See description Table 1 and Fig. 1a, Fig. 3a, Fig. 4a.

Figure 1.  

Habitus images (left lateral). a. Megaselia baileyae. b. Megaselia friedrichae. c. Megaselia gonzalezorum. d. Megaselia joanneae. e. Megaselia losangelensis. f. Megaselia phyllissunae. g. Megaselia pongsaiae. h. Megaselia shatesae. i. Megaselia stoakesi.

Figure 2.  

Habitus images (left lateral). a. Megaselia studentorum. b. Megaselia voluntariorum. c. Megaselia wongae. Notopleural cleft (np). d. Megaselia friedrichae. e. Megaselia losangelensis. f. Megaselia pongsaiae. Ventral side of base of left hind femur. g. Megaselia stoakesi.

Figure 3.  

Right wing, dorsal. a. Megaselia baileyae. b. Megaselia friedrichae. c. Megaselia gonzalezorum. d. Megaselia joanneae. e. Megaselia losangelensis. f. Megaselia phyllissunae. g. Megaselia pongsaiae. h. Megaselia shatesae. i. Megaselia stoakesi. j. Megaselia studentorum. k. Megaselia voluntariorum. l. Megaselia wongae.

Figure 4.  

Male genitalia, left lateral. a. Megaselia baileyae. b. Megaselia friedrichae. c. Megaselia gonzalezorum. d. Megaselia joanneae. e. Megaselia losangelensis. f. Megaselia phyllissunae.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. baileyae keys to M. pygmaeoides [now considered to be M. berndseni (Schmitz 1919)], to which it is very similar. The most notable difference between these similar species is in the overall lighter coloration of M. baileyae, which has legs that are clearly yellow, not light brown like M. berndseni. This subtle difference in coloration is easily confirmed by looking at the hind femur, which is largely yellow but has a dark brown spot apically. This contrasts with the femur of M. berndseni which, although it does darken slightly apically, is clearly a light, mottled brown throughout. Details of the genitalia also differ between the species although there, too, they are quite similar. In contrast to the brown, rounded left process of the hypandrium found in M. berndseni, M. baileyae has a left lobe that is large, pale and ends abruptly, appearing almost as if it has been broken or cut (Fig. 4a). This lobe is so light, in fact, that you can see parts of the penis-complex through the lobe (visible as darkened areas in Fig. 4a).

Named in honor of Kelsey Bailey, BioSCAN Photographer, for her hard work on all our publications and outreach.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 1 and Fig. 1b, Fig. 2d, Fig. 3b, Fig. 4b.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. friedrichae keys to couplet 9 where it differs from M. berndseni by the presence of a notopleural cleft and cannot be taken further in the key due to its short costal index (0.34-0.35). If one assumes a margin of error and takes M. friedrichae further in the key despite the short costal index, at couplet 11 it differs from M. globipyga by having a notopleural cleft and from M. brevicostalis by having a very small notopleural cleft (Fig. 2d) versus the large cleft on M. brevicostalis.

Named by BioSCAN Phase I Project Manager Dean Pentcheff in honor of Kristin Friedrich whose effective work on behalf of this project brought a wide audience into an appreciation of the richness of urban biodiversity.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 1 and Fig. 1c, Fig. 3c, Fig. 4c.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. gonzalezorum keys to couplet nine, where its costal index of 0.35-0.36 differentiates it from either the very short (0.33) costal index of M. pygmaeoides [now considered to be M. berndseni (Schmitz 1919)] or the longer costal index (0.38-0.43) for continuing in the key. It also differs from M. berndseni in details of the genitalia (Fig. 4c), and if taken further in the key (by assuming that with more specimens the costal index might sometimes reach 0.38), details of the genitalia including the "nose-like" shape of the epandrium, would quickly differentiate it from species listed further down.

Named by BioSCAN employee Lisa Gonzalez in honor of her family; parents Armando and Aida Gonzalez, and sister Rita Gonzalez.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 1 and Fig. 1d, Fig. 3d, Fig. 4d.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. joanneae keys to couplet 11 where it differs from M. globipyga Borgmeier by lacking the globose genitalia of that species and from M. brevicostalis Wood 1910 by having unequal supraantennals and lacking the large notopleural cleft of that species. It should be noted that in order to key to M. globipyga, you must say that the first costal division is at most as long as second (couplet 10), which is not always accurate (but the alternative, of the first costal division being three-times as long as second, is much less accurate). Otherwise, the species simply fails to key at couplet 10. Within the Los Angeles fauna, this species is quite similar to M. mikejohnsoni, but differs in details of the genitalia, most noticeably with M. joanneae lacking the prominent trio of setae on the posterior of the epandrium (Fig. 83 in Hartop et al. 2015 versus Fig. 4d).

Named by Adam and Jenessa Wall in honor of their mother, JoAnne Kay Wall.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 1 and Fig. 2e, Fig. 3e, Fig. 4e.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. losangelensis keys to couplet 10 where it fails the key by having costal division one greater than two-times, but not as long as three times, costal division two. Assuming a margin of error, if one continues to couplet 11 M. losangelensis differs from M. globipyga by having a cleft, and from M. brevicostalis by having a small cleft (Fig. 2e) as opposed to the large cleft on M. brevicostalis.

Named by BioSCAN Phase I Co-Principal Investigator Regina Wetzer in honor of our “City of Angels”, the place that made BioSCAN possible.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 1 and Fig. 1f, Fig. 3f, Fig. 4f.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. phyllissunae keys to couplet 11 where it differs from M. globipyga Borgmeier by lacking the globose genitalia of that species (Fig. 3 in Hartop et al. 2016 versus Fig. 4f) and from M. brevicostalis Wood by having unequal supraantennals and lacking the notopleural cleft of that species.

Named in honor of Phyllis Sun for her many contributions to phase I of the BioSCAN project.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 2 and Fig. 1g, Fig. 2f, Fig. 3g, Fig. 5a.

Figure 5.  

Male genitalia, left lateral. a. Megaselia pongsaiae. b. Megaselia shatesae. c. Megaselia stoakesi. d. Megaselia studentorum. e. Megaselia voluntariorum. f. Megaselia wongae.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. pongsaiae keys to couplet 19 where it keys to M. polyporicola Borgmeier. These species differ in a number of ways, but most easily M. pongsaiae has a long seta at the base of vein R on the wing, and M. polyporicola lacks a seta in this position.

Named by Kathy Omura in honor of USC work study student Jean Pongsai for her hard work training and supervising students.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 2 and Fig. 1h, Fig. 3h, Fig. 5b.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. shatesae keys to couplet 19 where it differs from both M. perplexa Malloch and M. polyporicola Borgmeier by its very long costal setae (0.18 mm). This species is superficially similar to some other species found in Los Angeles, but the combination of dark halters, very long costal setae, 5 alular setae, and a strong, complete subcosta make this species easily separated from any potential lookalike.

Named in honor of Tessa Shates whose volunteer work with author Hartop helped in identifying these twelve new species.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 2 and Fig. 1i, Fig. 2g, Fig. 3i, Fig. 5c.

Male. In the keys of Borgmeier (1964)​, this species can be taken through either the group III or group V key, depending on whether one takes the stronger setae on the posterior edge of the anepisternum as strong hairs or weak bristles. In the key to group III, it keys to couplets 13 or 14 (depending on whether the setation on the epandrium is judged to be bristles or bristlelike hairs), and in the key to group V it keys to couplets 6 or 7 (depending on whether the brown palps are considered to be black or yellow). It can easily be differentiated from any of the species found at these couplets by the presence of dense fields of short, blunt spines on f3 basally (Fig. 2g).

Named in honor of Ralph Stoakes, the collector of the holotype.

Los Angeles, California and Larimer County, Colorado (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 2 and Fig. 2a, Fig. 3j, Fig. 5d.

Male. In the group VII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. studentorum keys to M. inornata Malloch at couplet 41. Megaselia studentorum differs from both M. inornata and most others species by its costal ratio of 2.40: 1.85: 1; costal segment 2 is longer relative to the other two segments than is usual. Megaselia inornata, for instance, has a ratio of 2.78: 1.44: 1 (25: 13: 9), this is more typical in Megaselia.

Named in honor of the many USC work study students who continue to do countless hours of work on every aspect of the BioSCAN project. Without them, BioSCAN would not be possible.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 2 and Fig. 2b, Fig. 3k, Fig. 5e.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. voluntariorum keys to couplet 19. At this couplet, M. perplexa Malloch is described only from the female and thus ruled out, and M. polyporicola lacks a seta at the base of R on the wing, while M. voluntariorum has a short seta. Compared to other Megaselia from the Los Angeles area with a complete subcosta, M. voluntariorum has a short wing (just over 1mm) and short costal index (0.38).

Named in honor of the many people that have, are, and will volunteer for the BioSCAN project. These volunteers are critical to our operation, and have contributed to everything from public outreach in the NHM Nature Lab to specialized work on phorid flies.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.

See description Table 2 and Fig. 2c, Fig. 3l, Fig. 5f.

Male. In the group VIII key of Borgmeier (1966), M. wongae keys to M. bovista [now considered to be M. agarici (Lintner, 1895)], from which it can easily be differentiated by the absence of M. agarici’s characteristic pale protrusion from the posterior of the epandrium. This species is similar to M. lombardorum Hartop et al. (2015), also from the L.A. region, but differs in having much longer setae on T6, and hypandrial lobes that appeared cupped (Hartop et al. 2015: fig 81 versus Fig. 5f).

Named in honor of BioSCAN volunteer Maria Wong whose help identifying Megaselia for BioSCAN Phase I contributed to the discovery of these twelve new species.

Los Angeles, California (USA).

Unknown.