Atherigona danielssoni, Muller, 2015

Muller, B. S., 2015, Illustrated key and systematics of male South African Atherigona s. str. (Diptera: Muscidae), African Invertebrates 56 (3), pp. 845-845 : 866-867

Atherigona danielssoni sp. n.

Fig. 60

Etymology: Named after the collector of the holotype, Dr Roy Danielsson.

Diagnosis: This species keys to Atherigona ochripes Deeming, 1981 in Dike (1989 a). A. danielssoni differs, however, it in having the hypopygial prominence weakly bifurcated and projecting compared to truncated and emarginated in A. ochripes . The trifoliate process of the new species also differs in coloration as well as structure, most notably in having inner lobes on its lateral plates compared to that of A. ochripes that do not.

Description:

Male. Measurement s: Body length: 3.379 mm; wing: 2.52 mm; r­m crossvein ratio: 0.411.

Head: Ground colour brown. All head setae and setulae infuscated. Occiput grey dusted throughout with narrow median part glossy, laterally silver-grey dusted. Ocellar triangle grey dusted. Frontal vitta infuscated, slightly ferruginous apically. Frontal plate grey dusted with three pairs of proclinate frontal setae and two pairs of orbital setae. Parafacial silver-grey dusted, as wide as aristal base at narrowest. Scape and pedicel ferruginous, postpedicel infuscated except for extreme basal area. Arista brown. Palpus yellow, apex truncated and dilated with hyaline hairs.

Thorax: Ground colour dark. Postpronotal lobe grey dusted, with three setae and 13 setulae. Pleura entirely grey dusted, Proepisternum inconspicuous and grey dusted. Scutum grey dusted throughout, with three very faint and barely visible 2-4 dorsocentral vittae, stopping before scutellum. Scutellum grey dusted; one pair of basal setae, one pair of discal setae and eight discal setulae, one pair of subbasal setae and one pair of apical setae (cannot compare subbasal and apical due to damage to the latter).

Legs: All legs yellow except for fore basitarsus and extreme apex of fore tibia which appears darker than the rest of legs.

Leg chaetotaxy: Fore femur with one submedial posteroventral seta; dorsal surface of fore tarsi, except for basitarsus with long setulae (at least as long as width of segments). Wings: Hyaline. Veins light brown. Knob of halteres white with stalk yellow. Calypters white.

Abdomen: All tergites yellow; tergite 1+2 immaculate; tergite 3 with a pair oblong dark markings taking up two thirds of dorsal surface; tergites 4 with a pair of small brown spots taking up a third of dorsal surface; tergite 5 immaculate. Hypopygial prominence bifurcated.Trifoliate process stem 3× the length of the apical process; entirely infuscated except for apical third of stem which is hyaline, and the hood and centres of the lateral plates which are much lighter than the rest; median piece gradually dilated towards apex, appearing somewhat club-like in posterior view, linear in profile with an overall curved appearance; lateral plates with inner lobes, appearing wider than median piece in profile and posterior view. Surstylus slightly infuscated at base and entire apex. Female. Unknown.

Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA : KwaZulu­Natal: 17 km NE Empangeni, Nseleni River , 28°42'S 32°01'E, 24.x.1994, R. Danielsson ( MZLU).

Distribution: South Africa.

Figures

Figs 55–63. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (55) A. nesshurstensis sp. n.; (56) A. vernoni sp. n.; (57) A. convexa sp. n.; (58) A. rimapicis sp. n.; (59) A. falkei Deeming; (60) A. danielssoni sp. n.; (61) A. tigris sp. n.; (62) A. stuckenbergi sp. n.; (63) A. steeleae van Emden. Not to scale.