Polytrichophora sturtevantorum, Mathis, Wayne N. & Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz, 2012

Mathis, Wayne N. & Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz, 2012, A revision of the new world species of Polytrichophora Cresson and Facitrichophora, new genus (Diptera, Ephydridae), ZooKeys 231, pp. 1-116 : 63-65

Polytrichophora sturtevantorum sp. n. Figs 109113

Polytrichophora orbitalis of authors, not Loew [misidentification]. Deonier 1964: 121 [key, Iowa, as Discocerina orbitalis ]; 165:502 [ecological observations, as Discocerina orbitalis ].

Diagnosis.

This species is distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: Small shore flies, body length 1.20-1.60 mm.

Head: Frons largely dull to faintly subshiny, brown with moderate investment of gray to yellowish gray microtomentum, anterior margin with some orange coloration; fronto-orbits narrow, gray to whitish gray. Antenna mostly yellow; basal flagellomere tannish yellow apicodorsally; arista with 5 dorsal rays. Face at narrowest point about equal to combined length of pedicel and basal flagellomere; face more densely microtomentose than frons, microtomentum with faintly shiny, mostly gray to whitish gray; parafacial and gena becoming slightly more whitish to silvery white than face; parafacial becoming wider ventrally with moderate ventral dilation; gena moderately high, height less than combined length of pedicel and basal flagellomere; gena-to-eye ratio 0.09-0.12.

Thorax: Mesonotum mostly dull to faintly subshiny, moderately densely microtomentose, mostly tan to brown, becoming gray laterally and anteriorly; pleural area mostly gray. Anterior margin of wing lacking spine-like setae; costal vein ratio 0.82-0.86; M vein ratio 0.50-0.55. Legs, including most of coxae, yellow; forefemur lacking a row of 9-10 short, stout setulae along apical half of anteroventral surface; forefemur with a row of 4-5, of moderately well-developed, evenly spaced posteroventral setae on apical half, each seta less than width of femur; tibiae mostly gray, only apices yellowish; basal tarsomeres yellow, apical 1-2 becoming slightly darker, mostly tannish yellow.

Abdomen: Tergites dull to subshiny, gray to blackish brown; tergite 5 of male pointed apically, lacking row of 6-10, distinctly larger setae along extreme posterior margin with posterodorsal orientation. Male terminalia (Figs 109-112): Epandrium in posterior view (Fig. 109) generally elliptical, more setulose medially, these becoming shorter ventrally, dorsal margin rounded, both ventral extensions relatively wide until small, digitiform, ventral projections, in lateral view (Fig. 110) with ventral apex narrowly pointed; cercus large, conspicuous; aedeagus simple, lacking distinct basiphallus and distiphallus, in lateral view (Fig. 112) narrowly tubular, straight, anterior margin shallowly curved, posterior margin straight, apex bluntly rounded, in ventral view (Fig. 111) with apical ¾ parallel sided, apex bluntly rounded, base tapered to form a narrow, digitiform base; phallapodeme in lateral view (Fig. 112) roughly triangular with distinct extended keel truncate apically, in ventral view (Fig. 111) with a short bar, T-shaped at both apices; gonite in lateral view (Fig. 112) narrowly elongate, end toward hypandrium distinctly angulate, in ventral view (Fig. 111) angularly arched, slightly wider toward base of hypandrium; hypandrium in lateral view (Fig. 112) elongate, obtusely angulate, in ventral view (Fig. 111) narrowly H-shaped with relatively long anterior and posterior arms.

Type material.

The holotype male is labeled "USA. TN. Shelby: MeemanShelby St[ate]Park [Mississippi River] 35°20.4'N, 90°2.1'W; 98 m, 10 Jun 2004, W. N. Mathis/USNM ENT 00285964 [plastic bar code label]/HOLOTYPE ♂ Polytrichophora sturtevantorum Mathis & Zatwarnicki, USNM [red]." The holotype is double mounted (minuten pin in a block of plastic), is in excellent condition, and is deposited in the USNM. Ten paratypes (7♂, 3♀; USNM) bear the same label data as the holotype.

Type locality.

United States. Tennessee. Shelby: Meeman Shelby State Park (Mississippi River; 35°20.4'N, 90°2.1'W; 98 m).

Other specimens examined.

Nearctic. UNITED STATES. ILLINOIS. Adams: Quincy (Mississippi River; 39°56.1'N, 91°25.1'W), 3 Sep 1995, J. F. Edmiston (5♂, 4♀; USNM). Cass: Beardstown (40°01.1'N, 90°25.5'W), 18 Sep 1954, A. H. Sturtevant (3♂; USNM). Cook: Chicago (41°52.7'N, 87°37.8'W) (1♀; ANSP).

IOWA. Allamakee: Waterville (5 km ESE; 43°11'N, 91°14.1'W), 3 Aug 1960, D. L. Deonier (1♂; USNM). Boone: Fraser Milldam (42°07.6'N, 93°58.6'W), 4 Jul 1960, D. L. Deonier (4♂, 5♀; USNM); Ledges State Park (Des Moines River; 41°59.5'N, 93°53.5'W), 14 Jun– 16 Aug 1960, D. L. Deonier (16♂, 10♀; USNM). Hamilton: Goose Lake (42°19.9'N, 93°37.4'W), 22 Jul-6 Aug 1960, D. L. Deonier (3♀; USNM). Louisa: Wapello (6.5 km NE; 41°13.8'N, 91°07.2'W), 9 Aug 1960, D. L. Deonier (31♂, 10♀; USNM). Monona: Lewis and Clark State Park (42°02'N, 96°10'W), 6 Jun 1960, D. L. Deonier (2♂; USNM). Story: Ames (42°02.1'N, 93°37.2'W), 12 May– 17 Jul 1960, D. L. Deonier (11♂, 15♀; USNM). Warren: Banner Mine Area (41°26.4'N, 93°33.8'W), 7 Aug 1960, D. L. Deonier (2♂, 1♀; USNM).

KANSAS. Riley: Manhattan (39°11'N, 96°34'W), 6 Jun 1932, C. W. Sabrosky (1♂; ANSP).

LOUISIANA. Sabine: Many, 6 Jul 1933, R. Nabors, C. W. Sabrosky (1♂; ANSP).

MISSISSIPPI. Oktbbeha: Agriculture College (State College; 33°27.1'N, 88°47'W), 30 Oct 1922 (1♂; ANSP). Washington: Leroy Percy State Park (W Hollandale; 33°09.8'N, 90°56.2'W; 63 m), 9 Jun 2004, W. N. Mathis (20♂, 1♀; USNM).

MISSOURI. Jackson: Atherton (39°11.2'N, 94°18.3'W) (1♂; ANSP). Laclede: Lebanon (37°40.8'N, 92°39.8'W), 19 Sep 1954, A. H. Sturtevant (1♂; USNM). Lawrence: La Russell (37°11.5'N, 94°01.1'W), 6 Sep 1961, D. L. Deonier (3♂, 1♀; USNM). St. Louis: St. Louis (38°37.6'N, 90°12'W), 25 Jun 1951, H. Stalker (1♂; USNM).

MONTANA. Gallatin: Three Forks (44°53.5'N, 111°53.1'W), 3 Aug 1918, A. L. Melander (1♀; ANSP).

OHIO. Ashtabula: Pymatuning Lake State Park (41°39.4'N, 80°27.7'W), 13 Sep 1976, B. A. Steinly (4♂, 4♀; USNM). Claremont: Stonelick (39°13.6'N, 84°03.5'W), 1 Aug 1974, J. Regensberg (2♂, 3♀; USNM). Hocking: Logan (39°32'N, 82°26.9'W), 18 May 2003, D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM). Morgan: Burr Oak State Park (39°33.3'N, 82°03.9'W), 26 Aug 1974, J. Regensberg (7♂, 9♀; USNM). Preble: Seven-mile Creek at Eaton (39°43.8'N, 84°35.9'W), 24 Jul 1974, J. Regensberg (2♂; USNM). Van Wert: Little Auglaize River (40°46.7'N, 84°30.3'W), 18 Aug 1976, B. A. Steinly (15♂, 17♀; USNM).

TEXAS. Galveston: Galveston Island (29°10'N, 94°05'W), 14 May 1993, D. and W. N. Mathis (1♂; USNM). Jasper: Boykin Springs (31°05'N, 94°17'W), 15 May 1993, D. and W. N. Mathis (4♂; USNM).

WISCONSIN. Washburn: (46°40.4'N, 90°53.7'W), 10 Jun-10 Aug 1951, 1953, R. H. Jones (8♂, 5♀; USNM).

Distribution

(Fig. 113). Nearctic: United States (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin).

Etymology.

The species epithet, sturtevantorum, is a plural genitive patronym to recognize and honor a father and son. The father, Alfred H. Sturtevant (1891-1970), was a world-renowned geneticist who also conducted taxonomic research on shore flies ( Sturtevant and Wheeler 1954) and was an indefatigable collector of acalyptrate Diptera . Most of A. H. Sturtevant'S shore-fly collection is deposited in the USNM, where his son, William C. Sturtevant (1926-2007; see Merrill and Goddard 2002 for biographical information), was a colleague and distinguished scholar in the Department of Anthropology (USNM).

Remarks.

Among species of the orbitalis group, this species is distinguished by characters of the male terminalia as follows: Area between anterior arms of the hypandrium is partially sclerotized; the ventral epandrial processes are relatively wide until small, digitiform, ventral projections (Fig. 109); the posteroventral edge of the epandrium in lateral view is evenly curved; and the taper toward the apex is more gradual and acute (Fig. 110).

The reginae Group

Species included: Polytrichophora prolata sp. n. and Polytrichophora reginae Mathis.

Discussion.

Externally, this species group is recognized by having male tergite five bearing a distinct row of six to ten longer setae along the extreme posterior margin. These setae have a posterodorsal orientation.

The monophyly of this group is questionable. Although the male tergite five is somewhat similar, structures of the male terminalia are remarkably different and may indicate that the two included species are not that closely related. In Polytrichophora reginae , the ventral portion of the epandrium in posterior view is pointedly rounded, which is unique within the genus. In Polytrichophora prolata , the ventral portion of the epandrium is as two, elongated, and narrow processes, more typical of many other congeners.