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PSYCHE

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This is the CEC archive of Psyche through 2000. Psyche is now published by Hindawi Publishing.

C. W. Johnson.
Further Studies on the Platypezidae.
Psyche 23(2):27-33, 1916.

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PSYCHE
VOL. XXIII APRIL, 1916 No. 2
FURTHER STUDIES ON THE PLATYPEZIDB.
BY CHARLES W. JOHNSON.
Boston Society of Natural History, Boston, Mass. Since publishing a "Revision of the Species of Agathomyia" (PSYCHE, Vol. 17, p. 7, February, 1910) material has accumulated which I have put aside year after year, hoping that in time I should have sufficient material to show satisfactorily the positive relation of the sexes of what are probably the male and female of the same species.
The notes appended to the following description will show the difficulties attending this work, the results of which, after six seasons of careful collecting, being rather discouraging. It is therefore with great misgivings that I name some of the described forms, but by so doing, if synonyms should arise, they can be more clearly and readily relegated to their proper standing, than by referring them doubtfully to described species. Agathomyia Verrill.
Table of Species
1. Thorax and abdomen fulvous ........................... .2 .....................
Thorax and abdomen largely black.
.4
.................
Thorax and abdomen cinereus (females).
.8
2. Without black on the abdomen, 9 (Me., N. H.) .... fulva Johns. ...........................
With black on the abdomen.
.3
3. The last two segments of the abdomen and halteres black, 3 (N. Y.) .............................. perplexa sp. nov. The last segment of the abdomen, pleura and metanotum black; halteres yellow, d1 (Mass.). ......... .dubia sp. nov. ...................
4. Abdomen broadly banded with yellow.
.5
......................
Abdomen not banded with yellow.
.7
Pu&e 23:27-12 (1916). hup ttpsychu einclub orgt23/23-027.htd



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28 Psyche [April
5. Scutellum yellow, 3, 9 (N. H., Vt., Mass., R. I.) pulchella Johns. Scutellumblack ........................................ 6 6. Posterior metatarsi broad, oblong, c? (N. Y., Me.) vanduzeei sp. nov.
Posterior metatarsi broad, ovate and truncate, (N. H., N. Y.). ............................. cushmani sp. nov. 7. Thorax and abdomen both maculated with greenish white, halteres black (N. H., Mass., N. Y., N. J., Pa., Kan.) notata Loew
Thorax only maculated with greenish white, halteres yellow (Pa., D. C.) .......................... divergens Loew Thorax and abdomen without maculations, tip of the abdomen in the female cinereous, knobs of the halteres black (N. H., Mass.). ................................. talpula Loew 8. Abdomen grayish on a yellow ground, with broad black tri- angles.. ............................. vanduzeei sp. nov. Abdomen grayish on a blackish ground (Mass.) var. ? obscura var. nov.
Agathomyia dubia sp. nov.
8. Head black, mouth parts and antennae yellow, aristae brown.
Thorax and scutellum yellow, pleura and metanotum black, pronotum with three rows of black hairs, the outer rows curving towards the humeri, a post-humeral, four notopleural, two supra-alar and one dorsocentral bristles, scutellum with three small lateral and two large apical bristles. Abdomen fulvous, the
terminal segment and genitalia black.
Legs light yellow, posterior
metatarsi not enlarged, scarcely as wide as the tibiae. Halteres
fulvous. Wing hyaline with a long pale yellow stigma. Length, 3 mm.
One specimen, Austen's Brook, Chester, Mass., August 4, 1911. , Type in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History. I have long hesitated in describing this, and since collecting it have made four additional trips to the locality, hoping thereby to get more material. That it may prove to be the male of A. fuha is not unlikely, but the black pleura and terminal segment of the abdomen make it very doubtful, while the presence of another equally closely related form leaves only the one alternative to avoid confusion.




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Johnson-Further Studies on the Platypesidce Agathomyia perplexa sp. nov.
3.
Head black, mouth parts and base of the antennae yellow- ish. Third joint and arista blackish. Thorax: dorsum and pleura fulvous, with rows of hairs and bristles similar to those of A. dubia, scutellum fulvous with four large marginal bristles. Abdomen fulvous, the last two segments and genitalia black. Legs yellow, the posterior metatarsi enlarged, slightly wider than the tibise, under side of the anterior and posterior femora with a large black bristle near the base. Halteres dark brownish-black. Wings hyaline, stigma very pale, a large black bristle near the base of the costa. Length, 3 mm.
One specimen, Elma, Erie County, N. Y., August 24, 1913, collected by Mr. M. C. VanDuzee. Type in the author's col- . lection.
In general appearance this could also be referred to as the male of A. fulva, but the color of the antennae, halteres and the last two segments of the abdomen would seem to separate it from that species.
Agathomyia fulva Johnson.
A female identical with the type from Capens, Me., was col- lected in Tuckerman's Ravine, Mt. Washington, N. H., July 21, 1915.
Agathomyia vanduzeei sp. nov.
8.
Face black, grayish pruinose, mouth parts and antennae yellowish, third joint and arista black, eyes similar to the following species. Thorax with a dorsal line and the central area behind the transverse suture black, the rest of the dorsum, pleura and scutel- lum brownish. Abdomen, first segment brown, second and third yellow except for a dorsal spot of brown, the rest of the segments velvety black. Halteres dark brown, base of the stalk yellow. Legs yellow, tip, of the posterior femora brown above, posterior metatarsi slightly dilated, apex rounded (Fig. 2). Wings hyaline. Length, 3.5 mm.
9.
Face and front black, grayish pruinose, a bristle on each side of the front just below the ocelli and a vertical bristle on each side of the ocelli, two small ocellar bristles and a row of small bristles on the posterior orbits. Thorax light gray, with three con- spicuous rows of black hairs, the middle row abbreviated poster-



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30 P8yche [April
iorly, the others curved outward in front to the humeri; the hairs .become gradually larger and end with a large bristle in front of the scutellum, the latter with four large marginal bristles, humeri, post- alar callus and scutellum yellow. Abdomen yellowish, grayish pruinose, with wide triangular markings of black on the posterior margins of the second, third and fourth segments, fifth and sixth with a narrow dorsal line of black. Halteres yellow, posterior metatarsi not dilated, in other respects resembling the male. Fig. 1. Portions of hind legs of Agathomyia and Callimyia. Fig. 1, A,
cushmani sp. nov.; Fig. 2, A. vanduseoi sp. nov.; Fig. 3, G. velutina sp. nov. Holotype and allotype, Niagara Falls, N. Y., October 6, 1912 (M. C. VanDuzee), in the author's collection. Paratypes, two
females, Golden, N. Y., September 7, 1913, in the collection of Mr. M. C. VanDuzee. One male, Liberty, Me., September 9 (J. A. Cushman) in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural His- tory.
The latter measures 4 mm. and has a dorsal stripe of black on the second and third abdominal segments. An imperfect
female collected at Hammond's Pond, near Brookline, Mass., September 25, 1913, I am referring doubtfully to this species under the varietal name obscura. It lacks the yellow humeri and scutellum, the antennae are entirely black, and the third joint more attenuated.
The abdomen is injured so that the markings are obliterated but no yellow is apparent. Length, 3.5 mm. A number of trips have been made to try and secure more specimens of this interesting form, but in vain.
Agathomyia cushmani sp. nov.
3.
Face black, grayish pruinose, mouth parts and antennae yellow, third joint and arista dark brown, eyes with a deep median transverse depression, facets of the lower half about one half the



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19161 Johnson-Further Studies on the Platypezida 31 size of those of the upper half.
Thorax black with three narrow
pruinose stripes, bearing rows of fine hairs, the outer rows curving towards the brownish humeri. Scutellum yellowish, pleura black, grayish pruinose. Abdomen, first, second and third segments yellow, a large dorsal spot on the posterior of the third and the remaining segments velvety black. Legs yellow, all of the tarsi and the tips of the posterior femora and tibiae brownish, posterior metatarsi broadly dilated and truncate, the tarsi short (Fig. 1). Halteres yellow, the knobs brownish. Wings hyaline. Length, 4 mm.
Holotype collected by Dr. J. A. Cushman, on Mt. Passaconaway, N. H., 3,800 feet, September 12,1912, in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History. Paratype, Boston, Erie County, N. Y., September 5, 1911 (M. C. VanDuzee), in the author's collection.
This species resembles A. vanduzeei but is readily separated by its broader and somewhat truncated metatarsi. Agathomyia pulchella Johnson.
Since 1910 this species has been collected at Chester, Mass., August 7, 1912; Bretton Woods, June 28, 1913; Mt. Washington carriage road below the second mile post, elevation about 2,400 feet, July 24, 1915, and along the Osgood Trail, near the Glen House, N. H., July 20, 1915.
Callimyia Meigen .
Table of Species
1. Abdomen entirely velvety black, cf (N. H., Mass., Ont.) ... velutina sp. nov.
Abdomen broadly banded with yellow. ................... .2 2. Abdomen without silvery gray spots, cf (N. M., N. H., Me.) venusta Snow.
Abdomen with silvery gray spots. ....................... .3 3. Sides of the lst, 2nd, and 5th segments silvery gray, Q ... venusta Snow.
Sides of the lst, 2nd, 3rd and 4th and the entire 6th segment silvery gray, 9 (N. H.) .............. .proximo sp. nov.



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Psyche
[April
Callirnyia velutina sp. nov.
3. Face dull grayish black, antennae black. Thorax, scutel- lum and abdomen deep velvety black, pleura grayish black. Legs
'
black, anterior and middle tibiae and tarsi brown, posterior tibiae and metatarsi somewhat enlarged (Fig. 3). Halteres fulvousÌ stems brown. Wings hyaline. Length, 4 mm. This species was collected by the writer along the Mt. Wash- ington carriage road between 2,500 and 3,500 feet, also on the Raymond Path at similar elevations, July 6 to 8, 1914, and July 24 to 28, 1915; at Bretton Woods, N. H., June 28, 1913, and at Chester, Mass., August 5, 1914. A specimen was also received from Mr. M. C. VanDuzee, collected at Brule Lake, Ontario, August 3, 1911. The Chester specimen measures 3.25 mm. and the Ontario specimen, which is about the same size, has the abdo- men somewhat shiny, probably owing to its having become damp or greasy.
Holotype (Mt. Washington, July 24) and four paratypes in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History. One para-
type in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, one in the collection of Mr. VanDuzee and one in the author's collection. Callimyia proxima sp. nov.
9.
Front and face black grayish pruinose, antennae black. Thorax and scutellum black, humeri, a large spot in front of the scutellum and the metanotum grayish pruinose. Abdomen, posterior half of the fifth and all of the second segment except a narrow dorsal line, yellow, the remaining segments black, a large spot on the sides of the second, third, fourth, and all of the sixth segment pearl gray. Halteres yellow. Legs including the cox* yellow, tips of the anterior and middle tarsi and posterior femora and the entire posterior tibiae and tarsi black. Wings hyaline. Length, 3 mm.
Two specimens collected on the Mt. Washington carriage road between the two and three mile post, elevation about 3,000 feetÌ July 16, 1915.
That this may prove to be the female of C. velutina is possible, but the bright yellow segments of the abdomen and the legs, which in C. venusta, a closely related species, are the same in both sexesÌ seems to preclude the placing of the two together.



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