Exoprosopa selenops, Greathead, 2001

Greathead, D. J., 2001, A study of the Exoprosopa busiris (Jaennicke) group of Bezzi (1924) in tropical Africa (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Journal of Natural History 35 (1), pp. 127-147 : 142-143

Exoprosopa selenops sp. n.

(Figures 6, 13, 16)

A smaller species, less than 12 mm, from the eastern African coastal plain. It resembles E. ferrierae / decastroi in having a narrow discal cell but diOEers in having the wing membrane greyish and with only a diOEuse brown infuscation along the fore border and margins of the veins. Unlike all other species, the epiphallus is emarginate at the sides so that, in dorsal view, it is crescent-shaped at the apex.

Description

HOLOTYPE. l Head, black with ochreous margins at the sides of the facial cone. Hair on frons, middle of face, including a tuft at the buccal rim, black; glistening silvery on sides of facial cone and occiput. Scales on lower part of frons, facial cone and occiput glistening silvery. Antennae, black and with black hair, but ¯agellum dark reddish. First ¯agellomere 1 ½ as long as scape and pedicel combined, elongate conical, second ¯agellomere, not longer than wide, minute and with a minute style. Proboscis black, not projecting beyond apex of facial cone. Palpi dark brown. Thorax, black and scutellum dark reddish. Hair on front of mesonotum and upper part of post pronotal lobe (humeral callus) yellow, white on pleura, except for a few black ones on lower part of post pronotal lobe, and disc of mesonotum with short black ones. Disc of mesonotum and base of scutellum with black scales yellow± brown at apex and mesonotum also with a median and two lateral stripes of yellow± brown scales. Macrochetae black. Anepimeron and katepisternum bare. Legs, dark blackish±brown. Macrochetae and scales black, except for some scattered white scales on the basal parts of the femora. Claws brown, black at their tips. Fore tibiae, spiculate. Wing (®gure 6), greyish with brown base, fore border and margins of veins. Darker spots present at base of cells m and cua (third and fourth posterior). 2 1

Apical vein of discal cell straight and cell barely broadened at apex. Abdomen narrow, black. Hair on ®rst tergum white, remainder with sparse black hair at sides. Terga 2±7 with black scales and broad bands of yellow ones, paler whitish at sides. Sterna with white hair and scales, excepting ®fth with black ones. Genitalia similar to other members of the E. luteicosta group, except that the epiphallus is emarginate at the sides so that it appears crescent-shaped at the apex in dorsal view (®gure 13). Length of body, 12 mm; of wing, 11 mm.

The females closely resemble the males. The frons is barely wider than in males. The extent of black hair on the pleura is variable and absent in some specimens. The spermatheca, unlike other similar species is short and with an ovoid bulb (®gure 16). The male from Tanzania diOEers from the Kenya specimens in having the ¯agellum a paler red±brown.

Type material

HOLOTYPE, l Kenya: Kwale Forest , 21.v.1965, D. J. Greathead ( BMNH) . PARATYPES. Kenya: as holotype, 1m ( BMNH) ; Kwale Forest , 1 1 l m, 13.v.1963, D. J. Greathead ( DJG) ; Sokoke Forest , 1, l 16.v.1963, D. J. Greathead ( DJG) ; Shimba Hills , 1, l 25.i.1983, D. J. Greathead ( BMNH) ; same, 1m, 27.xii.1972, ( BMNH) ; same, 1, l 26.v.1981, R. H. Markham ( DJG) ; same, 1m, 3.xii.1981 ( DJG) ; Watamu, Jilore Forest , 1m, 21.i.1979, A. W. R. McCrae ( DJG) ; Mida Creek, Watamu , 1 1 l m, xii.1968 ± i.1969, G. R. Cunningham-van Someren ( DJG) ; Mackinnon Road , 1m, 30.ix.1981, R. H. Markham ( DJG) . Tanzania: Morogoro, 15 miles Dar road, 1, l

25.xi.1963, D. J. Greathead ( DJG) .

Distribution Kenya, Tanzania.

Etymology

A reference to the shape of the epiphallus from the Greek, selgng (moon) and o pvf (like).