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Anthony Spuler.
North American Species of the Subgenera Opacifrons Duda and Pteremis Rondani of the genus Leptocera Olivier (Diptera, Borboridae).
Psyche 31:121-135, 1924.

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PSYCHE
VOL. XXXI. JUNE-AUGUST 1924 NOS. 3-4
NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF THE SUBGENERA
OPACIFRONS DUDA AND PTEREMIS RONDANI
OF THE GENUS LEPTOCERA OLIVIERi
(DIPTERA, BORBORIDE)
Pullman, Washington,
The subgenus Opacifrons Duda is comparatively small and contains but a few North American species. In none of the species are the individuals abundant. Some of the species are represented by a single or a few specimens. The subgenus Pteremis Rondani is represented by but three North American species. The characters in this subgenus are so striking that there is a question whether Pteremis should be classed as a subgenus as Dr. 0. Duda has done, or whether it should be classed as a genus as was done by Rondani. This paper is one of a series of papers on the North American species of the Family Borboridse.
Opacifrons Duda.
Duda: Abahnd. Zool-botan. Ges. Wien., X. I. 28 (1918). Front,al triangle opaque; preapical bristle usually absent; apical bristle always absent; hind tibiee uniformly short hairy; first section of costa more or less densely short hairy; last section of third vein straight or gently curved like letter S; usually not more than three pairs of dorsocentral bristles, the anterior pair not convergent; posthumeral bristles usually absent; scut.ellum with four marginal bristles.
Genotype.-0. coxata Stenh. by present designation. Contribution from the Division of Entomology of the Agricultural Experiment Station, State College of Washington.



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122 Psyche
Species of Opacifrons Duda.
Preapical bristle present in the female, absent in the male.. . ,2 ..................
Preapical bristle absent in both sexes.
.4
.......
Second section of costa distinctly longer than third. -3
.....
Second and third sections of costa equal or nearly so. .5
Wings with dark infuscations along all veins with exception of last section of third; front with three silvery pollinose areas located as follows; one on each side and one directly in front of the ocellar tubercle; dorsocentral bristles in three pairs; acrostichal bristles dist.inct; halteres yellow Fig. 1. ............................... .grandis n. ~ p . Wings clear; veins not so marked; front without such ........................................ markings. .4
Front, face and cheeks black; interfrontal bristles in four pairs, the anterior pair weak; orbital setulse strong, as strong as the anterior pair of interfrontal bristles; wings clear; veins black; legs black; outer crossvein below apical third of last section of second vein; halteres yellow. ..............................
Fig. 10. sciaspidis n. sp.
Cheeks brownish yellow; legs brownish yellow; outer cross- vein below middle of last section of second vein; smaller ......................
species. 1.5 mm. cartagensis Mall.
Lower front, anterior margin of epistome and anterior portions of cheeks yellowish; face fuscous; interfrontal bristles in three pairs, all three pairs cruciate; wings browned, veins blackish ; not-um opaque; brownish-black ; acrostichal bristles distinct; halteres yellow. Fig. 6. ccelobata n. sp. Lower front opaque black; face and cheeks yellow; inter- frontal bristles in four pairs, the upper and lower reduced, the middle two pairs cruciate; notum slightly to distinctly shining black; acrostichal bristles weak; wing veins pale; halteres fuscous.
Fig. 8. ............... pellucida n. sp.



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19241 North American Species of Opacifrons and Pteremis 123 6. Second section of costa longer than third; face, cheeks, and two spotss on front slivery pollinose; notum glossy black; acrostichal setulae very short; hind metatarsi one-half as long as second joint; abdomen piceous, hind margins of segments narrowly yellowish; halteres whitish. Fig.
4. .................................. .wheeleri n. sp. ~ower front reddish; interfrontal bristles not cruciate, the lower pair weaker than the others; last sect4ion of third vein slightly curved up; face and cheeks black or grayish; second section of abdomen as long as the next two. Fig. 7. .................................... coxata Stenh. Entire front black; face and cheeks yellow or with the posterior portion of cheeks blackish; lower two pairs of interfrontal bristles cruciate: second segment of abdomen but little longer than third. Fig. 9. ...... .convexa n. sp. Limosina (Opacifrons) grandis n. sp. (Fig. 1.) Subshining black. Front decidedly convex, opaque, almost twice as broad as deep; the divergent stripes velvety black; setigerous stripes and frontal triangle slightly silvery pollinose; vertex with a distinct silvery pollinose spot on each side and one directly in front of ocellar triangle; fronto-orbital bristles nearly uniform in size; upper two orbital setulse bristle-like, as strong as the upper pair of interfrontal bristles; interfrontal setae bristle-like, in three pairs, at right angles to the interfrontal rows; face gray dusted, slightly carinate; clypeus broadly visible from in front; cheeks silvery pollinose; at its narrowest point, one-third as high as eye; buccae with a long upcurved outer bristle and three small setae; oral margin with a row of long hairs; antennae with third joint rounded, much larger than second and with minute whitish pubescence; arista three times antenna1 length with rather long pubescence. Mesonoturn with three pairs of dorsocentral bristles in widely divergent rows; acrostichal setulse strong;, in eight rows between the anterior pair and in four rows between the posterior pair of dorsocentral bristles; scutellum triangular ; marginal bristles bristles four;



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124 Psyche [June-Augus t
pleurae opaque black; sternopleurse with as very strong posterior and a rather weak anterior bristle. Legs piceous; coxae and trochanters silvery pollinose; knees fuscous; front femora with a row of long hairs on its anterior side, middle femora with a row of seven strong anterior preapical set%; middle tibiae with five extensor, two on basal third and three on apical third, and two flexor bristles, one at middle and one near apex; (prcapical bristle absent in male) hind tibiae without marcochsetse, hind metatarsi thickened, one-half as long as the much thinner second joint. Wings slightly browned, with heavy black markings along all veins with the exception of the third vein; veins black; costa ending slightly beyond third vein; first section short, ciliate, with two basal bristles, equal to third and three-fourths as long as second; penultimate sections of third and fourth veins subequal, one-third as long as last section of second vein and two and one-half times outer crossvein, third vein slightly bent forward, then backward and again forward on last section, and ending near wing-tip; fourth vein traceable to wing-margin, fifth vein produced a short distance beyond outer cross vein; discal cell broad at middle and narrowed at outer crossvein. Abdomen opaque, hairy, second segment a little longer than the others.' Halteres yellow.
Length 4 mm.
Type.-Female ; Portland, Oregon. Aug . 20, 1909. (Melan- der) .
Paratypes.-Three specimens from Adna, Lake Cushman, and Quilcene, Wash. (Melander).
Leptocera (Opacifrons) sciaspidis n. sp. (Fig. 10). Shining black; Front two times as broad as deep, slightly convex; setigerous stripes and frontal triangle slightly gray dusted, the divergent stripes velvety black; fronto-orbital bristles strong, widely divergent, the lower three-fourths as long as upper; orbital setulse not extending above the upper fronto- orbital bristle, the upper three, bristle-like, the upper most sets nearly as strong as the posterior pair of interfrontal bristles;



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19241 North American Species of Opacifrons and Pteremis 125 interfrontal bristles strong, in four pairs, the anterior pair reduced, the other three increasing in size anteriorly, with the
third pair from above, cruciate ; antennae prominent, second joint with strong bristles, third joint oval, larger than second; arista two and one-half times antenna1 length, its pubescence short and dense; face concave in profile, slightly gray dusted; carina developed between the antennae only; clypeus broadly visible from in front; cheeks gray dusted, one-fourth eye height; buccse with a strong anterior upcurved bristle and three setae; oral setulse hair-like. Mesonotum with three distinct pairs of dorsocentral bristles, increasing in size posteriorly; acrostichal setulse arranged in six rows between the anterior pair of dorso- central bristles, the middle rows longer than the others; post- humerals absent; scutellum large, triangular, marginal bristles four, the posterior pair very long; upper sternopleurae with two anterior setae and a long posterior bristle. Legs with knees browned; front femora with five hair-like extensor and four preapical flexor bristles, middle femora with six preapical an- terior bristles; middle tibiae with five extensor, two before middle and two on apical third, and two flexor bristles, one at middle and one at near apex (preapical bristle absent in male); middle metatarsi with a flexor bristle at basal third and a number of apical bristles; hind tibiae with a row of hair-like bristles on outer side; first and second joints of hind tarsi with a brush of stiff hairs beneath; hind metatarsi one-half as long as next joint. Abdomen broad, shorter than thorax; second segment one and one-half times as long as third; hypopygium moderately large and hairy. Wings slightly browned; second section of costa distinctly longer than third; first section weakly bristly and equal to third; penultimate section of third and fourth veins subequal and two times outer crossvein; last section of third vein nearly straight; fourth vein traceable to wing-margin; fifth vein produced but little beyond outer crossvein. Halteres white. Length : 2.5-3mm.
Type.-Female ; Friday Harbor. June 25, 1909. (Melander) Paratypes.-Fifty-one specimens of this species, distributed as follows :




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126 Psyche [June-August
Washington: Glenwood, Mt. Rainier, Husum, Friday Har- bor, Olympia, Adna, Mt. Constitution, Kettle Falls, Roche Harbor. Wawawai, Nahcotta (Melander).
Idaho: Potlatch, Moscow, Juliaetta, Kendrick, (Melander) ; Troy (Cresson).
Leptocera (Opacifrons) cartagensis Malloch. Malloch; Tran. Am. Ent. Soc. 40. 17 (1914). (Leptocera) Costa Rica.
Leptocera ( Opacifrons) caelobata n. sp. ( ~ i ~ . 6). Opaque black.
Front for the most part reddish, changing to brown or black toward occiput; bristles strong; fronto- orbitals divergent; the lower three-fourths as long as upper; orbital setulse weak; interfrontal bristles in three pairs, the upper pair touching, the lower two pairs longer and cruciate; face and cheeks pale brown, with gray pollen; face concave in profile; cheek at vibrissal angle two-fifths as high as eye, buccal bristles in two pairs, the anterior pair quite strong; oral setae long, hair-like; second joint of antennae with strong apical bristles; third joint rounded; arista two times antenna1 length, microscopically pubescent. Mesonotum with three pairs of dorsocentral bristles; discal setulae strong, middle acrostichals prominent, posterior pair bristle-like; scutellum triangular; disc bare, marginal bristle four; pleura; with some grayish pollen; pleural sutures reddish, sternopleur~ with a single posterior bristle. Legs hairy, coxse and t,rochanters fuscous; middle femora with six antero-apical bristles, the apical one very strong; middle tibiae with five extensor bristles, a pair at basal third and three on apical third; hind metatarsi two-thirds as long as second joint. Wings infumated, veins black; costa produced to end of third vein, second section as long as third; basal section of third vein two times outer crossvein and a little longer than distance between crossveins, third vein straight on its last section, or slightly curved up at apex, ending near wing-



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19241 North American Species of Opacifrons and Pteremis 127 tip, vein four faintly produced to wing-margin; vein five prod- uced one-third distance from outer crossvein to wingmargin; discal cell broad. Abdomen cylindrical, very short, but little more than half as long as thorax; second segment as long as third. Halteres yellow. Length: 3 mm.
Type.-Male : Pullman, Wash. June 10, 191 1. (Melander.) Paratype.-A single specimen from Pateros, Wash. (Melan- der) .
Leptocera (Opacifrons) pellucida n. sp. (Fig. 8.) Opaque black. Front convex, two-thirds as broad as deep, slightly gray dusted except on the divergent stripes and lower orbital stripes; lower fronto-orbital bristle three-fourths as long as upper; orbital setulae microscopic; interfrontal bristles in four pairs, the anterior and posterior pairs weak, the middle two pairs long and cruciate; interfrontal setulae microscopic; face and cheeks yellow; face deeply concave in profile; anterior margin of epistome slightly projecting; clypeus not visible from in front; cheek at vibrissal angle one-fourth as high as eye; oral setulse weak. hair-like; buccal setulse in three pairs, the anterior pair stronger than the others, bristle-like; antennae fuscous, third joint oval, equal in length to second; arista two and one- half times ant'ennal length, pubescence microscopic. Mesonotum
with three pairs of dorsocentral bristles, increasing in size post- eriorly; discal setulse in six rows between anterior pair and two rows between posterior pairs of dorsocentral bristles; scutellum triangular; marginal bristles four; pleurae with gray pollen; pleu- ral sutures reddish; sternopleurae with a strong posterior bristle and two small anterior setae. Legs brown; front femora with hair-like bristles; middle trochanter with a weak brist,le; middle femora with five antero-preapical bristles, increasing in size apically, middle tibia with two pairs of extensor bristles, one on basal-fourth and one on apical fourth; hind metatarsi two- thirds as long as next joint.. Wings hyaline; veins brown; costa extended slightly beyond third vein, second and third sections subequal; discal cell short ; outer crossvein nearly as



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128 Psyche [June- August
long as distance between crossveins; basal section of third vein less than one-half as long as last section of second vein and less than two times as long as second section of fourth vein; fourth vein not reaching wing-margin; fifth vein extending beyond outer crossvein. Abdomen as long as thorax, fuscous, margins of segments lighter; second segment one and one-half times third. Halteres f uscous.
Length: 2 mm.
Type.-. Male; Oroville, Wash. (Melander). Paratypes. . -Seven specimens from the following localities: Washington : Oroville, Pullman (Melander). British Columbia: Bear Lake (U. S. N. M.) Leptocera (Opacif rons) wheeleri n. sp. (Fig. 4). Front olivaceous black; ocellar triangle bordered on each side by a conspicuous lunate silvery-pollinose spot, lower frontal triangle depressed and with sloping sides, because of the sloping sides the depressed portion of the frontal triangle appears to have a different color than the rest of the front; bristles not very conspicuous; interfrontal bristles in five pairs, increasing in size anteriorly to middle pair, then decreasing, but not cruciate; face and cheeks silvery pollinose; face shallowly concave in profile; oral vibrissae short; bucca with a distinct anterior bristle and a few posterior setse; oral setulae distinct; antennae moderate in size, third joint with whitish pubescence; arista two and one-half times antenna1 length, microscopically pubes- cent. Thorax and scutellum glistening black with an opaque brownish pollinose stripe between the base of the wings and the humeri; dorsocentral bristles in four pairs; acrostichal setulse very fine and short, arranged in eight rows between the anterior pair of dorsocentral bristles; scutellum trapezoidal, blunt at tip; marginal bristles four; pleurae with the exception of the extreme upper portion, white-pollinose; upper sternopleuras with a strong posterior bristle and minute anterior setse. Legs black; tarsi brown; femora and tibiae slightly gray dusted; all



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19241 North American Species of Opacifrons and Pteremis 129 the bristles somewhat reduced; middle femora with a single preapical anterior setae, middle tibiae with four extensor, one on basal third, and two on apical fourth, and no flexor bristles, middle tarsi with a small seta on flexor surface near base; hind metatarsi as thick as tibiae at apex and one-half as long as the much more slender second joint. Wings hyaline or but slightly yellowish; veins brown; costa extending slightly beyond third vein, second section one and one-fourth times as long as third; second vein ending beyond the outer crossvein; basal section of third vein one-third as long as the last section of second vein and nearly two times outer crossvein; last section of third vein gently curved, ending a little before wing-tip; fourth vein reaching margin of wing; fifth vein produced considerably beyond outer crossvein. Abdomen piceous, flat oval; hind margins of segments narrowly yellowish; second segment not much longer than third. Halteres whitish. Length: 2 mm. Type.-Female ; Austin, Texas; Oct. 29, 1899 (Melander). Paratypes.-Two specimens from Illinois (Ill. Univ.) Leptocera (Opacifrons) coxata Stenhammar (Fig. 7). Stenhammar : Coprom. Scand. 396 (138) (1855). (Limo- sina) .
Duda: Abhand. Zo01.-Botan. Ges. Wien. X. I. 85 (1918). (Limosina) .
Pusio Zetterstedt: Dipt. Scand. VI. 2496 (1847). (I A ~ O - '
sina) .
Pumilo Zetterstedt: Ins. Lapp. 771 (1838). (Limosina). Septentrionalis Dahl : Berl. Sb. Ges. Natf. Freunder. (1909). (Limosina) .
Nigricoris Dahl; Berl. Sb. Ges. Natf. Freunde. 375 (1909). (Limosina).
Forty seven specimens from the following localities: Washington: Bellingham, Lake Whatcom, Nahcotta, Lake cushman, Ilwaco, Granite Falls, Sultan, La Center, Tacoma,



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130 Psyche [June-August
Vancouver, Colby, Dungeness, Pt. Gamble (Melander). Idaho : Lake Waha (Melander).
Oregon : Salem, Portland (Melander).
California : Berkeley, Muir Woods (Melander). ; St anford Univ. (Aldrich) ; Redwood City.
British Columbia : Abbotsford (Melander). Leptocera (Opacifrons) convexa n. sp. (Fig. 9). Opaque black. Front with fronto-orbital, the very narrow interfrontal stripes and the frontal triangle from lower ocelli to frontal lunule, slightly gray dusted, somewhat flat, two- thirds as long as broad; vertical and postorbital bristles mod- erate; fronto-orbital bristles divergent, the upper but little longer than the lower; orbital setulse present, the upper two pairs quite distinct; interfrontal bristles in four pairs; the first from above, very weak, the second reaching the median line and the third and fourth pairs longer and cruciate; one pair of interfrontal setulse present; face and cheeks yellow, pollinose; cheek black toward occiput, narrow, from mouth margin to lower margin of eye, equal to one-fourth eye-height; oral vi- brissae long; oral setulse weak, in one pair; face concave in profile; epistome slightly projecting; clypeus very narrowly visible from in front; antennae divergent, third joint rounded; arista three times antenna1 length, long pubescent. Mesonoturn and scutellum grayish dusted; mesonotum with a single pair of dorsocentral bristles; acrostichal setulse rather weak, arranged in six rows between the dorsocentrals, the posterior pair of middle acrostichals longer than the others; pleural sutures yellow to reddish; sternopleurse with two bristles, the posterior longer than the anterior; scutellum quadrangular; disc with four nearly uniform bristles on margin. Legs hairy; coxae, tro- chanters and tarsi infuseate; middle femora with a row of five anterior preapical bristles, the one nearest apex much the longest, middle tibiae with no flexor and three extensor bristles arranged as follows: one at basal third, one at apical third, and one on apical fifth ,hind metatarsi three-fifths as long as second



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1924florth American Species of Opacifrons and Pteremis 1.31
joint. Wings slightly browned; veins brown; costa ending beyond third vein, first and second sections black, second section three-fifths as long as third; last section of second vein two and one-half times as long as basal section of third vein; penultimate sections of third and fourth veins subequal and twice the length of the outer crossvein; last section of third vein straight and ending a lfttle before wing-tip, last section of fourth vein evanes- cent and not reaching wing-margin; fifth vein traceable one- half way to wing-margin from outer crossvein. Abdomen cy- lindrical; second segment of abdomen one and one-fourth times as long as third; hypopygium large. Halteres with stem
and tip of knob yellow. Length: 1 mm.
Type.-Male, Bovill; Idaho (Melander).
Paratypes.-Five specimens from the following localities: Washington: Sultan, Mt. Constitution, Tacoma, (Melander). Idaho : Priest Lake (Me1 ander) .
Pteremis Rondanis.
Rondani: Prodr. I. 124 (1856)., Coprom. Bull. Soc. Ent. Ital. XI1 41 (1880).
Duda: Abhand. z001.-bot. Ges. Wien X. I. 28 (1918). Head large, broader than thorax; wings rudimentary; cost'a extending considerably beyond third vein; outer crossvein absent; last section of third vein straight or but slightly curved up; preapical bristle present; middle tibiae with a number of minute apical bristles, never with a single strong, apical bristle; middle metatarsal bristle absent.
Genotype.-P. nivalis Haliday .
Species of Pteremis Rondani.
1. Wings very short, not reaching beyond the second ab- dominal segment ; second vein incomplete, not reaching costa; face and cheeks piceous, concave in profile; shining black species.
Fig. 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . parvipennis n. sp. Wings longer, reaching the fourth abdominal segment. . . . . .2



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132 Psyche [June-August
2.
Front, face and cheeks entirely ferruginuous or yellowish; second section of costa less than one-half as long as third; halteres slightly reduced, fuscous. Fig. 5. .............. flavifrons n. sp.
Front, face and cheeks for the most part black; face slightly carinate, concave in profile; second section of costa a little shorter than third; halteres considerably shortened, yellow. Fig 2. ......................... unica n. sp . Leptocera (Pteremis) parvipennis n. sp. (Fig. 3). Shining black. Front almost twice as broad as deep; divergent stripes opaque; bristles of front and vertex moderately strong; interfrontal bristles in five pairs, the upper two and the lower pair very much reduced, the other two considerably longer but not cruciate; antennae piceous; arista two and one- half times antenna1 length, with short dense pubescence; face and cheeks piceous; face carinate between the antennae only; epistome curved up on anterior margin; clypeus broadly visible from in front; cheeks a little less than one-third as high as eye, when measured at vibrissal angle; vibrissae strong. Mesonotum and scutellum with some brownish pollen; dorsocentral bristles in two pairs, the anterior pair rather weak; acrostichal setulae few, in five irregular rows between the anterior pair of dorso- central bristles; scutellum triangular with apex truncate; mar-


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