Atherigona parvihumilata, 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 : 892-893

Atherigona parvihumilata sp. n.

Fig. 4

Etymology: From the Latin parvus (small) and humilis (humble), referring to the size and shape of the hypopygial prominence.

Diagnosis: This species is similar to other species that have the frontal plate and occiput glossy in combination with an infuscated frontal vitta, but differs from them in having the entire dorsal surface of the abdomen uniformly infuscate. A. stuckenbergi sp. n. has a similar abdominal coloration, but has its hypopygial prominence bilobate instead of weakly developed and somewhat bifurcated as in A. parvihumilata .

Description:

Male.

Measurement s: Body length: 2.697 mm; wing: 2.48 mm; r­m crossvein ratio: 0.365.

Head: Ground colour dark. All head setae and setulae infuscated. Occiput infuscated with dark brown-grey pruinosity with rest of occiput glossy. Ocellar triangle infuscated with dark brown-grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta infuscated. Frontal plate entirely glossy with three pairs of proclinate frontal setae and two pairs of orbital setae. Parafacial dark brown-grey dusted, narrower at bottom than aristal base. Scape, pedicel postpedicel and arista infuscated. Palpus infuscated; apex truncated and dilated, with hyaline hairs.

Thorax: Ground colour dark. Postpronotal lobe infuscated, with three setae and six setulae (four of which are very strongly developed almost appearing to be setae). Pleura grey dusted. Proepisternum inconspicuous and gold dusted. Scutum infuscated, with three strong 2-4 dorsocentral vittae, stopping before scutellum. Scutellum infuscated; one pair of basal setae, one pair of discal setae and nine discal setulae, one pair of subbasal setae and one stronger pair of apical setae (equal in length).

Legs: Forelegs and as well as mid and hind leg tarsi entirely infuscated, mid and hind legs otherwise yellow.

Leg chaetotaxy: Fore tarsi without any specialised chaetotaxy.

Wings: Hyaline, except for slight brown smoky suffusion at areas surrounding Sc­ R 1 and the humeral crossvein. Veins dark-brown. Knob of halteres white with stalk yellow. Calypters white.

Abdomen: All tergites infuscated; tergites 1+2, 3, 4 and 5 entirely covered by a seemingly singular dark mark, but is broken between tergite 4 and 5. Hypopygial prominence reduced, with a slight emargination at apex, almost appearing bifurcate. Trifoliate process stem 2.8× the length of the apical process; stem and hood lighter than rest of process which is infuscated, lateral plates and median piece infuscated; median piece linear, narrower than lateral plates; lateral plates without inner lobes. Surstylus without dark markings.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: Lower Elandsbos river, on river bank, 33°58.007'S 23°46.492'E, Indigenous forest , 3–5.iv.2008, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( AMGS).

Paratypes: 2♂ same data as holotype ( AMGS) .

Distribution: South Africa.

Figures

Figs 1–9. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (1) A. divergens Stein; (2) A. tetrastigma Paterson; (3) A. parviclivis sp. n.; (4) A. parvihumilata sp. n.; (5) A. angulata Deeming; (6) A. pulla (Wiedemann); (7) A. laevigata (Loew); (8) A. bimaculata Stein; (9) A. univitatta Deeming & Overman. Not to scale.