Blood-sucking and supposedly blood-sucking Leptidae

Vol.

XXV,

pp. 111-114 June^29, 1912

PROCEEDINGS

OFTHE

BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

NEW ^SPECIES OF ANISOPIi^E (RHYPHIP.E) FROM TROPICAL AMERICA.

[DIPTERA; NEMOCERA.]

BY FREDERICK KNAB.

While

the Anisopidae arc ^a very

widely

distributed

group, but

few species are

known and

_verylittle is

known

of theirlife- histories.

One

of the species herein described

(Anisopus

pic- tuf(ifiis) is of special interest as

having been bred from

_epiphytic Bromeliacise, the ^larvae

presumably inhabiting

^the

water which

collects at the basesof the leaves.

The second

_species is

pecu-

liar in its

unusually

robust

make-up ^and

ⁱⁿ the general

dark

coloration.

I

am unable

^to follow Coquillett ⁱⁿ

adopting

^the

name

Sylvi- colse

Harris

for the

genus

generally called Rhyph/us^; the

name

hardly can

^be

considered

a generic

one and does not appear

to

have been

so

intended by

^itsauthor.

In

case Harris'

name

is used, ^it

should

be

converted

to the singular, Sylvicola.

Neither

can

I accept Phryne,

published by Meigen

ⁱⁿ

¹⁸⁰⁰ without includinga

species.

Therefore

^I

adopt Anisopus Meigen (1803), which

has _priority over

Rhyphus

^Latreille

^(1805).

Anisopus

picturatus sp. nov.

Mule. —Mouth-parts and palpi yellow. Antenna' with the scape yel- lowish brown, ^the flagellum ^black. Mesonoturn brownish black with two indistinct longitudinal stripeson the

dorsum

and thelateral margins yellowish brown. Scutellum yellowish brown, dark^{at base.} Postnotum dull brownish_yellow. Pleurseand cox?e-dullbrownish Mack.

Abdomen

brown, ^{the first} segment brownish yellow except at base, the otherswith yellowish apical margin-.

Wings

subhyaline with ^{a dull} yellowish tinge and spotted with ^dull brown. Auxiliary vein contiguous with thelirst, or nearlyso,in nearly

21—Pkoc.Biol. Soc.w.\sir..Vol. XXV,191J (111)

112 Knab — _New

_{Spirit* of}Anisopidse from Tropical America.

its whole_length. Tlie costal cell is entirelyand uniformly brown. There

isa_large dark

brown

_spot at the apex ^{of the} marginal ^cell and another atits middle, both extending ^over diffusedlyinto the snbmarginal cell;

baseofmarginal^{cell clear.}

The

veins _limiting outwardly ^{the basal} and discalcellsenclosed in deep

brown

spots.

A

narrow, dark spot crosses the first posterior ^cell obliquely below the _apical spot ^of the marginal

cell; another similar spot ^crosses the second and third posterior ^cells farther out, aboutattheir middle. At the_{tip of} the wing, independent of all these_spots, isa broad

brown

_{area, sharply}and _darklylimited in- wardly on^thesubmarginal

and

first posterior cells, becoming paler ami indistinct outwardly and posteriorly.

Lower

branch of the fifth vein margined with

brown

_beyondthe furcation. Ilalteres pale.

Legsochreous_yellow

marked

with brownish black. Anterior _legswith the femora andtibifeyellow,thetarsiwith the_tipofthe firstandallof the succeedingjoints infuscated.

Middleand

hind femora_yellowatbase,dark beyond,a yellow ring beforeapex. Middletibiaeyellow, withan indistinct dark_ring at base and_apex.

Hind

tibia?with distinct ami broaderdark basal and apical rings. Middle

and

hind tarsi with _{apices of} first and second_{joints dark, the} lastthree_jointsstronglyinfuscated.

Length: body,about ^<i

mm.;

wing, ^5.5

mm.

Cartago, Costa Rica, 1500 meters, September-October, ^bred from epiphytic bromeliads by ^C. Picado; onemale and one female.

Tape—

^{Cat. No.} 14,5)55 U. S. Nat. Mus.

In the female themouth-parts

and

_{palpi are}darker.

The mesonotum

shows a narrow yellow longitudinal ^line medianly and outwardly from this a broad gray longitudinal stripe, another _{gray stripe} at the lateral

margin.

The mesonotum

_might also be described as gray with dark longitudinal stripes, the middle one divided by^{a fine}yellow^line.

The

discrepancyⁱⁿthe thoracic pattern ^of the two specimens ^is attributable either to difference in age ^{or to} the condition of the specimens, these having been preserved ^{in fluid.}

The

_{wing pattern} in the female ^is

more

distinct

and

themarkingsslightlybroader.

The

_species differsobviously from^{all of} the described ones in tin' wing pattern and the coloration of the _legs.

Anisopus

^infuinatus sp. nov.

Female.

— Form

rather robust.

Head

black. Mouth-parts and palpi yellowish brown. Antenna? withthescape yellowish brown, the flagellum black, the ^last joint pale yellow.

Mesonotum

_verydeep brown, an ^ill- defined, rich brown, double, median longitudinal stripe. Scutellum blackish. Postnotum _yellowish brown. Pleura' deep brown, ^coxse brownish black.

Abdomen

dull black, the first segment ^with an indis- tinctpale

brown

blotch above

and

at the sidesbeneath.

Wing

deep brown, darkest along ^costa

and

towards _apex, becoming palerposteriorly.

The

stigmatal

mark

atthe_{apices of} the subcostaland marginal^{cells rather}ill-definedand divided by an indistinct paler spot.

A _{largepale spot}crossesthesubmarginal ^cell

and

extends into the ^first posteriorcell, ^its base_restingagainst the tip ofthesecondvein. Another

Knab—New

_{Species of} Anisopidse from Tropical America. ¹ L3

pale spnt extends acrossthe baseofthe firsl posterior^cell and across the apical part of the discal ^cell. A third pah- spot extends across the mar- ginal ^{cell at its}base, acrossthe first basal cell, and broadens out in the apical portion ^ofthe second basal cell.

The

veins limiting the basal ami discal cellsoutwardly ^aresurrounded _{by very} dark brown.

Front legsbrownish _yellow, the basal two-thirds of the femora

brown

and the _apices of the tibia' and the last three tarsal joints

somewhat

darkened. Middle and hind femora brownish black, with an ill-defined brownish _{yellow ring} near the apex. Middle tibia' brownish _yellow, dark at base. Hind tibia'yellowish brown at the middle, darkerat base and _apex. Middle and hind tarsi with the ^first joint brownish_yellow,

darkerat the apex, ^the others dark.

Length: body, about ⁵

mm.;

wing, ^4.5

mm.

Trinidad, West Indies June, July, ^L905 (A. Busck).

Type.—

^{Cat. No.} 14,956 ^{I'. S.} Nat. Mns.

Three females and (womales. Anisopus infumalus apparently resem- bles .1. gulltttus Schiner, described from _Brazil, but differs in

many

details ofwing and ^leu'coloration.