Key to Geron species

The Bee Flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae) of Ontario, with a Key to the Species of Eastern Canada
CJAI 06 March 06, 2008
doi: 10.3752/cjai.2008.06

Joel H. Kits* , Stephen A. Marshall* , and Neal L. Evenhuis**

* Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone
Rd. E., Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada jkits@uoguelph.ca, samarsha@uoguelph.ca

** Department of Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street,
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817, USA neale@bishopmuseum.org

Larvae are endoparasitoids of Lepidoptera in several families. Adults fly July – Sept. Key based in part on Hall (1981) and Hall and Evenhuis (2003).

1.	Vein R5 as long as section of R4+5 following crossvein r‑m (Figure 60d); frons of female almost bare (Figure 24a)	subgenus Empidigeron
	1 Ontario species, G. (E.) calvus. 3-6.5 mm. Found in Ontario south of the Canadian Shield. (also northeastern U.S. from Pennsylvania east to New Hampshire).
-	Vein R5 shorter than section of R4+5 following crossvein r‑m (Figure 60e,f); frons of female tomentose (Figure 24b,c)	subgenus Geron
	Note: There are several species in this subgenus in the northeast, but they can only be reliably identified by dissection of the female genitalia. The two positively recorded Ontario species are keyed here

2.	Crossvein m-cu sinuous (Figure 60e). Female with a medial stripe of golden tomentum above antennae (Figure 24b)	*vitripennis*
	3-6 mm. Rare in Ontario, known from Windsor, Elgin Co., Pinery Provincial Park, and Pelee Island (widespread in U.S., south to northeastern Mexico). Adults recorded July – Sept.
-	Crossvein m-cu straight (Figure 60e). Female with silver tomentum above antennae (Figure 24c)	*prosopidis*
	4 mm. Rare in Ontario, known from a single specimen from Rondeau Provincial Park (early Sept.) (western and eastern Canada, south through central and western U.S. to Nuevo León, Mexico).