Geron parvidus Painter

Hall, Jack C. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2003, Review of the subgenus Geron (Geron) Meigen in the Nearctic Region (Diptera: Bombyliidae: Toxophorinae), Zootaxa 181, pp. 1-72 : 47-48

Geron parvidus Painter

Geron parvidus Painter, 1932: 155 . Painter & Painter 1965: 423. Tabet 1974: 20. Frommer 1981: 35. Evenhuis 1983: 484. Tabet & Hall 1984: 32. Tabet & Hall 1987: 68. Poole & Gentili 1996: 71. Evenhuis & Greathead 1999: 46.

Description. Male. Head. Front with silver white scales, hair wanting; face white pilose, bare medially, silvery white tomentum lateral to antennal base; antenna black; scape and pedicel with white hair; first flagellomere linear, tapering from base to acuminate apex; antennal ratio: 9:4:19; oral margin white; gena and upper half of occiput with white hair and scales; ocellar tubercle with long white hair and shorter (inconspicuous) black hair.

Thorax. Mesonotum dull black, lateral margin, anterior to wing base cinereous; median longitudinal stripe cinereous, reaching transverse suture; notum with white pile, posterior half medially with shorter black hair, tomentum golden yellow, scales scattered; pleura and legs with white hair and scales, a few golden scales present on femora; halter with stems and knob white; scutellum with white hair and scattered golden yellow scales.

Wing. Hyaline; venation normal; crossvein r­m at middle of cell dm; vein m­cu slightly sinuous; basicosta with white hair.

Abdomen. Dorsum white pilose, golden yellow tomentose; lateral margin and venter white pilose and tomentose; sternites with posterior margins narrowly pale.

Genitalia ( Fig. 49 ) with gonocoxa in ventral view with a single basal depression ridged on either side; in lateral view, gonocoxa, narrowly elongate, with a small rounded protuberance apically; gonostylus normal lateral ramus narrow, coextensive with gonostylus; dorsolateral ramus thickened, slightly curved, rounded apically.

Female. As in male except as follows: Head. Eyes half times width of and tomentum, white pedicel at vertex separated more than one and one­half width of ocellar tubercle; front with pale yellow hair tomentum laterally and above antenna; with short black hair; occiput with yellow scales on upper half. Thorax. Mesonotum with scattered golden yellow tomentum, scutellum and abdominal dorsum with yellow tomentum. Genitalia with posterior projection of tergite VIII black; vaginal furca ( Fig. 18 ) with upper half narrowly V­shaped; lower half with both pieces widely separated, strut broad, flared apically with an inward projection.

Types. Holotype male and allotype (Los Banos, Merced County, California, 28.vii.1930, T.F. Winburn, R.H. Painter) in USNM (No. 101429).

Discussion. This species is known from the type locality in northern California and numerous specimens from Deep Canyon in southern California. There are seven specimens in the USNM that are topotypic but are not labeled as paratypes. The single female paratype from Cajon, California, 24.vii.1930 (T.F. Winburn & R.H. Painter) belongs to G. nigripes .

Biology. Immature stages unknown. Adults in Deep Canyon have been collected at flowers of Petalonyx thurberi, Hyptis emoryi, and Bebbia juncea .

Distribution. United States (California).

Figures

FIGURES 46 – 49. Geron male genitalia. 46, G. niveus Painter; a, lateral view; b, tip of gonocoxa, dorsal view, epiphallus removed. 47, G. notios Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov.; a, lateral view; b, gonocoxa, dorsal view. 48, G. painteri Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov.; a, lateral view; b, tip of gonocoxa, ventral view. 49, G. parvidus Painter; a, lateral view; b, gonocoxa, dorsal view, epiphallus and phallic complex removed.

FIGURES 13 – 18. Geron vaginal furcae. 13, G. monticola Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov. 14, G. nevadensis Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov. 15, G. nigripes Painter. 16, G. notios Hall & Evenhuis, sp. nov. 17, G. painteri Hall Evenhuis, sp. nov. 18, G. parvidus Painter.