excluding the specimen referred to above, Basden reared 57 specimens and collected 12 adults from 19 nests of the mole, Talpa europaea : Buckinghamshire, Medmenham , four specimens, nest 20 cm underground collected 28 February 1932 , adults emerged 4 March to 7 April 1932; Buckinghamshire, Medmenham , three nests collected 20 January 1934 : 12 specimens, nest 28 cm underground, adults emerged 3 March to 21 April 1934, four specimens, nest 20 cm underground adults emerged 24 February to 14 April 1934, two specimens, nest 24 cm underground, adults emerged 10 February to 14 April 1934; Berkshire, Hambleden Weir , one specimen, nest 33 cm underground collected 14 February 1932 , adult emerged 10 March 1932; Buckinghamshire, Temple , one specimen, nest 15 cm underground collected 7 May 1932 , adult emerged 7 May 1932; Oxfordshire, Marston , two specimens, nest 23 cm underground collected 25 December 1932 , adult emerged 25 December 1932; Berkshire, Bradfield , one specimen, nest 19 cm underground collected 15 January 1933 , adult emerged 15 January 1933; Buckinghamshire, nr Beaconsfield , eight specimens, nest 19 cm underground collected 14 April 1934 , adults emerged 10 May to 13 June 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 6. Heleomyzinae, 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) Eccoptomera microps, (B) Scoliocentra brachypterna, (C) Heleomyza borealis.

Figure 9. Heleomyzinae, 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) Eccoptomera microps, (C, D) Scoliocentra brachypterna, (E, F) Heleomyza borealis.