Table Of Contents
J. Entomol. Soc. Brit.Columbia 103,December2006 71
SCIENTIFIC NOTE
Exaireta spinigera (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): the first
published North American records of an Australian soldier fly
J.E. SWANN\ R.D. KENNER\ R.A. CANNINGS^ and C.R. COPLEY^
Specimens of a large and distinctive ver, 4244 West 15*^ Avenue, 22-vi-2002,
adult fly, recently collected in southwestern G.S. Kenner, 1$ UBCZ; same loc, in
&
British Columbia, could not be identified to house, 14-ix-2005, R.D. G.S. Kenner,1$
family using the available key in McAlpine UBCZ; Victoria, 657 Beaver Lake Road, in
(1981). However, we recognized it as house, 23-ix-2005, C.R. Copley, 1$
probably belonging to the Stratiomyidae RBCM; same loc, potting shed near com-
and finally identified it as Exaireta post, ll-vi-2006, C.R. Copley, 1? RBCM;
spinigera (Wiedemann), a species unknown Victoria, Coldstream Prov. Park, at Visitor
in North America according to the pub- Centre, 16-vii-2006, D.R. Copley, 1?
lished literature. RBCM; same loc, at compost, 5-X-2006,
Exairetaspinigera is native to andwide- D.R. Copley, ?>S 1? RBCM; Victoria, 230
spread in Australia and has been introduced Coward Road, Malaise trap, 28-v-to 11-vi-
to New Zealand and Hawaii (Woodley 2005, N.N. Winchester, 1$ RBCM.
2001). It was common in Honolulu, Hawaii Unlike native species of Nearctic Stra-
by 1900 although it was only first noticed tiomyidae, E. spinigera has vein R5 almost
in the late 1890s (Hardy 1960). Our mate- reaching the tip of the wing and cell d is
rial was identified, in part, by comparison roughly 2 to 2.5 times as long as broad.
to specimens in the Spencer Entomological These characters are similar to those in the
Museum collected in Honolulu in 1904. In families Xylomyidae and Xylophagidae.
the National Museum of Natural History However, these families have tibial spurs;
Collection, Smithsonian Institution, Wood- E. spinigera lacks these on all legs. In order
ley (pers. comm.) found a single North to include E. spinigera in McAlpine'
American specimen of E. spinigera, col- (1981) key to Nearctic Diptera families,
lected in 1985 from a greenhouse in Santa couplet 34 (p. 99) should be modified as
Barbara, California, However, he did not follows:
include the record in his world catalogue of 34. C usually ending well before, rarely
Stratiomyidae (Woodley 2001) because he nearly at, wing apex; branches ofR almost
thought that this single record might not always more or less crowded anteriorly, and
represent an established population. Recent ending in margin well before wing apex;
unpublished data suggest it may now be cell d (or dm) almost always short, usually
established in California (Woodley, pers. Httle longer than wide (Fig. 30); ifR5 end-
comm.). ing near wing apex and cell d at least 2
Material examined. Specimens are de- times as long as broad, then four marginal
posited in the Spencer Entomological Mu- scutellar spines present {Exaireta). Tibial
seum (UBCZ), the Royal BC Museum spurs usually absent Stratiomyidae
(RBCM) and the Canadian National Collec- C extending beyond wing apex;
tion of Insects (CNC). CANADA: BC: branches ofR not crowded anteriorly, with
Maple Ridge, dead on indoor windowsill, i- R5 ending at or beyond wing apex; cell d at
2006, J.R. Vockeroth, 1$ CNC; Vancou- least two times as long as broad (Fig. 29);
^Spencer Entomological Museum, Department ofZoology, University ofBritish Columbia, Vancouver,
BCV6T 1Z4
^Royal British ColumbiaMuseum, 675 BellevilleStreet, Victoria, BC V8W9W2
72 J.Entomol. Soc. Brit. Columbia 103,December2006
scutellar margin bare or with at most 2 (Hudson 1950, Woodley 1995). Adults
prominent spines. Tibial spurs present on at hover around rotting vegetation and have
leastmidand hindtibiae 35 been collected by sweeping vegetation,
To include Exaireta in James' (1981) fromnative flowers, inMalaise traps, and at
key to Nearctic stratiomyid genera, couplet lights (Woodley 1995). Because E.
5 (p. 500) shouldbemodifiedas follows: spinigera is so conspicuous, is readily col-
5. Scutellum with six spines (Fig. lected, and has only been observed in
50) Beris Latrielle southwestern British Columbia during the
Scutellum with four spines 5a past five years, its introduction probably
5a. Subscutellum at most with some was not much earlier than 2002. The spe-
tomentum; dorsum of the thorax metallic cies likely was introduced to BC in associa-
mm
green/blue; specimens approximately 5 tion with potted plants or rotting vegetable
long Actina Meigen matter from either California or Hawaii.
1 sp., viridis (Say); widespread Exaireta spinigera has been captured at the
Subscutellum with tomentum and same location in Victoria in successive
lateral pilose areas with fine, long white/ years implying that it has overwintered
translucent hairs; dorsum of thorax black; there. Even though it is only currently
specimens over 10 mm long known from a few synanthropic localities,
Exaireta Schiner the behaviour and life history ofthis species
1 sp., spinigera (Wiedmann); suggest that it is likely to become (or al-
introduced, BC, California. ready is) widespread in southwestern BC.
Larvae of E. spinigera live in a wide We thank N.E. Woodley for permission
variety of decaying organic material to use unpublished data.
REFERENCES
Hardy, D.E. 1960. Diptera: Nematocera-Brachycera (except Dolichopodidae). Insects ofHawaii 10. Uni-
versityofHawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Hudson, G.V. 1950. Fragments ofNew Zealand Entomology. A popular account ofall the New Zealand
cicadas. The natural history ofthe New Zealand glow-worm. A second supplement to the butterflies
and moths ofNewZealand and notes on many othernative insects. Ferguson and Osbom, Wellington,
NewZealand.
James, M.T. 1981. Stratiomyidae, pp. 497-511. In J.F. McAlpine, B.V. Peterson, G.E. Shewell, H.J. Tes-
key, J.R. Vockeroth, and D.M. Wood (eds), Manual ofNearctic Diptera, Volume 1, Research Branch,
AgricultureCanada,MonographNo. 27.
McAlpine, J.F. 1981. KeytoFamilies-Adults,pp. 89-124.InJ.F. McAlpine,B.V. Peterson, G.E. Shewell,
H.J. Teskey, J.R. Vockeroth, and D.M. Wood (eds). Manual ofNearctic Diptera, Volume 1, Research
Branch,AgricultureCanada, MonographNo. 27.
Woodley, N.E. 1995. The Genera ofBeridinae (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Memoirs ofthe Entomological
SocietyofWashington 16.
Woodley, N.E. 2001. A World Catalog of the Stratiomyidae (Insecta: Diptera). Backhuys Publishers,
Leiden,Netherlands.
