Article beginning on page 92.
Psyche 8:92-93, 1897.
Full text (searchable PDF)
Durable link: http://psyche.entclub.org/8/8-092.html
The following unprocessed text is extracted from the PDF file, and is likely to be both incomplete and full of errors. Please consult the PDF file for the complete article.
DIPTERA FROM THE HEADWATERS OF THE GILA RIVER. -11. BY C. H. TYLER TOWNSEND, LAS CRUCES, Is-. MEX. Four specimens of Tabanus (prob-
ably subgen. Thcrioplectes OS.), from
the West Fork, show two distinct forms
easily beparated by differences in the
antennae, front, and markings of the
abdomen. They look much alike, are
of the same size and have the same
general coloration. I have examined
descriptions of all the North American
species, but aim unable to identify these two forms with any of them. They
agree with each other hi the following
characters, in most of which they ap-
proach T. r/;eiftwdtii Wd. 0s.
Wings clear hyaline, without spot6 or
bands, costal cells clear except a yellow line at stigma. First posterior cell open full width. No stump at bend of anterior branch of third vein, which bend is not angulate but rounded. Eyes faintly but distinctly pubes- cent. A slight ocellar tubercle, not or hardly denuded. Palpi stout, and rather bioad
basally. Third antenna1 joint -w ith a well de- veloped proccbs at base. Thin tuft of black hair between base of wings iind hutner~is. They differ particularly from T.
rhe.inwa7.dtii (syn. erythrofeltts
Walkcr. See Westwood's figure,
Dipt. Saund. pi. 2, fig. I) as follows:
Basal portion of third anteiinal joint
much shorter, and more widened, angle
more prominent. Abdomen grayish-
slate to blackish, not reddish on sides
or with hardly a tinge of red, no median row of triangles. No clouds on wings,
first posterior cell not at all coarctate. They may be separated from each other
by the following descriptions.
7. Ta&anusgiZanus n. sp. Two 9 s.
West Fork Gila, July 10 to I 6.
Taken
from horses.
Length, 14 mm.
Eyes (not revived) show
two dull green, oblique stripes on a cupre- ous-brown background, running from innei front angle of" eye to outer upper border. Front just perceptibly narrowed anteriorly, parallel portion but little more than a& times as long as vertical width. Callosity snb- round, notched above, in one specimen con- nected with the su~call~~s, in the other not. S~~hcall~~s widened, loi~gitudinally elongate, in one ease prolonged by a tine above, in the other deeply notched. A brownish tinge on each side of subcallus and on vertex. Cal- losities shining black. Front otherwise cin- ereous pollinose, the portion neat antennae pale reddish and less pollinosc. First anten- rial joint widened apically. apical width equal lo length, but less than width of biisal por- tion of third joint. Second joint very short, ending in (i spur on upper edge. Basal
portion of third joint as wide as its whole length, angle of process blunt; annulate portion as long as basal, stout but last joint elongate and tapered. First two joints recl- dish-ycllow, third same color at base with rest black. Palpi pale yellowish, white-hairy with but few black hairs. Face, pectus, and pleura white-hairy. Thorax and scutellum whitish pollinose, with four heavy blackish vittae on thorax rather closely approximated, a slight reddish-yetlow tinge apparer.t on sides of thorax. Abdomen slate-color or
blackish, with a mcdian longitudinal whitish line widened on hind margins of segments. Ps\che 8 092.94 (pre.1001). h̤ //psyche cntclub o@S-W12 html
================================================================================
July 1897 I PSYCHE. 93
On each side a line of oblique whitish elong- ate linear markings reaching hind margin of segments. Dark parts of abdomen with
black hairs, light parts with whitish hairs. Legs mostly brown, middle and hind tibiae and pi-oxitnal half of front tibiae brownish- yellow. Middle and hind femora white-
ttiiiry, also light parts of tibiae.
8. Tabamis intensivzis 11. sp. Two
9 s. West Fork Gila, July 13 to 16.
Taken from horses.
Length, 14 rnm. Eyes (not revived) uni-
colo~~ous cupreous-brown, without apparent stripes. Front almost imperceptibly nar- rowed anteriorly, parallel portion about 3k times as Iongas vertical width. Callosity si-ibround, more or less irregular, notched above, with connecting line to subcallus, which is nearly as wide as callus proper, in neither case denuded, with a distinct or nearly obsolete brown tinge on each side. A distinct or subobsolete brown tinge at vertex. Callosities reddish-brown, but little darker than the reddish-yellow or jellowish- red part of front next antennae. Froni
otherwise gr:iyish-white pollinose. First antenna1 joint ending in a sharp point on upper edge at an acute iingle. its apical width a little greater than ~jidth of basal portion of third joint; second joint short, ending in a spur on upper edge; basal part of third joint not quite so wide as long, the process ending in a hook-like angle (i. e., there is a very short minute spur projecting anteriorly from angle of process). Annulate portion considerably shorter than basal, rather stout. Antennae wholly deep black, with only base of first joint slightly reddish in one speci- men, and all but upper anterior point of first reddish-yellow in the other. P~ilpi white-hairy, in one yellowish-white with no apparent black hairs, in the other very pale yellowish with but few black hairs. Face, pectus and pleura white-hairy. Thorax and scutellum whitish pollinose, with four heavy blackish vittne on thorax; scutellum reddish on apex or wholly so, with reddish-jellow on adjoining posterior part of thorax extend- ing extensively on sides. Abdomen soft
blnck or brownish-black, first segment with a whitish spot in middle; second with an oblique white marking- on sides widened
posteriorly and reaching hind margin, and with a narrow white hind border on median portion. Third segmenl with a subsernicir- cular or triangular median white spot on hind margin, and an oblique lateral marking smaller than that of second segment. Fourth with a large median white triangle reaching front margin, and small lateral spots faint or suhohsolete. Fifth wit11 a sm:tll white median triangle, lateral spots faint or sub- obsolete. Sixth and seventh segments show the median and lateral white only when the insect is held on a level with the eye. Legs as in &imus.
9. 7hbanus pzmcizfer 0. S. One
3, and one 9 . Head of East Fork
Gila, DD Bar ranch, July 22.
10. Eristalis latifrons var. waculi-
'tennis n. Tar. One 9 . Head of East
Fork, July zz. (See Psyche, 1897, p.
40.) Also numerous specimens from
the Mesilla Valley of the Rio Grande,
e1c.
I propose this name to distinguish
the variety, whose characters I pointed
out in Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. xxii, p.
49. It is principally distinguished by
the brownish cloud on the wings.
I I.
Zodio~z~lvz~~~ons Say (to pica1
form). One 9 . West Fork Gila,
July IS. Length, 6 mm. This spec-
imen belongs to the typical form, 01
that described bv Say himself as fulvi-
================================================================================
from.
It is characterized by having'
the front reddish-yellow with vertex
brown, the legs brown, abdomen with
no yellowish or reddish except at tip,
three thoracic lines, and the blnck
median pair of abdominal stripes
pronounced.
The present specimen has the median
thoracic line more pronounced than in
the variety abdominale, but still nar-
rower than the outer ones. The pollen
of fourth, fifth, and sixth segments as- sumes a strong golden hue, especially
when viewed obliquely from in front.
Fifth and sixth segments and base of
seventh reddish-yellow under the
pollen. The median abdominal stripes
are deep black ; they form two widened
subsquare markings on second segment,
two broad lines on third, and two nar-
row lines on fourth. Tlrey are widened
at hind margin on second m d third seg-
ments. Very few clots present in the
pollen of abdomen. These in the main
are the characters of the typical form.
All the other specimens that I have
taken in New Mexico (Mesilla Valley,
Organ Mts., Tularosa Plains) are var.
aldominale (3800-j500 ft.). The pres-
ent is the only one of the typical form
taken, and it conies from about 7000 ft. elevation.
(See paper on Dipt. Organ
Mts. for notes on var. abdominale.)
X. B.- By mistake the species given
in section I of this paper were not
numbered. They include numbers I
to 6. Those in this section are num-
bered from 7 on.
TWO FORMS OF FLUTED SCALE.
UP to the present the famous Fluted Scale (Icefya pnrchasi Maskell) of California hivs been regarded as a single species, without any important variations. I was therefore surprised to learn from Mr. Alex. Craw that over six years ago he had noticed that
there were two distinct fornis, and that his subsequent experience had shown him that they remained distinct, rind did not depend on location or food-plant. Mr. Craw has
been so good as to send me living aclult females of the two varieties, and they can be readily distinguished as follows : -
(I.) var. maskelli. Female (after forming ovisac) slate grey or very dark purplish-grey, sometimes brownish in the middle, with
marginal dull orange spots. Back little
covered by secretion. More hairy at the
cephalic end than the next. Ovisac not so large as in the next; tinged with yellow just behind the body of the insect. Mr. Craw
says this is the form they had in Los Angeles. It ispurekast in the strict sense, and agrees very nearly, though not entirely, with
Maskell's description.
(2.) var. cmwii.
Female (after forming
ovisac) light pinkish or yellowish-red, the mai-gin orange, with bunches of short black bristles. The hack is largely covered with yellowish-white secretion. Ovisac scme-
what larger and longer. Legs somewhat
smaller, femora decidedly more slender.
This may prove to be a distinct species, but the larval and adult characters, except those mentioned, agree so well with @urckasi that it seems best to give it only varietal rank. Both forms were sent on Citrus; the
precise locality not stated Mr. Craw says : "When I sent two large boxes of infested branches from Lodi to San Gabriel to stock the two large glass breeding houses for
Vedalia cardinalis that the State Board
erected there, I saw that the light colored scale [Y. e. var. c~uzuii\ retained its characters there on the orange trees."
T. D. A. Cockerell,
Mesilla, N. M, May 30, 1897.
================================================================================
Volume 8 table of contents