Species Sphecomyiella nelsoni

Sphecomyiella nelsoni Kondratieff & Fitzgerald 1993

The specific epithet honors Eugene E. Nelson, an entomologist with the University of Colorado Extension office in Grand Junction, CO.

Male Wing Length: 8-11.5 mm

Female Wing Length: 7-11 mm

Southern Arizona

Uplands of the Sonoran desert.

Larvae are parasitic on adults of Melolonthinae and Rutelinae.

From the Manual of Nearctic Diptera(1):

"The Pyrgotidae are specialized for internal parasitism in the larval stages on adult scarabaeid beetles. The parasitic habit of some species may have a pronounced effect on controlling populations of pest scarabaeids. Most species of Pyrgotidae fly at night when their hosts are flying. The female deposits her eggs into the abdomen of the beetle while both are in flight."

S. nelsoni was described as a new species in 1993 by Kondratieff & Fitzgerald (see "Print References" below). The info below is quoted and/or abstracted from that paper:

Prior to 1993, the genus Sphecomyiella was regarded as a monotypic genus with the single species S. valida considered to have a wide range spanning from much of eastern North America west to Arizona (Steyskal(1)). Comparison of the types of S. valida and a former junior synonym, Pyrgota millepunctata, with material from throughout eastern and central North America, especially Arizona and Colorado, indicated the presence of an previously undescribed species (now S. nelsoni).

Both sexes of S. nelsoni are similar in appearance to S. valida, but can be distinguished by details of genitalia. Apparently S. nelsoni is restricted to southern Arizona and is associated with numerous species of Melolonthinae and Rutelinae inhabiting the Arizona Uplands of the Sonoran desert. Many specimens were collected at light.

Kondratieff, B. C. and S. J. Fitzgerald. (1993). A new species of Sphecomyiella (Diptera: Pyrgotidae) from North America. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 95:554-557 (biostor)

Steyskal, G.C. (1978). Synopsis of the North American Pyrgotidae (Diptera). Proc. ent. Soc. Wash. 80: 149-155 (Full Text)

Steyskal, G. C. (1987). 65. Pyrgotidae. Manual of Nearct. Dipt. 2:813-816. (1)