Lesser Variegated Snipe Fly

Rhagio punctipennis Say (PI. II. fig. 16)
1823. Leptis punctipennis Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., Ill, p. 39.
1848. Atherix filia Walker, List. Dip. Brit. Mus., 1, p. 219.
1908. Rhagio punctipennis Kertesz, Cat. Dip., in, p. 310.
Similar to R. plumbeus Say but with more or less yellowish onbasal half of abdomen and with two brown spots in center of cell R 5 instead of one.
Male. — Differs only from plumbeus in the wing markings and in having abdomen more brownish with basal three or four segments more or less brownish yellow. This lighter color may occupy only a narrow apical band or leave only a central brownish spot connected with a narrow band in front of the same color ; intermediate conditions occur between these two extremes; the lighter color may even be reduced to a faint apical band on each of first two segments.
Female. — Apparently differs from plumbeus only in the wing markings, although there seems to be a tendency for the sides of the face to have the hairs pale as a rule and sparser and for the abdomen to be more of a distinctly brownish cast. Fore tibiae whitish with blackish apex sharply defined.
Specimens Examined: About 252 males and females.
Quebec: 47
Maine: 48
47 Recorded from Montreal by Winn & Beaulieu (1915: 123).
48 Recorded by Johnson (1925: 105) from the following "Areas:" "The Lower Kennebec and Southeastern Maine"; "The White Mountain and Mount Monadnock and Hampton" of New Hampshire; "The Northern 'Green Mountains' of Vermont"; and "The Berkshire, Essex County, Boston, Plymouth, Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Bristol County" of Massachusetts.
* Vol. 9, Pt. 2, p. 20, (1904). New Hampshire: 6 o Franconia, [A. M. N. H., ex. Slosson]. 48
Vermont : 48
Massachusetts: i cf , Forest Hills, June 3, 1916, (J. W. Chapman), [Brues]. 2 cf , Boston, (Hy. Edwards), [A. M. N. H.]. 1 cf , Waverly, (Hy. Edwards), [A. M. N. H.]. 2 cf , Amherst, June 20, 1904; 1 9 , June 23, 1904, [Mass. Agr. College]. 1 9 , North Reading, June 10, [Leonard, ex Johnson]. 1 cf, Beverly, June 15, 1871; 1 cf , June 17, 1868; 1 9 , June 7, 1870, [all U. S. N. M.]. 1 9 , Bass Rocks, June, [A. N. S. P., ex Dietz]. 3 d Boston, June, [A. L. Melander]. 48
Rhode Island: i cf , Kingston, June 23, 1905, [R. I. Agr. College, Lot 25, no. 69].
Connecticut: i o Ridgefield, June 24, 1916, (I. N. Gabrielson), [Biol. Surv.].
1 cf , Norwalk, June 4, 1916, (I. N. Gabrielson), [Biol. Surv.]. 2 cf , New Haven, May 15, 1910, (A. B. Champlain), [Pa. Dept. Agr.]; 1 cf, May 15, 1910, (A. B. Champlain), [U. S. N. M., ex Walton]; 1 cf, June 11, 1914, (B. H. Walden), [Conn. Agr. Exp. Sta.]; 1 cf , June 16, 1915, (M. P. Zappe), [Conn. Agr. Exp. Sta.].
2 cf, "Conn." [A. M. N. H., ex. Osten Sacken]. 1 9, Colebrook, August 9, [A. M. N. H., ex. Wheeler]. 2 cf , Unionville, June 10, 1904, (W. E. Britton), [Conn. Agr. Exp. Sta.]. 1 9 , Stonington, June 7, 1906, (W. E. Britton), [Conn. Agr. Exp. Sta.]. 49
New York: Speculator, June, (D. B. Young). [N. Y. S. M.]. 1 cf , 1 9 , Gloversville, Sept. 20, 1910, (C. P. Alexander), [C. U.]. 1 cf., Kaimesha, [Brues]. Tompkins County, several localities, [C. U.]. 1 cf , Sterling Forest, May 30, [Brook. Mus.]. Poughkeepsie, May, (D. B. Young), [N. Y. S. M.]. 1 cf, Nyack, 1883, (J. L. Zabriskie), [A. M. N. H.]. 1 9 , W T hite Plains, (J. Bequaert); June 29, 1918, [A. M. N. H.]. 1 cf, Mount Kisco, June 30, 1915, [N. Y. S. M.];4 cf, 4 9, June 8, (J. R. de la Torre Bueno), [Bezzi]. 3 cf , 2 9 , "Staten Island," May 29 to June 8;
1 cf, 1 9, June 4, (Wm. T. Davis), [Davis]. 10 cf, 8 9, New Dorp, [Burns].
2 cf , Sands Point, June 15, 1919, (E. J. Burns), [Burns]. 3 9, Bethpage, June 25, 1927, (H. C. Hallock), [C. UJ. 1 cf, Lott's Wood, [A. M. N. H.]. 3 cf, 2 9, Richmond, May 23 to June 11, 1911 [Burns]. 2 9, Richmond Hill, July 3, 1905; 1 cf , July 3, 1901, [Pa. Dept. Agr.]. 1 cf , Sea Cliff, June, (N. Banks), [Banks]. 13 cf , 10 9 , Flatbush, May to June, (J. L. Zabriskie), [A. M. N. H.]. 1 9 , Wood Haven, July 7, [Brook. Mus.]. 1 cf, 1 9, "in coitu," Staten Island, June 11, (Wm. T. Davis), [Davis].
New Jersey: 3 cf, Merchantville, May 25, 1902, (E. Daecke), [Pa. Dept. Agr.]. 1 cf, 1 9, Newark, June 14 and 16, 1892, [U. S. N. M., ex Aldrich]. 3 9, Great Notch, May 30, (Wm. T. Davis), [Davis]. 1 9, Ridgewood, July, 1910, (M. D. Leonard), [Leonard]. 1 cf, Newfoundland, May 26 to 30, 1910, [A. M. N. H.];
1 cf, May, [Brook. Mus.]. 1 cf, Trenton, June 13; 6 cf, 3 9, Malaga, June 1, 1907, [all A. N. S. P.]. 1 cf , 1 9 , New Brunswick, June 6 and 18, [A. M. N. H.].
2 9, Hemlock Falls, May and June, [A. M. N. H.]. 1 9, Pallisaides-on-Hudson, June 1, 1912, [A. M. N. H.]. 1 cf, Waverly, June, [A. M. N. H.]. 5 cf, 2 9,
49 Reported by Britton, in the Connecticut Agr. Exp. Sta. Collection from Westville, June 3 and 14, 1905; and Hamden, June 15, 191 1. Also recorded from this state from May 23 to August 8, by Johnson (1925: 105).
Ramsey, June 4 to 14, 1916, (J. Bequaert), [A. M. N. H.]. 1 <?, Lahaway, [A. M. N. H.]. 1 9, Long Branch, June 11, [Brook. Mus.]. 1 cf, Longwood Valley, May 25, 1910, (Wm. T. Davis), [Davis]. 1 9 , Dover, June 17, 1892, [U. S. N. M., ex. Aldrich]. 2 cf, Clementon, May 30, 1895, [U. of III.]; 1 9 , June 2, 1901, [A. N. S. P.]. 1 cf, 1 9, Moorestown, June 21, 1924, (H. C. Hallock), [C. U.].
Pennsylvania: 3 9, Hazleton, May 26 to July 2, [A. N. S. P., ex Dietz]. 1 9, Philadelphia, [A. N. S. P.] and 2 9 , June 12, 1892, [one of which is in the U. S. N. Mus. Colin., the other in M. D. Leonard's Colin.]. 2 cf, 1 9, Castle Rock, May 21, 1905, July 3, 1910, [A. N. S. P.]; 1 cf , May 26, 1908, (E. Daecke), [Pa. Dept. Agr.]; 1 cf, June 16, 1904, [Pa. Dept. Agr.]. 1 cf, 1 9, Swarthmore, June 8, 1905, (E. T. Cresson, Jr.), [A. N. S. P.]. 1 cf , Lansdale, May 16, 1909, (E. T. Cresson, Jr.), [A. N. S. P.]. 2 cf, Glenside, June 16, 1907; 1 9, Montgomery County, June 2, 1895, [all A. N. S. P.]. 7 cf , Roxboro, May 26, (F. Haimbach), [A. N. S. P., ex Haimbach]. 1 cf , Wawa, May 25, 1907, [Pa. Dept. Agr.]. 1 cf , Whetzel's Swamp,Harrisburg, May 30, [Pa. Dept. Agr.]. 2 cf , Harrisburg, June 7 and 12, (W. R. Walton), [U. S. N. M., ex Walton]. 1 cf, Inglenook, May 20, 191 1, (H. B. Kirk); 1 cf, May 28, 191 1 ; I cf, Linglestown, May 5, 1910, (W. S. Fisher); 11 cf, State College, May 30, 1908; I d 1 , Perdix, June II, 191 1, [all Pa. Dept. Agr.]. 6 cf , Paxtang, May 26, 1918, [Anderson]. 3 cf , 2 cf , Germantown, June 12, and 18, 1904, May 20, 1905, June 4, 1905, [A. N. S. P.]. 1 9, Lehigh Gap, June 26, 1901, [Brook. Mus.]. 1 cf , Delaware Water Gap, (A. T. Slosson), [A. M. N. H.]. 1 9 , Highspire, May 22, 1909, (W. R. Walton), [U. S. N. M., ex Walton].
Delaware: i cf, "Delaware" [A. N. S. P.].
Maryland: i 9, Beltsville, June 14, 1914; 1 cf, May 17, 1914; 1 9, Branchville to Beltsville, June 4, 1914, (W. L. McAtee), [Biol. Surv.]; 3 cf , 2 9, June 1, 1916, (R. C. Shannon), [U. S. N. M.]. 1 d", Plummer's Island, May 19, 1916, (R. C. Shannon), [Shannon]. 1 9, May 30, 1909, (W. L. McAtee), [U. S. N. M.]. 1 cf, Camp Meade, June to July, 1919, (R. C. Shannon), [Shannon]. 1 9, Great Falls, May 15, 1914, (R. P. Currie), [U. S. N. M.]. 1 cf, Hyattsville, May 11, 1913, (August Busck), [U. S. N. M.]. 1 9, Chesapeak Bay, May 29 to June 2, 1912, (Palmer and Weed), [U. S. N. MJ.
District of Columbia: i 9, Washington, (F. C. Pratt); 1 cf, Park Road, June 8, 1916, (C. H. T. Townsend; "in house"); 2 cf, 1 9, Rock Creek, June 12, 1917, (C. H. T. Townsend), [all U. S. N. M.].
Virginia: i 9, Dead Run, May 27, 1915, (R. C. Shannon), [U. S. N. M.]; 1 cf, May 19, 1916, (R. C. Shannon), [Shannon]. 1 cf near Plummer's Island, June 2, 1916, (W. L. McAtee), [Biol. Surv.]. 1 cf, Roslyn, May 11, 1913, (F. Knab), [U. S. N. M.]. 1 9, Glencarlyn, June 15, 1913, (F. Knab), [U. S. N. M.]; 1 cf , 3 9, May 30, (N. Banks), [M. C. ZJ. 3 cf , Glencarlyn to mouth of 4-Mile Run, June 11, 1916, (W. L. McAtee), [Biol. Surv.]. 2 cf, 1 9 , Falls Church, May 21 and 30, (N. Banks), [M. C. Z.]. 1 cf , Mt. Vernon, June 6, 1915, (W. L. McAtee), [Biol. Surv.].
North Carolina: i cf, Lake Toxaway, (A. T. Slosson), [U. S. N. M.]. 2 9, "N. Car." [U.S.N. MJ. 1 cf, Black Mountains June, [A. M. N. H.]. 1 9 , Valley of Black Mountains, June 24 to 30, 1906; 2 9, Summit of Black Mountains, June 1 to 4, 1906, (Wm. Beutenmueller) [A. M. N. H.].
Georgia: i d Burton, 1800 ft., May 21, 191 1; 1 d Clayton, 2000 ft., May 18 to 26, 191 1, (J. C. Bradley), [C. U.j.
Florida: i <?, "Florida" [U. S. N. M., ex Coquillett].
Minnesota: i 9, "Minn.?" [U. of Minn.].
This species is closely related to R. plumbeus which see for a discussion of the differences. The two spots near the center of cell R 5 may be comparatively large and but narrowly separated or smaller and somewhat widely separated. Occasionally a specimen occurs in which but one of the spots is present.

Rhagio punctipennis, the lesser variegated snipe fly, is a species of snipe flies in the family Rhagionidae.