Table Of ContentPROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
93(4), 1991, pp. 930-932
TAXONOMIC STATUS OF THE NEARCTIC SPECIES OF
AUXANOMMATIDIA BORGMEIER (DIPTERA: PHORIDAE)
Jeffrey K. Barnes
Biological Survey, NewYorkState Museum, The State Education Department, Albany,
New York 12230.
—A
Abstract. transcontinental series ofspecimensofthe phoridgenusAuxanommatidia
is described and compared with the holotype of^. californica Borgmeier and the original
descriptions ofA. californica and A. boreotis Beyer. Male genitalia and ovipositors of
eastern, midwestem, and western specimens are also compared. It is concluded that all
specimens represent a single species, A. boreotis, and A. californica is treated as a junior
synonym.
Key Words: Diptera, Phoridae
Borgmeier (1924) erected the genusAux- State, itwasrealizedthatBorgmeier's(1963)
anommatidia (Phoridae: Metopininae) to description oiA. californica is remarkably
receivehis Brazilian species^4. variegata. In similar to Beyer's (1963) description of^.
this genus, the frons is narrowed anteriorly boreotis. Themaindifferencesarethedarker
and its median longitudinal furrow is dis- halteres and flagellomere 1 in the former
tinct; it has two proclinate supra-antennal species. TheholotypeoiA. californicaagrees
bristles plus three transverse rows of four well with its original description. The ho-
bristles each, the lower interfrontal bristles lotype oiA. boreotis apparently is lost. It
areverticallybelowthelowerfronto-orbital originally came from the R. R. Dreisbach
bristles; the large eyes have ommatidia collection, but it is not among Dreisbach's
graduallyincreasingin size from top to bot- collection at Michigan State University
tom; flagellomere 1 is oval and has a dorsal (MSU), nor is it at the United States Na-
arista; the ovipositor is chitinized, and the tional Museum (USNM), Cornell Univer-
circi ofthe male are long and narrow. Sub- sity (CU), or the Zoologisches Forschungs-
sequently, sixmorespeciesinthegenusfrom institut und Museum Alexander Konig in
Brazil (Borgmeier 1925, 1958, Borgmeier Bonn (ZFMK).
andPrado 1975),twofromtheUnitedStates I have gathered a series of 16 Nearctic
(Beyer 1963, Borgmeier 1963),andonefrom specimens o^Auxanommatidia: UNITED
Nigeriaand Senegal(Disney 1981)werede- STATES: CALIFORNIA: "SFksStaAna,"
scribed. One species, A. myrmecophila 16 July 1947 (female holotype), A. L. Me-
Borgmeier, hasbeentakenata Camponotus lander, USNM. San Bernardino County,
rufipes Fpbricius nest (Hymenoptera: For- Camp Baldy, 1 July 1945 (male paratype),
micidae), a fact that led Borgmeier (1971) A. L. Melander, USNM. MICHIGAN: Liv-
tospeculatethattheentiregenusisprobably ingston County, E. S. George Reserve, 24
myrmecophilous. July 1943 (female), G. Steyskal, USNM.
Following the recent discovery of speci- NEW YORK: Washington County, El-
mens of Auxanommatidia in New York dridgeSwamp, 43°03'34"N, 73°21'27"W, 30
)
VOLUME 93, NUMBER 4 931
July-6 August 1985 (male), J. K. Barnes,
New York State Museum (NYSM). Wash-
ingtonCounty,CamdenValley, 43°08'52"N,
73°15'52"W, 244 meters, 24 July 1989
(male), 3August 1989(female), H. Romack,
NYSM. Washington County, Murray Hol-
low, 43°05'49"N, 73°17'02"W, 224 meters,
19 July 1989 (female), H. Romack, NYSM.
OREGON: Baker County, L. Goose Creek,
36 miles southeast ofUnion, 4000 feet, 24-
31 August 1975 (male), E. J. Davis, Wash- ^^^
ington State University (WSU), malaisetrap
baitedwith CO2. Union County, LaddCan- Figs. 1-3. Auxanommatidia boreotis. 1. Male ter-
yon, 14milessouthofLaGrande,4200feet, mWiansahlingctomopnlCeoxu,ntlye,ftNleatwerYaolrkv]i.ew2. [ExCtaemnddeendoVvailploesy-,
17-23 August 1975 (male), E. J. Davis, itor ofdry, pinned female, dorsal view [E. S. George
WSU, malaise trapbaited with CO2. Union Reserve,LivingstonCounty,Michigan]. 3.Withdrawn
County, Whiskey Creek, 23 miles south ovipositor ofmacerated female, dorsal view [Salmon
southwest ofLa Grande, 5120 feet, 17-23 Meadows, Okanogan County, Washington].
August 1975 (male), E.J. Davis,WSU, mal-
aise trap baited with CO2. Union County, thecontinentweredissectedandcompared.
L. LickCreek, 26 miles southeastofUnion, The epandria, hypandria, and other struc-
4200 feet, 24-31 August 1975 (male), E. J. tures ofthe male terminal complex (Fig. 1
Davis, WSU, malaise trap baited with CO.. ofa specimen from Camden Valley, Wash-
WASHINGTON: Chelan County, Skinney ington County, New York (yellow halteres,
Creek, 1 milenorthofLeavenworth, 18July brown-tipped flagellomere 1) appear to be
1972 (male, female), W. J. Turner, WSU. identical with those ofa male from Salmon
Okanogan County, Salmon Meadows, 9 Meadows, Okanogan County, Washington
miles northwest of Conconully, 4500 feet, (light brown halteres, mostly brown flagel-
23-26 August 1975 (male, 2 females), W. lomere 1). Likewise, there are no apparent
J. Turner, malaise trap with dry ice. geographicdifferencesinthestructureofthe
The five specimens from New York and ovipositor. In dry, pinned females, the ovi-
Michiganhavelightyellowhalteres,andfla- positoris usuallywithdrawn and appears to
gellomere 1 isyellowbasallyandbrownapi- be merely a dark brown to black, shining
cally. According to Beyer's description, the triangle without lateral lobes, as illustrated
halteres ofA. boreotis, which he described by Beyer(1963). In the specimen from Liv-
from a single female from Michigan, are ingston County, Michigan (yellow halteres,
yellow, whereas flagellomere 1 is solidblack. brown-tipped flagellomere 1), the ovipostor
TheholotypeandparatypeofA. californica, is extended, and lateral lobes are barely ev-
both from California, show opposite color ident (Fig. 2). Macerated specimens from
characters; in the holotype, the halteres and Murray Hollow, Washington County, New
flagellomere 1 are brown, whereas in the York (yellow halteres, brown-tipped flagel-
paratype they are yellow. The Oregon and lomere 1), Whiskey Creek, Union County,
Washington specimens have light brown to Oregon (brown halteres, nearly solid brown
yellowhalteres, andflagellomere 1 isyellow flagellomere 1), and Salmon Meadows,
basally and brown apically. OkanoganCounty, Washington(brownhal-
To test the hypothesis that the Nearctic teres, nearly solid brown flagellomere 1) all
specimens belong to a single, color variable have identical ovipositors with evident lat-
species, terminalia ofspecimens from across eral lobes (Fig. 3).
932 PROCEEDINGS OFTHE ENTOMOLOGICALSOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Furthermore, this Nearctic species of specimens o{A. californica and R. S. Zack
Auxanommatidia is distinct from the other (WSU) for a loan ofunidentified phorids. I
eight described species. It can be separated am also grateful to B. V. Brown (University
from A. abbreviata Borgmeier and A. med- ofAlberta), F. W. Stehr (MSU), and J. K.
leri Disney by its much larger costal index, Liebherr (CU) for searching the ZFMK,
whichrangesfrom0.40to0.44(0.43 ± 0.02, MSU, and CU collections, respectively, for
n= 16;mean ± SD);inthelattertwospecies the holotype of A. boreotis. This paper is
it ranges from 0.33 to 0.38. [The costal in- contribution number 676 ofthe New York
dex is the ratio ofthe length ofthe costa to State Science Service.
the length of the wing, both lengths mea-
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank F. C. Thompson
(USNM)foraloanoftheholotypeandother
