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

Empis (Enoplempis) collinsi sp. nov.

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( Figs 48–51 View FIGURES 46–51 , 59, 60 View FIGURES 59–61 , 81 View FIGURES 80–81 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( Fig.48 View FIGURES 46–51 ), labelled:“USA: CA: Los Angeles Co. KPC/ 10-008;Angeles NF, Glendora / Canyon Rd. ; 0.5 mi from East / Fork Rd.; 34.22634 N, 117.77544 W; 16/IV/2010 / K. Collins ”; “ CNC/ 1078365 View Materials ”; “ HOLOTYPE / Empis (Enoplempis) / collinsi Sinclair ,/ Brooks & Cumming [red label]” ( CNC) GoogleMaps . PARATYPES: USA. California: Same data as holotype (5♂, 1♀, CNC). Modoc County: Buck Ck Ran. Sta. [41°52′N 120°17′W], 12.vi.1971, D. Veirs (1♂, EMEC). San Bernardino County : San Bernardino Mts , junction Hwy 38 and S Fk Santa Ana R GoogleMaps , 34°10′02″N 116°49′06″W, 18.v.1995, RC95-19, in swarm with nuptial gifts, R GoogleMaps . A. Cannings & H. Nadel (4♂, RBCM) .

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other species of the E. (En.) bigoti species group by its larger size (ca 6 mm wing length), male frons narrowed below ocellar triangle, three brown scutal vittae ( Fig. 49 View FIGURES 46–51 ), mostly pubescent abdominal tergites, male hind tibia with long, triangular digitiform anteroventral process ( Figs 50, 51 View FIGURES 46–51 ), and upper section of phallus strongly recurved with apex flattened with roughened lateral margin.

Description. Wing length 5.8–6.5 mm. Male. Head dark in ground-colour, with greyish pruinescence. Dichoptic, upper ommatidia not enlarged. Frons narrowed below ocellar triangle, narrower than 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, subequal to length of upper occipital setae, with several posterior setulae. Occiput with postocular row on upper half, longer and finer ventrally; occiput with irregular row of longer, stronger setae. Antenna dark; scape nearly twice length of pedicel, with short, black setae; pedicel with ring of apical setae; postpedicel long, gradually tapered, 4× longer than basal width; stylus 1.5× longer than basal width of postpedicel. Palpus brown to pale 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 ( Fig. 49 View FIGURES 46–51 ); apex of postpronotal lobe orange, shiny; postalar ridge yellowish brown. Scutum with 3 broad, brownish vittae, medial vitta ending at prescutellar depression. Proepisternum with several black setae, similar to lower occipital setae; upper proepisternum in front of spiracle without setae. Prosternum bare. Antepronotum with row of short, black setae. Postpronotum with 1 long seta and several short, dark setae of various lengths. Scutum with slender biserial acr on anterior half; dc uniserial, subequal to acr, longer setae extending to scutellum; 2–3 strong posterior npl, with several short anterior setulae; 1–2 presut spal; 1 psut spal; 1 pal, with short setula. Scutellum with 2–3 pairs of sctl, widely separated medially; disc bare. Laterotergite with narrow patch of strong, black setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles pale.

Legs long, stocky; femora with fine, white pile beneath; yellowish brown, including coxae, tarsi darker apically, coxae without greyish pruinescence ( Fig. 48 View FIGURES 46–51 ). Coxae with long, dark setae. Hind trochanter with dark setae. Fore femur clothed in short, brown setae. Fore tibia with 2–4 erect anterodorsal setae and several preapical setae. Fore tarsomere 1 slightly swollen, subequal to width of tibia; tarsomeres 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 with anteroventral and posteroventral row of fine setae; preapical posteroventral setae in denser row. Mid tibia with 3–4 anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae; ventrum with dense setae, stronger apically. Mid tarsus similar to fore tarsus. 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 subapical tuft of anterior setae; row of short, hooked setae distal to ventral process; apex with preapical row of strong posterior setae; preapical anterior seta strongly developed ( Figs 50, 51 View FIGURES 46–51 ). Hind tibia with base slightly twisted; anteroventral triangular digitiform process on broad base on basal quarter, longer than width of tibia, tapered with several short, apical setulae, base of process with posteroventral setulae; posteroventrally with broad, triangular process with long, black apical setae, longer than process, with seta in posteroapical comb; dense, long anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae as long as twice width of tibia; proximal half with fine, erect setae ventrally, as long as width of tibia ( Figs 50, 51 View FIGURES 46–51 ). Hind tarsus similar to mid tarsus; tarsomere 1 slightly swollen, with several long anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae.

Wing infuscate with dark veins; veins complete, except Sc. Short basal costal seta usually present. R 5 and M 1 divergent near wing margin; R 5 ending near wing tip; radial fork broad. Halter pale, yellowish brown.

Abdomen dark, with dense greyish pruinescence, similar to scutum with pale setae laterally; anterior and posterior margins of tergites sometimes subshiny. Pregenital segments unmodified, except sclerites of segment 8 closely approximated, forming ring. Terminalia ( Figs 59, 60 View FIGURES 59–61 ): dark brown with hypandrium and phallus shiny orange brown. Cercus shorter than epandrium, subrectangular; base of cercus partially fused with epandrium; dorsal margin shallowly notched near mid-length; apex truncate; setae especially dense on anterodorsal margin, nearly as long as 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 than cercal setae. Hypandrium long, extending to near base of apical section of phallus, with rounded apical margin; without setae. Phallus with basal half expanding, continuous into apical section; apical half strongly recurved, before arching dorsally; apex not emerging beyond cercus, apex flattened, with roughened lateral margins ( Fig. 60 View FIGURES 59–61 ); ejaculatory apodeme less than half-length of epandrium, T-shaped, with lateral apodemes on lower third.

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 expanded between segments 4 and 5; tergites 7 and 8 not visible in single specimen.

Geographical distribution and seasonal occurrence ( Fig. 81 View FIGURES 80–81 ). Empis (En.) collinsi sp. nov. is known from California and has been collected from April to June.

Etymology. The species is named after the collector of the holotype, Kenneth P. Collins.

Nuptial gift presentation. Four male paratypes (above) from the South Fork of the Santa Ana River in the San Bernardino Mountains were observed swarming with nuptial gifts. Although the exact form of the nuptial gifts was not stated on each label, they were probably unwrapped prey items and not balloons, which if present would probably have been noted on each label.