Notiphila decoris Williston 1893

Notiphila (Dichaeta) decoris Williston

Notiphila decoris Williston, 1893:258.

Notiphila (Agrolimna) atrisetis Cresson, 1917:52. [New synonym.]

Notiphila (Agrolimna) decoris.—Wirth, 1965:747.

TYPE-MATERIAL.—Holotype female: “Panamint V(alle)y., April (18)98 (1891) K./Through C. V. Riley/TYPE, Notiphila decoris Will. (red).” The holotype is in the Snow Entomological Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, type number 688. The holotype of the junior synonym is deposited with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, type number 6115, and bears the following label data: “Desert edge, San Diego Co., Cal(ifornia). 17 April 1915, M C VanDuzee/HoloTYPE 6115/ Holo-TYPE male, Notiphila atrisetis, E. T. Cresson Jr.”

DIAGNOSIS.—Specimens of this species may be distinguished from others of the subgenus Dichaeta by the following combination of characters: Setal fascicle of hind basitarsus with 1 dark brown to black seta, this less than one-sixth length of basitarsal segment; front tarsomeres usually dark brown to black; mesopleuron only slightly discolored dorsally, without well-defined spot. Females of N. decoris could be confused with those of N. macrochaeta but the posteromedial area of the fifth abdominal tergum is normally sclerotized, similar to the rest of the tergum. The genitalia of N. decoris males are also distinctive (Figures 144–147).

DESCRIPTION.—Moderately small to large shore flies, length 2.94 to 5.54 mm; with gray to light brown coloration and dark brown markings.

Head: Head ratio 1:0.70; lateral margins of frons usually gray, often concolorous with median triangular area; triangular area sometimes brownish gray, pollinose; most of mesofrons subdued charcoal black, usually lightly pollinose; postfrons ratio 1:0.53; paravertical bristle subequal to genal bristle. Antennal segments entirely black; 9–11 dorsal aristal branches. Face usually grayish yellow to yellow; prefrons ratio 1:0.75; facial setae small, hairlike. Eye ratio 1:0.80; eye-to-cheek ratio 1:0.22; genal area becoming more grayed posteriorly; genal bristle prominent. Maxillary palpus black.

Thorax: Mesonotum lightly vittate; usually darker in color than pleural areas; mesopleuron without a definite maculation spot although some specimens have some discoloration along dorsal margin. Femora and tibiae grayish black to black; front tarsomeres usually dark brown to black, sometimes lighter in color; middle and hind tarsi yellowish orange to orange. Setal fascicle of hind basitarsus with a single, small, dark brown to black seta. Wing ratio 1:0.46; costal vein ratio 1:0.48; M1+2 vein ratio 1:1.

Abdomen: Abdominal ratio of males 1:0.72; fourth tergum to fifth tergum length ratio of males 1:0.72; fifth tergum ratio 1:0.56. Fascia of abdominal segments dark brown, well defined, contrasting with grayer ground color. Male terminalia as in Figures 144–147.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED (1172).—CANADA: ALBERTA (ANSP). MANITOBA: Clear Lake-Riding Mountain National Park (CNC). UNITED STATES: ARIZONA: Apache Co., 1.6 km W Eagar (USU); Pima Co., Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (USNM), Quinto Baquito (USNM). CALIFORNIA: Pine Lake (USNM); Alameda Co., Albany (UCB), Alvarado (CAS), Sunol (UCB); Alpine Co., Ebbets Pass (AMNH); Butte Co., Biggs (USNM); Calaveras Co., Milton (USNM); Colusa Co., Colusa (UCB, USNM), Maxwell (UCB, USNM); El Dorado Co., Echo Lake (KU), Pino Grande (UCB); Fresno Co., Coalinga (AMNH); Humboldt Co., Orick (ANSP, USNM), Trinidad (ANSP, USNM); Imperial Co., Calipatria (ANSP, USNM), Palo Verde (UCB, USNM); Inyo Co., Antelope Springs (UCB), Ballarat (UCB, USNM), Bishop (KU), Death Valley Floor near Furnace Creek (ANSP), Deep Springs (UCR), Little Lake (CAS, KU), Lone Pine (KU, USNM), Olancha (CAS), Panamint Springs (CNC, KU), Tecopa Hot Springs (WNM), Warm Sulphur Spring (UCR, USNM); Kern Co., Onyx (KU, USNM); Lake Co., Clear Lake (USNM), Lower Lake-Clear Lake (CAS); Lassen Co., 66 km NW Susanville (WNM); Los Angeles Co., Lancaster (MCZ), Los Angeles (MCZ), Palmdale (MCZ); Modoc Co., 6.4 km W Alturas (WNM), Canby (USNM), Lake City (UCD), Likely (USNM), Lookout (WNM), Surprise Valley (UCB); Mono Co., Benton (UMN), Convict Creek (USNM), Crooked Creek (UCB). Hot Creek (CAS), Mammoth Lakes (KU, USNM), Mono Lake (KU, UCB), 3.2 km N Mono Lake (WNM); Monterey Co., Asilomar (USNM); Napa Co., Knoxville (USNM), Pope Creek, 8.1 km NW Monticello (CAS), Samuel Spring (USNM); Nevada Co., near Hobart Mills (UCD), 1.6 km NW Hobart Mills (WNM); Orange Co., Laguna Beach (USNM); Riverside Co., Coachella (CAS). Riverside (ANSP), San Jacinto (CAS); San Bernardino Co., Jenks Lake (USNM), Morongo Valley (USNM), Needles (CU, USNM), Trona (CNC), Victorville (USNM); San Diego Co., Borego (UCB), Desert Edge (CAS), Jacumba Spring (ANSP, USNM), Russian River-Mesa Grande (ANSP); San Joaquin Co., Stockton (CAS); San Luis Obispo Co., Harmony (AMNH, USNM), Oso Flaco Lake (USNM); Santa Barbara Co., Carpinteria (WSU); Santa Clara Co., San Antonio Valley (UCB); Shasta Co., Cassel (UCB), Gibson (UCB, USNM); Siskiyou Co., Big Springs Wildlife Refuge (USNM), Bray area (UCR), Gazelle (MCZ), Shasta River, 2.1 km E Grenada (UCR); Stanislaus Co., Del Puerto Canyon (UCB, USNM); Tehama Co., 0.8 km S Corning (WNM); Tulare Co., Three Rivers (KU, USNM), Visalia (USNM); Tuolumne Co., Cathedral Canyon (USNM); Ventura Co., Port Hueneme (UCB); Yolo Co., Davis (ANSP, UCD, USNM), Putah Canyon (UCD, USNM), Woodland (UCD, USNM). COLORADO: Crowley Co., Crowley (ANSP, CSU, WSU); Pueblo Co., Pueblo (CSU); Weld Co., Roggen (ANSP). IDAHO: Canyon Co., Caldwell (ANSP); Gooding Co., Hagerman (USNM); Payette Co., Payette (MCZ). MONTANA: Lake Co., 4.8 km E Polson (KSU), 6.4 km E Polson (WNM); Madison Co., Madison Junction (USNM). NEBRASKA: Lincoln Co., Wellfleet (USU); Thurston Co., 12.9 km ENE Winnebago along Missouri River (ISU). NEVADA: Eastgate (USNM); Churchill Co., Fallon (USNM), Hazen (USNM), Soda Lake near Hazen (ANSP); Humboldt Co., Winnemucca Lake (USNM); Lander Co., 40.3 km N Austin (AMNH); Lyon Co., Fernley (ANSP, CSU, WSU); Nye Co., Beatty (USNM), 2.6 km S Springdale (AMNH); Washoe Co., Gerlach (CAS), Pyramid Lake (CAS), Steamboat (USNM). NEW MEXICO: McKinley Co., Zuni Salt Lake (USNM); Otero Co., White Sands National Monument (WSU); San Juan Co., 1.6 km S Bloomfield (WNM); Socorro Co., Socorro (ANSP, KU, USNM). OREGON: Benton Co., Finley Wildlife Refuge (WNM); Deschutes Co., Paulina Lake (WNM); Grant Co., John Day Gorge (CAS), 0.8 km S Seneca (WNM); Harney Co. (USNM), 14.5 km N Andrews (WNM), 8.1 km NE Fields (WNM), Harney Lake (USNM), Harney Hot Spring (CAS, USNM, WNM), hot spring in desert N of State hwy 78 and 13.5 km E Lawen (CU), W Whitehorse Ranch-Willow Creek (WNM); Jackson Co., Little Squaw Lake (WNM); Klamath Co., Bly (WSU). Deming Creek-Reservoir NE Bly (WSU); Lake Co., Ana Reservoir (WNM), NW shore Alkali Lake (WNM), Goose Lake State Park (CU), Hunter Hot Spring (WNM), Lakeview Hot Spring (WNM), 6.9 km NW Paisley (WNM), Summer Lake (WNM); Lane Co., 12.9 km S Florence (WNM); Malheur Co., 12.9 km N Andrew (WNM), 24.2 km NW Vale, margin of hot spring (WNM); Morrow Co., 3.2 km N Irrigon (WNM); Umatilla Co., Cold Springs (WSU). TEXAS: Lubbock Co., Buffalo-Spring Lake (USNM). UTAH: Flux (ANSP, USNM); Taylor (USU); Box Elder Co., Bear River Refuge (ISU), Blue Creek (USU), Collinston (UMN), Kelton (USU), Kosmo (USU), Locomotive Springs (USU), Snowville (USU); Cache Co., Benson (USU), Providence (USU); Carbon Co., Price (KU, WNM); Emery Co., 0.8 km N Castle Dale (WNM); Grand Co., Moab (ISU, USU); Rich Co., Woodruff (ANSP); Salt Lake Co., Garfield (ANSP, USNM), Great Salt Lake (ANSP, CAS), Saltair (USNM); San Juan Co., Bluff (USU); Sevier Co., Monroe (USU); Uintah Co., Vernal Canyon-Uinta Mountains (ANSP); Utah Co., Goshen (KU), Goshen pond (WNM), Hobble Creek (KU), Colton (ISU), Lakeshore (ISU), Utah Lake near Lehi (USNM), E shore Utah Lake (WNM), Spanish Fork (KU); Weber Co., Odgen (USU). WASHINGTON: Lind Lake (WSU); Clark Co., Lacamas Lake (ANSP, USNM): Franklin Co., 11.3 km WSW Eltopia (WNM), Kahlotus Lake (WSU), 3.2 km E Pasco (WNM), Scooteney Reservoir-Recreational Area (WNM); Grant Co., Bank Lake (WNM), O'Sullivan Dam (WSU); Okanogan Co., Brewster (USNM); Whitman Co., Almota (USNM); Yakima Co., Yakima (CAS), Byron Ponds near Prosser (WSU). WYOMING: Yellowstone National Park: Old Faithful (ANSP, USNM), U-Geyser Basin (ANSP, USNM), West Thumb (MCZ), White Dome Geyser vicinity (CU).

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION (Figure 148).—Notiphila decoris occurs mainly west of the 100th parallel in North America. I have examined specimens from as far north as Manitoba (Clear Lake-Riding Mountain National Park) and southward into Mexico. Collection dates are from 31 March to 9 November.