Empis (Enoplempis) montgomeryi, Sinclair & Brooks & Cumming, 2025

Empis (Enoplempis) montgomeryi sp. nov.

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( Figs 55–58 View FIGURES 55–58 , 61 View FIGURES 59–61 , 81 View FIGURES 80–81 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂, labelled: “[USA] CA Mendocino Co. / Hopland , Univ.Calif./ Fld Stn [39°00′N 123°04′W] 20.III.1993, D.M. Wood ”; “ CNC/ 107836 View Materials ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Empis (Enoplempis) / montgomeryi Sinclair ,/ Brooks & Cumming [red label]” ( CNC) GoogleMaps . PARATYPES: USA. California: Same data as holotype (2♂, CNC) GoogleMaps . Alameda County: Oakland [37°48′N 122°16′W], 16.ii.1908 (1♂, USNM) GoogleMaps . Contra Costa County: Mt Diablo [37°52′N 121°54′W], 7.ii.1947 (1♂, EMEC) GoogleMaps ; Tilden Pk [37°53′N 122°14′W], Berkeley Hills, 3.ii.1964, C.A. Toschi (1♂, EMEC) GoogleMaps . Marin County: along Lagunitas Ck below Alpine Dam [37°56′N 122°38′W], 15.iii.1978, DDW (1♂, 1♀, CAS) GoogleMaps . Los Angeles County: Oak Cyn at Glendora Mt. Rd, 0.5 mi. marker, 34.227°N 117.776°W, 7.iv.2009, I.S. Winkler & K.C. Collins, E09–15 (1♂, CNC) GoogleMaps . Madera County: San Joaquin Ex. Sta. [37°05′N 119°43′W], 22.ii.1953, P.D. Hurd (2♂, 2♀, EMEC) GoogleMaps . Marin County: Woodacre [38°00′N 122°38′W], 31.iii.1949, P.D. Hurd (5♂, 2♀, USNM) GoogleMaps . Riverside County: Reche Cyn , 5 mi. NW Moreno [34°00′N 117°14′W], 27.ii.1982, E.M. Fisher (2♂, 2♀, mounded as pairs with Bibionidae and Bombyliidae prey, CSCA; 2♂, CSCA) GoogleMaps . San Benito County: Pinnacles Nat. Mon. [36°29′N 121°10′W], 21.iii.1965, Salix, H.V. Daly (1♂, EMEC) GoogleMaps . San Bernardino County: Lytle Ck, Lone Pine Cyn Rd , 34°18′49″N 117°29′49″W, 1016 m, 25–27.iii.2015, MT in live oak for., M.E. Irwin (9♂, 3♀, CNC) GoogleMaps . San Diego County: Santa Ysabel , 5 mi. N [33°10′N 116°41′W], 7.ii.1952, Salix, J.G. Rozen (1♂, EMEC) GoogleMaps . San Mateo County: Redwood City [37°28′N 122°14′W], 18.i.1946, PHA (1♂, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 1.ii.1953 (1♂, USNM) GoogleMaps ; Junipero Serra Pk [37°36′N 122°25′W], 12.ii.1967, PHA (7♂, USNM) GoogleMaps . Santa Barbara County: Santa Cruz Is., Cañada Cervada [34°01′N 119°52′W], 4.ii.1979, JAP (1♂, 1♀, EMEC) GoogleMaps ; same data except, on Salix sp. (1♀, EMEC) GoogleMaps ; Santa Cruz Is. [34°00′N 119°43′W], U.C. Sta. HQ, 3.ii.1979, on Ceanothus insularis, JAP (1♀, EMEC) GoogleMaps . Santa Clara County : San Antonio Val. [37.3917°N 121.4903°W], 4.iii.1969, P.A. Opler (1♂, EMEC) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 28.ii.1947, Arctostaphylos, E.G. Linsley (3♂, 2♀, EMEC) GoogleMaps ; Stanford U. [37°25′N 122°10′W], 7.ii.1906 (1♂, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 13.ii.1906 (1♂, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 13.ii.1910 (4♂, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 19.ii.1906, R. W. Doane (5♂, 1♀, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except 22.ii.1906 (2♀, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 6.iii.1910, W.M. Mann (1♀, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 29.iii.1949, PHA (1♂, 1♀, mounted as pair, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 6.ii.1952 (6♀, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 30.i.1953 (1♂, 1♀, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 31.i.1956 (5♂, 1♀, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 1.ii.1956 (1♂, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 20.ii.1960 (1♂, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 6.ii.1956, flr Salix lasiolepis (4♂, 2♀, USNM) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 28.i.1953, collected at catkins of Salix lasiolepis Benth. (21♂, 30♀, USNM) GoogleMaps . Santa Cruz County: along Hwy 17 nr Glenwood [37°6′N 121°59′W], 22.iv.1977, DDW (1♂, CAS) GoogleMaps . Sonoma County: Boyes Springs [38°18′N 122°29′W], 25.iii.1937, N.W. Frazier (1♂, USNM) GoogleMaps ; Trinity , 26.iii.1937, N.W. Frazier (1♀, EMEC) . Stanislaus County: Del Puerto Cyn, Frank Raines Pk [37°25ʹN 121°22ʹW], 31.iii.1979, T. W. Davies (1♂, CAS) . Tulare County: 0.5 mi. SE Ash Mtn Seq. NP HQ [36°29′N 118°49′W], 4.ii.1984, flume debris trap, R.D. Haines (1♂, CSCA) GoogleMaps ; same data except, 4.ii.1984 (1♀, CSCA) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other species of the E. (En.) bigoti species group by the narrow, shiny posterior bands on the abdominal tergites in both sexes ( Fig. 55 View FIGURES 55–58 ), male hind tibia with long, curved, pale digitiform anteroventral process ( Figs 57, 58 View FIGURES 55–58 ), and upper section of the phallus sinuous with roughened lateral margin apically.

Description. Wing length 4.4–5.9 mm. Male. Head dark in ground-colour, with greyish pruinescence. Dichoptic, upper ommatidia not enlarged. Frons narrowed below ocellar triangle, subequal to width of anterior ocellus; with short setulae along inner margin of eye. Face without setae; slightly divergent ventrally, with oral margin dark and shiny. Ocellar triangle elevated, with thin greyish pruinescence, with pair of long ocellar setae, longer than upper occipital setae, with several pairs of posterior setae variable in length. Occiput bearing several irregular rows of strong setae, shorter than ocellar setae, longer and finer ventrally; postocular setae not differentiated; postocellar region without setae. Antenna dark; scape slightly longer than pedicel, with short, black setae; pedicel with ring of apical setae; postpedicel long, gradually tapered, 3× longer than basal width; stylus slightly longer than basal width of postpedicel. Palpus brown to orange brown, with dark setulae. Proboscis reddish brown, nearly 2× longer than head height; labellum with short, dark setae.

Thorax dark brown in ground-colour, densely grey pruinescent; apex of postpronotal lobe orange, shiny. Scutum with 2 pairs of broad, brownish vittae, medial pair fading on prescutellar depression ( Fig. 55 View FIGURES 55–58 ). Proepisternum with several short, black setae, similar to lower occipital setae; upper proepisternum in front of spiracle without setae. Prosternum bare. Antepronotum with row of strong, short, black setae. Postpronotum with 1 long seta and several short, dark setae of various lengths. Scutum with short, slender biserial acr on anterior half; dc uniserial, subequal to acr, extending to scutellum; 2–3 strong posterior npl, with several shorter anterior setae; 1 presut spal; 1 psut spal; 1 pal. Scutellum with 2–4 pairs of sctl, widely separated medially; disc bare. Laterotergite with patch of strong, black setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles pale.

Legs slender, short, shiny; femora with fine, white pile beneath; orange to reddish brown, darker apically, especially on hind femur; tibiae darker, tarsi brown ( Fig. 56 View FIGURES 55–58 ); coxae dark in ground colour, clothed in dense greyish pruinescence, concolourous with pleura. Coxae with fine setae. Hind trochanter with short setulae. Fore femur clothed in short, brown setae. Fore tibia with 2–4 erect anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae and several preapical setae. Fore tarsomeres with fine, white pile beneath; tarsomere 1 slender, not swollen with slender ventral setae; tarsomeres 2–5 with biserial row of spine-like ventral setae; tarsomeres 1–4 with apicolateral pair of spine-like setae, longer than width of segment. Mid femur clothed in short, brown setae. Mid tibia slightly broader than fore tibia, with 3–4 anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae; several preapical setae. Mid tarsus similar to fore tarsus; tarsomere 1 with spine-like ventral setae. Hind femur with pair of slender, knob-like anteroventral lobes on distal half, bearing short apical setae; tubular ventral process distal to anteroventral lobes, with tuft of anterior setae; swelling distal to ventral process with short, hooked setae; apex without preapical row of strong posterior setae; preapical anterior seta strongly developed ( Figs 56–58 View FIGURES 55–58 ). Hind tibia with base slightly twisted; anteroventral arched digitiform process on basal quarter, twice width of tibia, distinctly paler than tibia, tapered with several short, apical setulae, base of process with posteroventral setose swelling; posteroventrally with broad, triangular process with long, black apical setae, longer than process, with anterior base with dense pruinescence; with seta in posteroapical comb; 4–5 strong, black anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae, subequal to width of tibia ( Figs 56–58 View FIGURES 55–58 ). Hind tarsomere 1 slender; tarsus similar in chaetotaxy to mid tarsus.

Wing infuscate with dark veins; veins complete, except Sc and CuA+CuP. Basal costal seta absent. R 5 and M 1 divergent near wing margin; R 5 ending at anterior to wing tip; radial fork broad. Halter pale, yellowish brown.

Abdomen dark, with dense greyish pruinescence, similar to thorax with pale setae laterally; anterior and posterior margins of tergites distinctly glossy, variable in width (often anterior margin retracted within preceding segment). Pregenital segments unmodified, except sclerites of segment 8 fused, forming ring. Terminalia ( Fig. 61 View FIGURES 59–61 ): dark brown with hypandrium and phallus shiny orange brown; epandrium partially shiny. Cercus shorter than epandrium, subrectangular; base of cercus fused with epandrium; dorsal margin shallowly notched near mid-length; apex truncate; setae shorter than half width of cercus. Subepandrial process short, extending to either side of phallus. Epandrial lamella linear, longer than height; posterior margin truncate with short, up-turned dorsal margin; setae longer along ventral margin. Hypandrium long, extending to near base of apical section of phallus, with rounded apical margin; without setae. Phallus with basal half slightly expanded beyond basal curve, not projecting beyond base of apical section; apical half gently arched from basal section, curved nearly 90°, sinuous; apex emerging beyond cercus, apically somewhat flattened, with roughened lateral margin; ejaculatory apodeme less than half-length of epandrium, T-shaped, with lateral apodemes on lower quarter.

Female. Similar to male, except as follows: frons nearly as broad as ocellar triangle at narrowest point; hindleg without modified setae and processes. Abdominal pleural membrane pale, without expanded region; tergites 7 and 8 pruinescent.

Geographical distribution and seasonal occurrence ( Fig. 81 View FIGURES 80–81 ). Empis (En.) montgomeryi sp. nov. is known from California, including Santa Cruz Island in Santa Barbara County. Adults have been collected from January to April.

Etymology. This species is named after our colleague and friend, the late Donald Montgomery (Monty) Wood (CNC), who collected the holotype.

Nuptial gift presentation. Among the paratypes examined (above) are male and female pairs mounted together, each with an unwrapped fly prey item ( Bibionidae , Bombyliidae ) without a balloon. This almost certainly indicates that males of this species present unwrapped prey to females as nuptial gifts.

Remarks. This species appears to fly during the cooler months from January to April.