Heteromeringia nigripes MELANDER & ARGO , 1924

Lonsdale, Owen & Marshall, Stephen A., 2007, Revision of the New World Heteromeringia (Diptera: Clusiidae: Clusiodinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (1), pp. 37-80 : 48-49

Heteromeringia nigripes MELANDER & ARGO, 1924

(Figs 19-21, 30, Map 1 )

Heteromeringia nitidanitida var. nigripesnigripes MELANDERELANDER & ARGO, 1924: 31 .

Description

Male

Externally as described for H. nitidanitida except as follows: NM paratype with additional reclinate bristle between mid and hind fronto-orbital bristles; fore coxa light yellow, and mid and hind coxae dark brown; mid tibia sometimes light brown; hind tibia variably coloured; femora dark brown with fore femur yellow basally, mid femur yellow on distal 1/3-1/2, and hind femur sometimes yellow at ends; pedicel yellow to dark brown; first flagellomere often with distal 2/3 of inner face and anterior margin dark brown, but occasionally with infuscation restricted to base of arista, or with distal margin of outer face also dark brown (some specimens from AZ); gena sometimes dark brown (some specimens from AZ and NM); palpus light brown (sometimes yellow on distal half, and male from Brazil with basal 3/4 of palpus brown). M 1+2 ratio 4.0-5.0.

Males from Mexico and Honduras differ as follows: fore femur yellow with dark subapical band; mid femur yellow; hind femur with brown dorsoapical spot; hind tibia entirely brown ( Mexico) or with wide apical and basal bands ( Honduras); males in and south of Mexico usually with first flagellomere yellow on outer face; male from Honduras with palpus brown on basal 2/3.

Male terminalia (Figs 19-21)

Epandrium wide, shallow and narrowing basally. Surstylus as high as epandrium and strongly tapered apically; nearly bare and without small rounded bristles. Cerci widely emarginate apically. Hypandrial complex as described for H. nitida except as follows: phallapodeme as long as hypandrium + pregonite, but distinctly wider distally; distiphallus with one rib short, truncate and fringed, and other rib short and pointed with additional distal sclerite (sclerite usually wide basally and bifid on distal half, but male from Mexico with sclerites united and broad).

Female

As described for male except palpus brown to dark brown. One female from Brazil agrees with description of Brazilian male except fore coxa dark brown, femora brown (excluding distal 1/3 of mid femur and base of fore and hind femora) and anterior margin of first flagellomere dark brown.

Female terminalia ( Fig. 30 )

Spermathecal width 1/5 greater than length at widest point, strongly telescoped, densely covered with narrow, transverse wrinkles, rounded distally, circular in cross-section, and apex truncate with shallow inverted cone. Spermathecal duct at least five times longer than spermatheca and ending in wide thick-walled cylindrical chamber. Ventral receptacle small, recurved distally, saclike, narrow basally and with subterminal flagellum approximately two to three times length of spermathecal duct.

Distribution

Brazil (Santa Catarina), Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, United States (AZ, NJ, NM, UT, VA) ( Map 1 ).

Holotype: UNITED STATES. NV: Las Vegas, “7.8”[year unknown], H.S. Barber (1 , USNM).

Paratypes: UNITED STATES. AZ: Mt Lemon , S Catalina Mts , 8000ft., 17.vii.19177 (1 , USNM) , Williams, 30.vi, H.S. Barber (1 , USNM) , NJ: Westville, 6.vi.1897 (1 , USNM) , NM: Las Vegas HS, 17.viii, Barber & Schwartz (1 , USNM) , VA: Mathias Pt., 1.ix.1915, R. C. Shannon (1 , USNM) .

Additional material examined: BRAZIL. Estado Mato Grosso do Sul, road from Sete Placa / Victor , aspirated from car, 25.ii.1986, M. v.Tschirnhaus (1 , ZSMC) , Nova Teutonia, 27°11'S, 52°23'W, 300-500m, F. Plaumann , xi.1962 (1 , CNCI) . COSTA RICA. San Jose: Zurqui de Moravia , 1600m, v.1991, P. Hanson (1 , DEBU) . HONDURAS. F. Morazan, Cerro Uyuca, Malaise , 27.v.1994, 1800m, H. Howden (1 , DEBU) . MEXICO. Chiapas, San Cristobal , 7000', 30.v.1969, H.J. Teskey (1 , CNCI) , 24mi W La Cuidad, Dgo. , 7000', 2.vii.1964, J.F. McAlpine (1 , CNCI) , 10mi W El Salto, Dgo. , 9000', 21.vi.1964, J.F. McAlpine (1 , CNCI) . UNITED STATES. AZ: Coconino Co., 20mi N Flagstaff, Bonito Pk. , 5-8.viii.1984, 7000', B. V. Brown, sweeping ponderosa pine/meadow (3 , USNM) , Flagstaff, Oak crk., Can. , 5900', 17- 25.vii.1979, at Sterling Can., riparian woods (1 , USNM) , Malaise, S. &J. Peck (1 , USNM) , Cochise Co. Southwestern Research Stn. , 8km W Portal, 1645m, 30.ix.1966, P.H. Arnaud Jr. (1 , USNM) , Portal S.W. Res. Sta. , 5-9.vi.1972, W.W. Wirth, Malaise (1  1 , USNM) , S.W. R.S., 5mi W Portal, Cochise Co., 5400', J.G. Rosen, D.K. Oliver, A. R. Molderke & J.A. Woods , 5.vii.1963 (3  , USNM) , 15.vii.1963 (1 , USNM) , 13.vii.1963 (1 , USNM) , NM: Catron Co., 8mi SE Luna , 7500', 9-14.vii.1979, S.&J. Peck, pond, pine at stream (3  1 , USNM) , 5mi W Luna, 7400', 9-14.vii.1979, S.&J. Peck, San Francisco River , pond, pine-meadows (1  1 , USNM) , 5mi W Luna , 7400', 9-14.vii.1979, ponderosa pine/meadow, S.&J. Peck (3 , DEBU) , McKinley Co., Quaking Aspen , 6.4km S Fort Wingato, 9.vii.1966, 2440m, P.H. Arnaud Jr. (1 , CASC) , Los Alamos Co., Bandelier National Monument, Ponderosa campsite, 13.vii.1991, 2300m, Ilan Yarom, ex: Malaise trap (2  1 , TAUI), UT: Cache Co. , Tony Grove Jct. Malaise trap, 19-27.vii.1983 (2  , EMUS) , 11-25.vii.1984 (1 , EMUS) , W.J. Hanson , 12-19.vii.1983 (1 , EMUS) , Green Canyon , 15-19.vi.1985, N.N. Youssef (1 , EMUS) , Beaver Mtn. , 27.vii-3.viii.1985 (1 , EMUS) , Summit Co., S slope Uinta Mts., 7525', hwy. 150 near Shingle Campground , 24.viii.1965, H.B. Leech (1 , CASC) .

Comments

Heteromeringia nigripes was originally described as a subspecies of H. nitida , but it varies significantly from H. nitida in external morphology, colouration and several structures of the male and female genitalia (listed in key). Both species, however, show some geographic variation in colour that could lead to misidentification unless genitalic characters are checked.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Heteromeringia nitidanitida JOHNSON (dot) and Heteromeringia nigripesnigripes MELANDER & ARGO (circle). South American localities of H. nigripes not shown.

Figs 28-30: Female internal genitalia (spermathecae and ventral receptacle). 28 Heteromeringia fumipennis MELANDER & ARGO; 29 H. nitida JOHNSON; 30 H. nigripesnigripes MELANDERELANDER & ARGO.