Key to Amblypsilopus north of Mexico using Steyskal's 1966 key (with the 1973 modification)
In the discovery of Amblypsilopus californicus (= Sciapus californicus), George C. Steyskal also created a key to the species of Sciapus north of Mexico (Sciapus was then divided into the nominal genus and Amblypsilopus by Bickel in 1994). However, Steyskal made a modification to his key in 1973 based on examination of A. psittacinus specimen. On BugGuide, I have not seen a compiled key including this modification. Therefore, I had created a compiled key so I could identify the individuals of Amblypsilopus I find. The key is represented here. It is not photographic, though (yet?). Any constructive criticism and feedback is appreciated. I am not an expert, so I would advise using this as only supplementary information for identifications. In addition, there may be more species to be discovered and it is only a matter of time before this may become outdated unless I modify it.
Species of Amblypsilopus in this key:
A. costalis- Southeastern
A. dorsalis- Southeastern
A. infumatus- AZ
A. pollinosus-SE US
A. scintillans- Eastern
A. californicus- California
A. floridanus- FL (Everglades)
A. fuscinervis- Eastern
A. rotundiceps- Eastern
A. bicolor- NC, "middle states"
A. unifasciatus- Eastern
A. bicolor- Eastern
A. psittacinus- Southeastern
A. unicoiensis- Eastern
A. bradleii- Southeastern
A. variegatus- NJ-FL-TX
Species of Amblypsilopus not in this key:
A. dimidiatus - AZ, distinct wing pattern
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1A. Antennae wholly black…2
1B. Antennae at least partly yellow…5
2A. Coxa yellow, Coxa 2 darkened at base; costa with notch before tip of 2nd vein (Ga., Fla.)…costalis (Aldrich)
2B. Coxa 2 and 3 black; wing costa without notch…3
3A. Wing with crossband through tp and basal part of wing dark; femora 3 and tibia 3 yellow . Markings may be very faint or even absent in female. Coxa 1 with some black apical bristles ( Mex., Ariz. ) …infumatus (Aldrich)
3B . Wing plain hyaline…4
4A. Body dulled with grayish pruinosity; hypopygium small with partly yellowish lamellae (Ga.)…pollinosus (Van Duzee)
4B. Body shining blue or greenish; hypopygium rather large. Basitarsus 3 mostly or wholly yellowish; hypopygial lamellae black (eastern U.S.)…scintillans ( Loew)
5A. Dorsum of thorax yellow with a blue or green stripe. Pleura with indistinct dark spot; tarsi plain; metanotum with median black stripe (Cuba; Southeastern U. S.)…dorsalis (Loew)
5B . Dorsum of thorax without blue or green stripe…6
6A. Costa of male usually non-ciliate…7
6B. Costa of male ciliate…11
7A. Hind margin of pleura green; if yellow present, dorsal abdominal segments have yellow only on sides and edges (Ont. )…fuscinervis (Van Duzee)
7B. Hind margin of pleura yellow; dorsum of one or more abdominal segments usually yellow from side to side…8
8A. Body 4 mm or less in length…9
8B. Body 5 mm or more in length…10
9A. Face very narrow throughout; tibia 2 with irregular row of small ventral bristles; dorsum of 1st 4 abdominal segments yellow with green hind margins (Fla.)… rotundiceps (Aldrich)
9B. Face not unusually narrow; tibia 2 without row of bristles; dorsum of 1st 4 abdominal segments mostly green, only sides or bases yellow (Middle States, N. C.)…bicolor (Loew)
10A. Costa ciliate; abdomen with tergites 1 and 2 green dorsally (Calif.)…californicus (Steyskal) (A. floridanus keys here, but differs from S. californicus, by the foretarsal structure and geographic location)
10B. Costa not ciliate; abdomen with tergite 1 and basal third of tergite 2 yellow (eastern U. S.)… unifasciatus (Say)
11A. Scutellum with small but distinct pair of bristles lateral of larger pair; femora 2 in apical half with series of posterior setae at least as long as diameter of that part of the femur; costa of wing evenly bent, but evenly arcuate to tip…variegatus (Loew)
11B. Scutellum with at most very small hairs lateral of the larger pair of setae; femora 2 with no more than one larger subapical posterior seta; costa more or less angulate near tip of wing…12
12A. Costa only slightly angulate at tip of vein R2+3, nearly evenly arcuate; very narrow base of tergite 2 yellowish; tibia 2 unmodified…unicoiensis (Robinson)
12B. Costa markedly angulate near tip; base of tergite 2 sometimes yellowish basal 1/4; tibia 2 may or may not be bent and with an outstanding subapical dorsal seta…13
13A. Costa sharply bent before end of vein R2+3; tibia 2 straight, without long outstanding setae; mesoscutum between dorsocentral bristles with only a few stout setae; tergite 2 yellowish in about basal 1/4 (West Indies; southeastern US)…psittacinus (Loew)
13B. Costa roundly bent beyond tip of vein R2+3; tibia 2 with small but distinct downward bend at about apical 1/3, with long, outstanding setae; center of mesoscutum between dorsocentral bristles with several long, fine setae; base of tergite 2 narrowly or incompletely yellowish (Southeastern US)…bradleii (Van Duzee)
References
Pollet, A. A., Brooks, S. E., Cumming, J. F. 2003. Catalog of the Dolichopodidae (Diptera) of America north of Mexico. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 283, 114 pp.
Steyskal, G. C. 1966. A new species of Sciapus from California, with a revised key to the species of Sciapus found in America north of Mexico. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 68(4): 290-294.
Steyskal, G. C. 1973. Notes on southeastern North American species of Condylostylus and Sciapus (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). The Florida Entomologist, 56 (4): 359-360.
Contributed by Arturo Santos on 21 December, 2018 - 2:45pm Last updated 29 September, 2021 - 8:09pm |