Drosophila ( Sophophora ) lowei Heed, Crumpacker and Ehrman, 1969

Grimaldi, David A., 2024, The Drosophila (Sophophora) obscura species group in the Americas (Diptera: Drosophilidae): review, revisions, and three new species, American Museum Novitates 2024 (4015), pp. 1-44 : 33-35

Drosophila ( Sophophora) lowei Heed, Crumpacker and Ehrman

Figures 3A , 8B , 10B

Drosophila lowei Heed, Crumpacker, and Ehrman, 1969: 398 .

DIAGNOSIS: Very similar to sympatric D. pseudoobscura , but distinguished by the bronzelike sheen on the blackish notum (vs. without sheen in D. pseudoobscura ); ♂ sex comb having fewer teeth on both tarsomeres: ta1 with 4–6 teeth and ta2 with 3–4 teeth (vs. generally 6–9 on ta1 and 5–9 on ta 2 in D. pseudoobscura [ Crumpacker, 1973]); wing distinctly longer than body (vs. shorter); surstylus with row of 9–11 prensisetae (vs. 6–7); posterior margin of hypandrium with pair of prominent, pointed lobes (in D. pseudoobscura this margin barely raised). Acrostichals in 8 rows. Female: Oviscapt with long ovisensilla, lengths ~2× the width (vs. length equal to width); spermatheca subspherical, with apical indentation reaching into internal sleeve (vs. oval, indentation not reaching apex of sleeve).

TYPE: Holotype, ♂: A19.2 / 78 Sept. 1960 / Santa Catalina Mts., Tucson , Ariz., TYPE [in red] [all handwritten by W.B. Heed, from publication: Arizona: Pima Co., Tucson, Santa Catalina Mtns., Mt. Lemmon, W.B. Heed]. In USNM. Examined, not dissected.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED: 9 paratypes: 4 with same data as holotype, labels handwritten . One specimen with simply “A33.6” [handwritten by Heed; from publication: Arizona, Cochise Co., Rustler Park , near Portal , Chiricahua Mtns., VII/15/1961 W.B. Heed] . 5 specimens with simply “2056.1” [handwritten, not Heed’s], 1 with Heed’s writing: 38 mi W Heber, Ariz. VIII/8/50, M.R. Wheeler. All in AMNH, 2 dissected .

DISTRIBUTION: Higher elevations in Arizona and Colorado, probably extending into Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. Heed et al. (1969) mentioned that D. lowei can be very common at 7000–9000 ft. ( 2100 to 2740 m) in pine ( Pinus ) and fir ( Abies ) forests in Arizona, and the species prefers rotting mushroom bait. In Colorado near the Colorado Springs area, D. lowei extended up to 11,400 ft. ( 3475 m) near Pike’s Peak; it is abundant at higher elevations in Colorado (e.g., Crumpacker, 1973).

Figures

FIG. 3. Frontal view of heads of representative species in the D. pseudoobscura subgroup. A. D. lowei, male paratype (A19.2); B. D. maya, male holotype (44.12A). C. D. pseudoobscura, male. D. cuauhtemoci, male paratype (face and antennae only) (ASG 39).

FIG. 8. Oviscapts and spermathecae (lateral views) of species in the pseudoobscura subgroup, with a detail for D. persimilis. A. D. cuauhtemoci (ASG 39); B. D. lowei (ASG 26); C. D. maya (ASG 19); D. D. persimilis (ASG 37); E. D. pseudoobscura (ASG 34); F. D. zapoteca (ASG 21).

FIG. 10. Protarsal male sex combs of species in the D. pseudoobscura subgroup. A. D. cuauhtemoci; B. D. lowei (ASG 40); C. D. maya (ASG 41); D. D. persimilis (ASG 36); E. D. pseudoobscura (ASG 35); F. D. zapoteca (ASG 01). All to the same scale.