Regasilus strigarius Curran, 1931

Sánchez, Pável, 2020, Eight new species of Regasilus Curran, 1931 (Diptera: Asilidae: Asilinae) from Peru, Zootaxa 4894 (2), pp. 221-246 : 222-225

Regasilus strigarius Curran, 1931

( Figs. 1 , 3 )

Regasilus strigaria Curran, 1931: 24 . Type-locality: Ecuador, [Guayas], Guayaquil. Holotype male probably lost, not in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH); Hull, 1962 (2): 506, figs. 207, 685, 1406, 1415, 2200, 2209, 2421, 2422; Lamas, 1972: 314 (cat.); Artigas & Papavero, 1995: 16; Papavero, 2009: 29 (cat.).

Comments: The holotype of R. strigarius is probably lost, apparently not in the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), a recent search was made but the type could not be found (D. Grimaldi, personal communication). Therefore, in this study three male specimens closely matching the original description of R. strigarius , as well as the redescription provided by Hull (1962), from Baños de Agua Santa, Tungurahua, Ecuador, at 1820 m were examined.

According to the original description, Guayaquil in Ecuador is the type-locality, but this place lies at sea level, whereas all the new species described in this paper, and the examined material from Baños, occur at mid to high elevations (1600 – 3800 m) in the Andes. Baños de Agua Santa, commonly referred to as “Baños”, lies on the Eastern side of the Andes, whereas Guayaquil is Ecuador’s largest city, lying on the Guayas River, at almost sea level (Pacific Ocean). No additional specimens of R. strigarius from Guayaquil or other places in Western Ecuador have ever been recorded besides the holotype. This suggests that the type locality given by Curran (1931) is presumably not as accurate as previously believed. The holotype came from a “…small collection made by Dr. F[rancisco] Campos”, a renowned Guayaquilean entomologist who made extensive collections at different places in Ecuador ( Ramón et al. 2019).

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Diagnosis. Thorax and legs red, the latter with femora black ventrally ( Fig. 3A ). The number of anteroventral macrosetae on the hind femora may be used to distinguish this species from others with similar features, since in R. strigarius there are 14–15 black macrosetae somewhat arranged in a double row. The epandrium is straight, with a round apex, the phallus is laterally flattened, and the ejaculatory apodeme is large ( Fig. 3D ).

Addenda to the original description of the holotype based on material from Baños. Male terminalia. ( Figs. 3 B–F). Gonocoxite subtriangular with long black setae on external margin; phallus laterally flattened, and curved upwards in its apical fourth; ejaculatory apodeme wide in lateral view, large, extending to the seventh abdominal segment.

Material examined: Baños [de Agua Santa, 01°23’47.5”S, 78°25’28.7”W, 1820 m], Ecuador, Nov. [November] 26, 1938 W. Clarke-MacIntyre / Regasilus strigarius Curr. [Curran] Det. A. E. Pritchard [1 Ƌ, UMSP]; Pondoa [Baños, 01°25’40”S, 78°28’27”W, 2500 m], Ecuador, Dec. [December] 1, 1938 W. Clarke-MacIntyre / Regasilus strigarius Curr. Det. 1939 A. E. Pritchard [2 Ƌ, UMSP].

Figures

FIGURE 1. Regasilus strigarius. Habitus in vivo. Ecuador, Baños de Agua Santa, August 2009 (photograph taken by Rupert Huber).

FIGURE 3. Regasilus strigarius Curran, 1931. Male from Baños.A. Habitus lateral; B. Terminalia, dorsal view; C. Terminalia, lateral view; D. Phallus, lateral and dorsal views; E. Gonocoxite and gonostylus; F. Hypandrium. Abbreviations. cerc, cercus; ej apod, ejaculatory apodeme; epand, epandrium; goncx, gonocoxite; goncx apod, gonocoxal apodeme; gonst, gonostylus; hypd, hypandrium; ph, phallus; st 8, eighth sternite.