Eucelatoria texana
Creators: name: Burington, Zelia L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Tachinidae
Eucelatoria
Eucelatoria texana

description: Eucelatoria texana (Reinhard, 1923)
(Figs 18, 38, 63, 83, 104, 119, 133, 149, 166, 173)
Xiphomyia texana Reinhard, 1923: 267. Holotype, USA, Texas, College Station (USNM). Other references: Sabrosky & Arnaud (1965: 1051).
Dexodes insignis Reinhard, 1934: 188. Holotype, USA, Texas, College Station (USNM).
Eucelatoria texana: Wood (1985: 45), O’Hara & Wood (2004: 89).
Type material examined. Holotype ♀, labeled “ College Station / 10-20-21 Texas ”, “H J Reinhard/ Collector”, “Holotype/ Female”, “Type [red label]”, “ Xiphomyia / texana/ det H. J. Reinhard ” (USNM).
Holotype ♂ of “ Dexodes insignis ”, labeled “ College Station / 2-IV-28 Texas ”, “H J Reinhard/ Collector”, “Type No./ 50087/ U.S. N.M.”, “ Dexodes / insignis/ det H. J. Reinhard ” (USNM).
Other material examined. 14 ♀♀ and 12 ♂♂. USA — Arkansas: 1 ♂, “ Miss. Co., Ark [Arkansas]/ 26-V-1971 ”, “Cotton–Sorghum/ Strip:Check”, “Malaise/ Trap”, “ R. Kirkton / Collector”, “USNM ENT 00039926”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00080” (USNM). 1 ♀, as previous except date “ 27.IX-1971 ”, habitat label “Cotton–Alfalfa/ Strip”, determination label “ Xiphomyia / texana/ det/ Sabrosky REiN[sic].”, USNM label “00039927”, and specimen ID label “00073” (USNM). Arizona: 1 ♀, “ USA: AZ: Pina Co. Santa / Rita Mts. Hwy 83, 3 mi N./ of Sonoita / 26-AUG-1999 5000′/ J. O. Stireman III”, “ Eucelatoria “texana”/ group”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00067 (JOSC). 1 ♀ and 1 ♂, “ USA: AZ: Pima Co. Santa / Rita Mts. 3Mi W of Hwy 83/ Madera/ Greaterville Rd. / 5000′ 31-viii–2-ix-1999 / Trap #20 J.O. Stireman ”, “ Eucelatoria texana var. 2”, the specimen IDs “ZLB_E.Ferox 00056 [♀]” and “00048 [♂; genitalia in vial under specimen]”, the male additionally labeled “B5” (JOSC). 4 ♀♀, as previous except trap numbers “43”, “3”, “6”, and “13&15”, the specimen IDs “ZLB_E.Ferox 00060”, “00055”, “00057”, and “00064” (JOSC). 1 ♂, “ USA: AZ: Pima Co. Santa/ Rita Mts. 3 mi. W of Hwy / 83, Greaterville Rd. / 3–5-viii-1999 ptrap: 5/ J.O. Stireman III”, “ Eucelatoria texana var. 2”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00066” (JOSC). 3 ♂♂, “ USA: AZ: Pima Co. / Beunos [sic] Aires NWR/ Arivaca Crk. 3600′/ 23-AUG-1999 / J.O. Stireman III”, “ Eucelatoria “ armigera ”/ group” (JOSC). 1 ♂, “ USA: AZ: Santa Cruz Co. / Patagonia Mts. 7000′/ Oak–Pine 25-July-1999 / J.O. Stireman III”, “ Eucelatoria sp. ”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00046” (JOSC). District of Columbia: 1 ♂, “ Washington / Sept 3, 1923 DC”, “JRMalloch/ Collector”, “USNM ENT 00040017”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00045” (USNM). Maryland: 1 ♀, “ Chesapeake Beach / Aug 16 1923 Md.”, “JRMalloch/ Collector”, “USNM ENT 00040014”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00079” (USNM). Mississippi: 1 ♀, “ Tupelo Miss / IX.29.21”, “H W Allen/ Collector ”, “ Xiphomyia / texana/ Reinh / Allen ”, “USNM ENT 00039928”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00072” (USNM). 1 ♀, “ Meridian Miss. / IX-3-22”, “cowpeas”, “USNM ENT 00040013”, “ZLB_ E.Ferox 00054”, head on card under specimen (USNM). 1 ♀, “ Holly Springs, Miss. / IX-27-21”, “HWA”, “Xiphomyia/ texana/ Aldrich Reinh. ”, “USNM ENT 00039923”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00074” (USNM). 1 ♂, “ Agr. Col., Miss / May 1922 / H.W.Allen ”, “ Masicera / near fichiae [label folded]”, “ Dexodes / spp./ (of auths.)”, ““ Dexodes ”/ insignis/ Rein/ det/ Sabrosky”, “USNM ENT 00039924”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00053” (USNM). 1 ♀, “MISS., Pontotoc / Co., 1 mi SE Ecru / 15 Aug. 1980 / G. L. Snodgrass ”, “MALAISE TRAP/ IN CULTIVATED/ COTTON/ 4779-21”, “ZLB_ E.Ferox 00050” (MEM). Oklahoma: 1 ♀, “ Garfield Co., Okla. / Coll: John F. Reinert / 1977 July 9 ”, “USNM ENT 00875972”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00047” (USNM). Texas: 1 ♀, “ TEXAS: Liberty / July 18, 1923 / L.J. Bottimer ”, “Reared ex./ Loxostege / helvialis/ (Walker)”, “USNM ENT 00039925”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00068” (USNM). 1 ♂, “ College Station/ 9-22-20 Texas ”, “H.J. REINHARD/ COLLECTOR”, “ PARATYPE / Dexodes / insignis/ Reinhard [red label]”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00049” (CNC). 1 ♂, as previous except date “ Jun. 16, 1951 ”, determination label “ Xiphomyia / texana Rnh / Reinhard Coll’n”, and specimen ID “00048” [genitalia in vial under specimen] (CNC). Virginia: 1 ♂, “ Arlington / Va June 1921 ”, “bred/ on/ [“with” is struck out, “on” is handwritten] Phlyctaenia / ferrugalis”, “yellowish/ front [handwritten note]”, “USNM ENT 00039929”, “ZLB_E.Ferox 00061” (USNM).
Recognition. This species is similar to E. borealis sp. nov. in having cercus digitiform and margins of surstylus subparallel in lateral view, and in the gray tomentum color of the thorax and abdomen. It differs from E. borealis sp. nov. in that the thoracic dorsum has abundant tomentum and distinctive vittae, the parafacial is entirely clean gray, the ocellar setae are strong, the female piercer is usually longer, and the basal lobe of the surstylus is distinctly blunt angulate in lateral view. It is superficially similar to E. auriceps but never has a yellow parafacial as in that species. It is very similar in size and coloration to E. sabroskyi sp. nov., but males of E. sabroskyi sp. nov. have an apical dilation on the cercus and a notch on the basal lobe of the surstylus in lateral view, and females of E. sabroskyi sp. nov. have a longer piercer.
Redescription. [Redescribed from 14 ♀♀ and 12 ♂♂. Head measurements from 3 ♀♀ and 3 ♂♂.] Length 6.0–7.0 mm (mean = 6.4 mm).
Head. Gena, parafacial, postgena, occiput, and the majority of the post-ocular plate tomentum pale clean gray, appearing shining silver in the light. Vertex and fronto-orbital plate tomentum usually with tinge of yellow around orbital setae, occasionally with yellow tinge extending around frontal setae, rarely the yellow apparently absent. Pale occipital setae clean gray. Ocellar setae one-half to subequal to length of posterior reclinate orbital. Gena with 3–4 setae, subvibrissal ridge with 1 seta. Facial ridge with setulae on less than lower one-third. Postocellar setae one-half to three-fourths length of ocellar setae. Paravertical seta one-half length of postocellar setae to apparently absent. Outer vertical seta barely distinct from post-ocular row in female, not distinct in male, no more than onefourth length of inner vertical seta. Reclinate orbital setae 3. Frontal setae 5–6, last frontal seta level with apex of pedicel. Eye apparently bare. Eye height to head height ratio 0.8–0.9 (mean = 0.85). Postpedicel length 0.35–0.45 (mean = 0.40) height of head. Facial ridge length 0.5 height of head. Parafacial width 0.07–0.14 (mean = 0.09) lateral length of head. Pedicel 0.3–0.5 (mean = 0.4) length of postpedicel. Postpedicel 1.4–2.7 (mean = 2.0) times width of parafacial in lateral view. Vertex 0.20–0.30 (mean = 0.27) width of head in dorsal view. Palpus yellow to yellow tan, subcylindrical in males, slightly dilated at tip in females; with short, stout dorsoapical setae.
Thorax. Dorsomedial length 1.4 times width of thorax. Lateral tomentum ash gray, sometimes merging to yellow on anepisternum. Dorsal tomentum buff gray to yellow-gray. Presutural outer vitta triangular, disconnected from anterior margin. Postsutural outer vitta fusiform, wider anteriorly than presutural vitta. Inner thoracic vitta linear, not connected to outer vittae, unbroken at suture, extending to level of first postsutural acrostichal seta. Scutellar dorsal tomentum gray to yellow-gray, extending over most of the dorsum. Postpronotum with 3 setae. Presutural area with 1–2 supra-alar setae, the anterior seta weak if present. Postsutural area with 3 dorsocentral setae. Scutellum with 1 pair discal setae. Fore tibia with 2 posterodorsal setae. Wing hyaline. Calypters cream to tan colored.
Abdomen. Cuticle and setulae entirely black. Dorsal tomentum bands gray, one-fourth to one-third length T3–5. Ventral tomentum bands gray, extent the same as dorsal bands. T4 with 4 or more pairs of marginal setae, the medial and lateral setae forming a widely spaced continuous row.
Male terminalia (Figs 133, 149, 166). Sternite 5 basal plate with median teeth separated 0.4 width of basal notch, nearly flush with sclerite, minute; apical lobes 1.3 times length of basal plate. Postgonite broadly rounded on posterior margin, anterior emargination depth subequal width of postgonite at mid length. Surstylus rounded on posterior and anterior margin, apex blunt; basal lobe blunt angulate, without distinct marginal notch. Cercus in lateral view narrow, approximately one-half width of surstylus at broadest, slightly dilated at tip, otherwise parallel sided along midsection to blunt point of apex; in caudal view, sides mostly straight, narrowed to apex. Upper lobe narrow, subtriangular, with blunt apex, inner margin straight; 0.36 length of cercus. Median section 0.3 length of cercus. Apical cleft narrow, 0.3 length of cercus. Syncercus apex width in caudal view 0.4 width of syncercus base.
Female terminalia (Figs 104, 119). Piercer generally extending beyond apex of T3, in lateral view gradually curved, slightly bent at tip; in posterior view triangular, gradually tapered to tip. Aculeate lobe 2.00–2.25 times height of segment 7 base. End tergite subrectangular, at least three times as long as wide. Cercus with 5–6 setae; ventral elongation subequal width of main cercus body. Postgenital plate with 12 setae.
Host(s). A single female was reared from “ Loxostege helvialis (Walker) ” [= Helvibotys helvialis (Walker)] (Crambidae: Pyrustinae) in Liberty, Texas, taken from an unknown host plant. The listed collection date is July 12, 1923, and as there are no other dates listed and as the preserved specimen is teneral, this is assumed to be the date of emergence.A single male was labeled as “Bred on Phlyctaenia ferugalis ” [Udea? ferrugalis (Hubner)] in Arlington, Virginia, from an unknown host plant, June, 1921.
Geographic extent and seasonal occurrence. Eucelatoria texana has been collected primarily from the southern United States, as far west as Arizona, south to the Texas coastal plain, and north and east to Maryland (Fig. 173). In the East it has been collected at low elevations, but in Arizona individuals have been collected at elevations of 1500 m. Most specimens have been collected in southern Arizona, the south central plains, and the Chesapeake Bay area, but the distribution is likely continuous along the range of its host. Adults were collected from June through September from Texas and from August through September in Arizona.
Discussion. The clean gray parafacial is the clearest diagnostic character for this species in the eastern United States. Other eastern Nearctic sword flies have at least a partially yellow parafacial. When the head coloration is ambiguous, the presence of distinct thoracic vittae and strong ocellar setae should distinguish E. texana from E. borealis sp. nov. The piercer of E. texana is intermediate in length between the longer piercer of E. auriceps and the shorter piercer of E. borealis sp. nov.
It is more complicated to diagnose E. texana in the desert southwest, as E. sabroskyi sp. nov. is not easily diagnosed by external characteristics. Males of E. sabroskyi sp. nov. differ in having a basal notch on the surstylus, and females have longer piercers, but piercer length varies considerably across the range of E. texana, and other external characters intergrade between the two. Thus, placements for southwestern females should be considered tentative, pending genetic data and more collecting. If either of these species are later found in Mexico, they can be distinguished from most Neotropical species by their thinner thoracic vittae. Furthermore, eastern and western specimens tend to differ in parafacial width, which suggests that further subdivisions may be needed in the future. Compared with other Nearctic species, E. texana has a considerable range, which may be partially explained by host use. One known host, Helvibotys helvialis, ranges north to Maine and Ontario, south to southern Florida (Covell 2005), and west to southern California (Essig Museum of Entomology 2017). This host association would explain the wide ecogeographic range of E. texana from both humid coastal plains to dry savannahs of the desert Southwest. The host plants of H. helvialis, pigweed (Amaranthus L. spp.) and beet (Beta vulgaris L.), are equally widespread (Covell 2005). A second known host was identified as “ Phlyctaenia ferrugalis ”, now known as Udea ferrugalis, the Rusty-dot Pearl. This is probably a misidentification, as U. ferrugalis is an Old World species without any New World records. The host was more likely U. rubigalis (Hubner) (Crambidae: Spilomelinae) (Celery Leaftier Moth), a common eastern species that feeds on a range of host plants, including beets. Given that both hosts are crambid moths known for feeding on Amaranthaceae, E. texana may specialize on Amaranthaceae-feeding caterpillars.
description: Published as part of Burington, Zelia L., 2022, A taxonomic revision of the Eucelatoria ferox species group (Diptera: Tachinidae), pp. 1-104 in Zootaxa 5143 (1) on pages 43-45, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5143.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/6601404