Laphria apila (Bromley) Original Description

Bromley, S. W. 1951. Asilid notes (Diptera) with descriptions of thirty-two new species. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., Amer. Mus. Novitates No. 1532, Page 22.


Bombomima apila, new species

Total length, 28-35 mm. A large species with yellow mystax and beard, a patch of yellow hairs in front of bases of wings and in front of halteres, the coxae yellow haired, the first pair of legs and the tibiae and tarsi of second pair with many yellow hairs, mesonotal hairs mostly yellow but scutellar hairs and bristles black. Distinguished from all other Bombomima by the shining black of the dorsum of the abdomen, practically devoid of pile.

MALE: Mystax and head yellow; occipitals, vertical hairs, antennal hairs, palpal hairs, and hairs on oral margin black with intermingled yellow. Pronotal hairs mostly black, some yellow. Mesonotum with yellow hairs and a few short black intermingled. Scutellum with black hairs and bristles. Pleural tufts and coxal hairs yellow. Legs black, with mostly black hairs but many yellow on front legs and second tibiae and tarsi. Wings brown, halteres pale brown. Abdomen mostly black, with piceous undertones, and with dorsum free of long pile; some yellow pile along the sides, intermingled with black. Genitalia black, with black hair.

FEMALE: Similar; ovipositor with both black and pale hair.

TYPES: Holotype, male, Anniston, Alabama, June 26, 1940 (M. E. Smith). Allotopotypefemale, June 2, 1940, same data. Paratopotypes, three males, three females, June 2 to June 29, 1939-1940, same data. Paratypes, three males, two females, Cumberland Mountains, Lafollette, Tennessee, June 3 and 6, 1947 (R. M. Goslin); one female, Sitton's Gulch, Georgia, August 2, 1941 (P. W. Fattig). A pair at the Ohio State Museum; two males, one female in S. W. Bromley collection.

Related to both champlainii Walton, but lacking the black and yellow pile pattern of the dorsum of the abdomen of that species, and grossa Fabricius, from which it differs in having more yellow pile on the legs. From all other related species it differs in having the dorsum of the abdomen shining and bare of pile.





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