Actorthia frontata (Kröber, 1912), Krober, 1912

Badrawy, Haitham B. M. & Mohammad, Salwa K., 2013, A revision of the Egyptian species of the genus Actorthia Kröber (Diptera: Therevidae: Phycinae), Zootaxa 3613 (2), pp. 181-189 : 183

Actorthia frontata (Kröber, 1912)

( Figs 1–2 , 6–9 )

Acthortia frontata Kröber, 1912: 30 .

Gyrophthalmus khedivialis Becker, 1912 syn. nov.

Type material. Acthortia frontata (Kröber, 1912) : Holotype female, "Tourrah-Ägypten" (NMW) ( Fig. 1 ).

Gyrophthalmus khedivialis Becker, 1912 : Type male, "Cairo 30.V.1906 ", Egypt (CUC) ( Fig. 2 ).

Diagnosis. Length: (male) body 6.0– 7.5 mm, wing 3.5–5.0 mm; (female) body 6.0–7.0 mm, wing 4.0– 4.5 mm.

Dark grey species, antenna brown and covered with dense silvery-white pubescence; scape whitish-grey, with long greyish-brown setae; mesonotal cuticle blackish-grey with two or three whitish-grey stripes medially covered with white to whitish-yellow short setae; scutellum grey with blackish band on basal part; abdomen with cuticle reddish-brown to dark brown dorsally, with white rings on posterior margins of terga 1–4.

Local distribution. Lower Nile.

Geographic distribution. Egypt.

Other specimens examined. Kom-Osheim 1.VIII.1953 (1 male) (ASUC); Mansouria 13.IX.1924 (1 female); Giza 22.IV1935 (1 female); Fayoum 23.IV.1943 (1 male), Fayoum Tamiyah 31.III.1947 (2 males), Fayoum Elathar 12.III.1950 (1 male); Dahshour 20.VIII.1950 (1 female) (CUC); Mansouriah 4.VI.1933 (1 female) (MAC); Abu Rawash 19.IX.1924 (1 male) (AZUC).

Remarks. Actorthia khedivialis (Becker, 1912) is synonymized with A. frontata (Kröber, 1912) based on examination of the male type specimen of the former (recently discovered in the CUC) and the female type specimen of the latter species (NMW), in addition to both sexes of old Egyptian material. On the male type specimen of A. khedivialis there are three rectangular labels ( Fig. 2 ): Type [red label, printed, black ink] / Gyrophthalmus khedivialis B. [handwritten, black ink] det. Becker [printed, black ink] / 30/V/06 Cairo [handwritten, pencil]. The type specimen of A. frontata , has six labels ( Fig. 1 ): the first two labels are " type labels", Holotype [circular white paper with red margin], Type [rectangular red label, printed, black ink, all caps] / the second two labels are "determination labels" Actorthia frontata Kröb. [handwritten, black ink] O.Kröber det. 1912 [printed, black ink, the year is corrected with handwriting], Actorthia frontata Kröb. Ƥ [handwritten, black ink] Lyneborg det. 1975 [printed, black ink, 75 handwritten] / the last two labels are "locality labels" Tourrah [printed, black ink], Aegyptus, Schmkn. 97 [printed, black ink].

We discovered two male specimens of Actorthia frontata (Kröber) which were collected from Giza 7.IV.1922 (Kröber det. 1923) and Marg 1.IV.1923 (Kröber det. 1923) and another specimen of Actorthia khedivialis (Becker) which was collected from Barrage 10.IX.1922 (Kröber det. 1923), all of them incorrectly bearing type labels and deposited in ESEC but subsequently destroyed by dermestid beetles.

Figures

FIGURES 1, 2. Actorthia frontata (Kröber). 1. female type specimen (NMW), oblique view. Body length = 6.5 mm. 2. male type specimen of A. khedivialis (Becker) syn. nov. (CUC), dorsal view. Body length = 6.0 mm.

FIGURES 6 – 9. Actorthia frontata (Kröber). 6. thorax with two stripes, dorsal view. 7. thorax with three stripes, dorsal view. 8. male head, dorsal view. 9. female head, frontal view. 10. female head of Actorthia micans (Kröber), dorsal view.