Sphyracephala brevicornis (Say, 1817)

Figs 100, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110–112, 113–115, Tables 2, 3, 4

Diopsis brevicornis Say, 1817: 23.

Sphyracephala brevicornis (Say): Say 1828: plate LII (unpaginated). Portschinsky 1871: 287 (material from Siberia, misidentification for S. nigrimana); Curran 1934: 358 (in part, figure represents S. subbifasciata); Lavigne 1962: 5 (Lavigne - pers. comm. - later indicated that all data refer to S. subbifasciata, except for 1958 records); Sabrosky 1965: 638 (in part); Steyskal 1972: 13 (in part); Hochberg Stasny 1985: 1; Peterson 1987: 785 (in part); Feijen 1989: 72, figs 5–10, 13–40; Marshall 2017: 419, fig. 9 on p. 510. Up to 1989, authors considered S. subbifasciata as junior synonym of S. brevicornis . Their treatment of Nearctic Sphyracephala could therefore be one of the two species or a mixture.

Achias brevicornis (Say): Wiedemann 1830: 564. Wiedemann received these flies as A. brevicornis, but was convinced that they belonged to Diopsis .

Sphyracephala bicornis (Say): Peterson 1916: 183. Error for S. brevicornis .

Type series.

U. S. A.: holotype, sex unknown, Wissahickon Creek near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania [~ 40°8'55"N, 75°13'14"W, ~ 60 m]. It seems likely that the single type specimen of S. brevicornis has been lost.

Distribution.

South-Eastern corner of Canada, contiguous U. S. A. east of the line Houston-Lincoln (Nebraska) - Grand Forks.

Illustrations.

Feijen (1989) provided drawings of external morphology and genitalia. To this is added a set of photographs (Figs 113 – 118) of habitus, head, thorax, wing, fore femur, and abdomen.