caudatus group

Laxina Curran, in part

Robinson(1) calls part of this group the C. connectans group

About eight North American species. The caudatus group in a stricter sense contains three species, one each for North, Central, and South America (with some overlap).

NOTE: Females cannot be identified to species from photos. The characters mentioned on species pages under this one are for males only.

Wings unmarked. Branch of M right angled. Vein M1 more gradually curved than in most species of the genus. Male femora usually black except at tips, occasionally yellow. Female femora yellow. Tibiae yellow, except hind tibia darkened at tip. Face usually with white hair. Mid basitarsus of male usually with dense row of curved bristles. Tail of male with conspicuous long hairs in some species. Males have a more tapering abdomen than is typical in the genus. Female tibia usually with a strong bristle near one third of length, and another bristle or set of bristles at tip. Males of most species with a very long bristle near tip of mid tibia.

In the stricter sense, the caudatus group refers to the species with bristles on mid basitarsus and long hairs on tail (caudatus and graenicheri in North America).

Eastern North America to South America. Also recorded from California, but probably absent from mountains of West.