Scrapter albitarsis (Friese, 1909)

Figs 3– 5

Polyglossa albitarsis Friese, 1909: 87, 124, holotype ♂ (type locality: Steinkopf, South Africa) (ZMBH).

Diagnosis

The female of S. albitarsis can be separated from other species of this group by the combination of the following characters: facial fovea short (Fig. 4A), scutum sparsely punctate, looking almost impunctate and shiny (Figs 3 C–D, 4C–D), mesepisternum strongly reticulate, stigma brown, apical margins of metasomal terga either black or just very slightly translucent (Fig. 3 E–F). The male is characterized by an unmodified antenna, simple and black hind tibia, hind basitarsus yellowish (Fig. 5A), S7 with apicolateral lobes and apical emargination broad and shallow (Fig. 5D).

Material examined (370 specimens)

SOUTH AFRICA: 2 ♂♂, N. Cape, 2 km NW of Nieuwoudtville, route to Grasberg, 742 m, 31°21'17" S, 19°05'49" E, 26 Aug. 2006, KT (RCMK) ; 1 ♀, Nieuwoudtville, Flower Reserve East, 735 m, 31°21'55" S, 19°08'52" E, 18 Sep. 2007, MK (NHML) ; 1 ♀, 1 ♂, idem, 5 Sep. 2002, MK (NHML); 2 ♂♂, idem, 11 Sep. 2002, MK (NHML); 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂, idem, 12 Sep. 2004, MK (NHML); 1 ♂, idem, 13 Aug. 2004, MK (NHML); 10 ♂♂, idem, 19 Aug. 2004, MK (NHML); 1 ♂, idem, 21 Aug. 2004, MK (NHML); 1 ♀, 7♂♂, N. Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Flower Reserve, 770 m, 31°22'10" S, 19°08'50" E, 27 Aug. 2006, KT (RCMK) ; 1 ♂, idem, 1 Sep. 2006, KT (NHML); 3 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, idem, 2 Sep. 2006, KT (RCMK); 1 ♀, 1 ♂, idem, 10 Sep. 2006, KT (RCMK); 1 ♂, idem, 18 Sep. 2006, KT (RCMK); 1 ♀, idem, 8 Sep. 2007, KT (NHML); 3 ♂♂, idem, 17 Sep. 2007, KT (NHML); 1 ♂, Nieuwoudtville, Pad Glenlyon to R27, 740 m, 31°23'24" S, 19°09'06" E, 3 Sep. 2007, on Ruschia sp., KT (NHML) ; 4 ♀♀, Knersvlakte, along Gemsbokrivier-Pad, 120–195 m, 31°23'57" S, 18°54'11" E, 14 Sep. 2007, MK (NHML) ; 1 ♂, N. Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Glen Lyon, Renosterveld, 700 m, 31°24'42" S, 19°09'00" E, 25 Aug. 2006, KT (RCMK) ; 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂, Gemsbokrivier-Pad, 4.5 km NE of Grootdrif, road side, 170 m, 31°25'54" S, 18°55'16" E, 17 Aug. 2010, MK (NHML) ; 4 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, idem, 19 Aug. 2010, MK (NHML); 10 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂, idem, 20 Aug. 2010, MK (NHML); 4 ♀♀, idem, 10 Sep. 2010, MK (NHML); 2 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂, idem, 15 Aug. 2011, MK (NHML); 6 ♀♀, 9 ♂♂, idem, 20 Aug. 2011, MK (NHML); 66 ♀♀, 98 ♂♂, idem, 9 Aug. 2012, MK (SANC: 10 ♀♀, 10 ♂♂, NHML: 43 ♀♀, 88 ♂♂, RCMK: 13 ♀♀); 5 ♀♀, 27 ♂♂, idem, 17 Aug. 2012, MK (NHML); 8 ♀♀, 19 ♂♂, idem, 22 Aug. 2012, MK (NHML); 1 ♀, idem, 4 Sep. 2012, MK (RCMK); 4 ♀♀, Knersvlakte, path along Gemsbokrivier, 195 m, 31°26'40" S, 18°56'23" E, 14 Sep. 2007, KT (NHML) ; 9 ♀♀, idem, 21 Sep. 2007, KT, MK (NHML); 2 ♀♀, idem, 24 Aug. 2008, MK (NHML); 1 ♂, 15 km SE of Nieuwoudtville, Farm Grootfontein, dolerite hill, 790 m, 31°30'06" S, 19°13'27" E, 11 Sep. 2009, MK (NHML) ; 1 ♀, 1 ♂, 20 km S of Nieuwoudtville, Farm Papkuilsfontein, Fynbos, 680 m, 31°33'16" S, 19°08'31" E, 7 Sep. 2007, MK (NHML) ; 4 ♀♀, 17 ♂♂, Farm Kanolfontein, 20 km W of Sutherland, road side, 1385 m, 32°24'43" S, 20°27'28" E, 7 Sep. 2012, MK (RCMK) ; 3 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂, Farm De Kom, 40 km SSE of Sutherland, 1300 m, 32°44'34" S, 20°43'06" E, 8 Sep. 2012, MK (RCMK).

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 4.5–4.8 mm.

HEAD. Head slightly wider than long. Integument black, except part of mandibles dark reddishbrown. Face sparsely covered with long, greyish, erect hair (Fig. 3B). Clypeus almost flat with sparse, shallow and inconspicuous punctation (i = 2–3 d); surface between punctures apically smooth or only

superficially sculptured, shiny, basally more heavily sculptured and matt (Figs 3B, 4 A–B). Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna dorsally blackish-brown, ventrally yellowish-brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures with variable sculpture, from superficially reticulate and shiny to strongly reticulate and matt; disc very sparsely (i = 3–5 d), finely and shallowly punctate (Figs 3 C–D, 4C–D). Metanotum half as long as basal area of propodeum, apically with indistinct narrow carinate depression (Fig. 4 C–D). Propodeum basally without or with very weak carination (Fig. 4 C–D). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with short greyish, erect hair (Fig. 3A).

WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation and stigma brown.

LEGS. Integument black to dark reddish-brown; fore tibia anteriorly in the basal half with a yellowishbrown spot. Vestiture greyish-white, scopa greyish-white, often dorsally blackish-brown.

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga sometimes narrowly translucent dark reddishbrown (Fig. 3 E–F). Discs of T1 and T2 without hair; following terga with increasingly more and longer hair; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga (Fig. 3 E–F). Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae sparse, greyish-brown. T1 impunctate, ± densely sculptured and matt; following terga usually with stronger sculpture, sometimes with very fine, dispersed and superficial punctation; T2–T4 with matt, relatively broad apical tergal depression (Fig. 3 E–F).

Male

BODY LENGTH. 3.8–4.7 mm.

HEAD. Head slightly wider than long. Integument black, except mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face densely covered with long, greyish-white, erect hair. Malar area medially narrow, almost linear.,ntenna dorsally dark brown, ventrally yellowish-brown except last three flagellar segments completely brown (Fig. 5A).

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc almost impunctate, strongly reticulate and matt. Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with long, greyish, erect hair (Fig. 5A).

WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation and stigma brown.

LEGS. Integument black, tarsi, fore tibia anteriorly, mid tibia basally and apically and hind tibia apically, sometimes basally yellow to yellowish-brown (Fig. 5A). Hind tibia unmodified. Vestiture greyish-white.

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga partly translucent dark reddish-brown (Fig. 5C). Disc of T1 without hair; T2–T4 basally with a broad and dense band of very fine, short, erect, silverish hair covering about half of the terga; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga (Fig. 5C). Terga impunctate, heavily sculptured and matt; terga with broad and sculptured apical tergal depression (Fig. 5C). S3–S5 with sparse apical hair fringes.

TERMINALIA. Genitalia (Fig. 5B), S7 (Fig. 5D) and terminal plate of S8 (Fig. 5 E–F) as illustrated.

Distribution

The species is apparently widespread in the South African winter rainfall region from low lying areas to the mountains.

Floral hosts

Aizoaceae: Galenia sarcophylla, Galenia sp., Ruschia sp.

Seasonal activity

August–September.