436 



Wirth and Stone: Diptera 



Fig. 14:42. Heleidae, immature stages. a,g,o, Palpomyia 

 flavipes (Mg.), pupa: o, respiratory organ; g, operculum; o, caudal 

 segment. b, /, q, Bezzia vari'co/or (Coq.), pupa: b, respiratory or- 

 gan; /, operculum; q, caudal segment. c,h-/',m,p, B. glabra (Coq.). 

 Pupa: c, respiratory organ; m, operculum; p, caudal segment. 

 Larva: h, last abdominal segment; i, head and prothoracic seg- 

 ment; /', head, ventral view. d,e,n,s, B. biannulata Wirth, pupa: 

 o',e, respiratory organs; n, operculum; s, caudal segment. f,r, 

 Palpomyia essigi Wirth, pupa: f, respiratory organ; r, caudal 

 segment, k, t, Johannsenomyia sybleae Wirth, pupa: k, respiratory 

 organ; t, caudal segment (Wirth, 1952). 



This is a large genus with a broad range of breeding 

 habits. In general, the larvae are aquatic and most 

 often occur in blanket algae or in the mucky or sandy 

 margins or bottoms of lakes, ponds, and streams. 

 Some species breed in the profundal zone of deep 

 lakes. The adults are predaceous with strong, spinose 

 legs. 



Keys to Adults of the California Species of Palpomyia 

 Females 



1. Only fore femora armed below with spines 2 



— All 3 pairs of femora armed below with 1 or more stout, 

 black spines 6 



2. Fore femora slightly swollen, with 3 to 7 ventral spines 

 3 



— Fore femora markedly swollen, with 15 to 20 spines; 

 halteres yellow 5 



3. Halteres yellow; fore femora with 3 or 4 spines; north- 

 ern and central California aldrichi (Malloch) 1915 



— Halteres brown or black; fore femora with 5 to 7 spines 



4 



4. Legs predominantly yellow; mesonotum nearly bare; 

 northern and central California . . flavipes (Meigen) 1818 



— Legs predominantly black; mesonotum with dense long 

 pubescence and intermixed fine black hairs; northern 

 and central California nigripes (Meigen) 1830 



5. Mesonotum shining reddish with 3 prominent blackish 

 fasciae; Humboldt County trifasciata Wirth 1952 



— Mesonotum unicolorous shining black; northern and 

 central California armatipes Wirth 1952 



6. Mesonotum grayish pollinose with brown fasciae or 

 spots; tarsal claws as long as, or longer than, 5th 

 segment (fig. 14:39<i); halteres yellowish; abdomen 

 yellow or with light bands 7 



— Mesonotum subshining reddish brown with 3 black 

 fasciae; 5th tarsal segment with ventral spines; claws 



1/2 as long as segment; halteres dark brown; abdomen 

 brown; Central Valley and Colorado River Valley 



essigi Wirth 1952 



7. Wing with small, dark brown spot over cross vein (fig. 

 14:39e); pedicel of antenna and abdomen yellow; length 



2.5 mm.; Kern County kernensis Wirth 1952 



— Wing without brown spot at cross vein; pedicel black; 

 abdomen brown with grayish bands at apices of seg- 

 ments; length 3.0 mm.; widespread in California .... 

 linsleyi Wirth 1952 



Male Genitalia 



1. Aedeagus greatly reduced; parameres with narrow 

 median anterior arm, distal part greatly expanded, oval; 

 basistyles with setose basal lobe . . . nigripes (Meigen) 



— Aedeagus normal, with caplike hyaline apex; parameres 

 with lateral anterior arms; posterior part slenderer; 

 lobe on basistyle past middle or absent 2 



2. Basistyle with triangular or thumblike setigerous lobe 

 at or past middle on inner ventral side 3 



— Basistyle without ventromesal setigerous lobe 4 



3. Lobe of basistyle thumblike, nearly 1/2 as long as 

 basistyle; aedeagus with bluntly rounded cap on apex; 

 parameres separated on distal 1/2, with slender, bare 

 apices aldrichi (Malloch) 



— Lobe of basistyle short and triangular; aedeagus with 

 pointed triangular cap on apex; parameres with free 

 part tonguelike, pubescent armatipes Wirth 



4. Parameres separated or cleft to base, basal arms 

 simple and curved; aedeagus conical with ventral face 

 entire 5 



— Parameres with median part fused in a straight or 

 dorsally bent slender rod with slightly enlarged apex, 

 basal arms short, stout, and bilobed; aedeagus with 

 ventral face incompletely closed flavipes (Meigen) 



5. Genitalia much longer than broad, 9th tergite twice as 

 long as broad; parameres entirely separate, slender, 

 with capitate, bent, finely hairy tips .... essigi Wirth 



— Genitalia much broader than long, 9th tergite as broad 

 as long; parameres fused at base, closely contiguous, 



swollen in middle with slightly tapered tips 



linsleyi Wirth 



Males of trifasciata and kernensis unknown. 



Genus Bezzia Kieffer 

 (Figs. 14:39/,^; 14:426-e, h-j, l-n, p-q, s) 





The discussion for the genus Palpomyia also applies 

 for the most part to this large genus. To date no 

 adequate characters have been found for separating 

 larvae or pupae of these two genera. Descriptions of 

 larvae and pupae of several North American species 

 have been presented by Thomsen (1937) and Wirth 

 (1952), the latter dealing with California species. 



Key to Adults of the California Species of Bezzia 



1. At least fore femora armed below with black spines 

 2 



— All femora unarmed ventrally 10 



2. Wings with large, subapical, black spots (fig. 14:39/); 

 Inyo County punctipennis (Williston) 1896 



— Wings unspotted 3 



3. Halteres yellowish i 4 



