Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#1013563
Winged Epidapus females - Epidapus - female

Winged Epidapus females - Epidapus - Female
Hanover, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, USA
September 1, 2014
Size: 2-3mm
Collected with carrion baited pitfall traps at a sand prairie. Specimen in alcohol. There were dozens of male and female specimens in this sample.

Of the two species of Neartic Epidapus recorded in Mohrig et al 2012, this specimen matches neither. The short antennomeres excludes E. atomaria and the winged female would exclude the wingless E. johnstoni. Heikki Hippa has informed me that polymorphic females are not known in this genus, but also that females in general are poorly known. So that leaves this as either a fully-winged E. johnstoni (of which I have then collected the previously unknown brachypterous males), an unrecorded palaeartic species, or an undescribed neartic species. Hopefully I can find a sciaridologist to weigh in on this.

Images of this individual: tag all
Winged Epidapus females - Epidapus - female Winged Epidapus females - Epidapus - female Winged Epidapus females - Epidapus - female Winged Epidapus females - Epidapus - female Winged Epidapus females - Epidapus - female

Reductions
Did you call this Epidapus based on the palp and eye bridge characters? Identifying genus based on reductions is risky. At least three genera now include species with one-segmented palps. Eye bridges can be variable too. According to the Nearctic revision, the form of the reduced palps is different in different genera. If you have access to the Palaearctic revision and the Central American key you can try running males through them to see where they land.

 
Unknown species
I've sent these Epidapus-like sciarids off to Pekka Vilkamaa for ID. He stated it was a species he had never seen before, so perhaps this will turn out to be undescribed. I'll update when I hear back on it.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.