Hippomachus pegasus (Loew, 1858)

Londt, Jason G. H., 1983, Afrotropical Asilidae (Diptera) 9. The genus Hippomachus Engel, 1927 (Asilinae: Asilini), ANNALS OF THE NATAL MUSEUM 25 (2), pp. 441-448 : 442-444

Hippomachus pegasus (Loew, 1858)

Figs 1 , 3-7

Trichonotus pegasus Loew, 1858: 365 (also 1860: 165).

Neolophonotus (Hippomachus) pegasus ; Engel, 1927: 149.

Hippomachlls pegasus ; Hull, 1962: 521-3.

Neolophonotus pegasus ; Oldroyd, 1980: 341.

H. pegasus was described by Loew (1858) and placed in its own genus Trichonotus . Engel (1927) discovered that Trichonotus was a junior homonym and provided the name Hippomachus as a replacement. He considered, however, that Hippomachus was a subgenus of Neolophonotus . This opinion was obviously not accepted by Hull (1962) who considered it a full genus. Oldroyd (1974) disregarded Hull and repeated Engel's suggestion although with apparent reservation. In 1980 Oldroyd was still undecided as to what to do with pegasus and placed the species under Neolophonotus pending further research. The only other author to mention pegasus was Efflatoun (1934) who recorded it from Egypt. I doubt this record and suggest that his specimen should be considered as a representative of H. mivatus (Walker) . Although pegasus has been well described by Loew, Engel and Hull, I provide the following brief redescription for comparative purposes.

Redescription: Based on the holotype and two other specimens as listed below.

Head: Antenna dark red-brown with dark red-brown bristles and setae (a few white setae dorsally on segments 1 and 2). Mystax mainly white with dark red-brown setae mixed with white ones in dorsal half. Ocellar setae long fine white. Postocular bristles fine seta-like dark red-brown and white, proclinate.

Thorax: Mesonotum prominent with well-developed narrow dark red-brown mane which extends along entire length although it is weak posteriorly. Postpro-notal lobes with a good group of fine white setae. Two to three orange notopleural bristles; 1-2 dark red-brown or orange supra-alars; 1 orange postalar. Scutellum with about 8 thin white marginal bristles and a few white setae; disc with numerous white setae. Pleural setae fine long yellowish. Wing: 8,5 x 2,9 mm (holotype). ♂ wing dilated, ♀ wing undilated, in costal area. Venation ( Fig. 1 ) dark brown. Legs: femora dark red-brown; tibiae orange-brown dorsally (less so on metathoracic legs), dark brown ventrally; tarsi dark red-brown; bristles mostly orange but there are a few dark red-brown ones as well.

Abdomen: Terga and sterna with long fine white setae (shorter and dark red-brown mid dorsally); hind margins of terga with fine thin poorly developed seta-like bristles. ♂ genitalia as in Figs 3-6. Styli longer than length of gonocoxites in lateral view. ♀ segments 7 and 8 shiny black, laterally compressed; segment 8 twice as long as wide in lateral view (Fig. 7).

Material examined: 1 ♂ holotype, bears no locality data, only four small labels as follows '63', '305', and a green label 'Riksmuseum Stockholm' ( NRS) . SOUTH AFRICA: Transvaal: 1 ♂, Pietersburg, l 1. ix. 1915, H. K. Munro ( NM) . BOTSWANA: 1 ♀, Mbomba Island, Moremi Reserve, 20°17'E: 19°11'S, A. Russell-Smith, 12.ix.1977, in sparse Acacia nigrescens woodland on game tracks, sandy soil ( NM) .

Remarks: Loew (1858) gave 'Caffraria (Wahlb)' as the locality data. Wahlberg collected in many parts of the western Transvaal not too far from Pietersburg where one of my specimens was found. I therefore designate Pietersburg as the type locality for pegasus .

Figures

Figs 1- 2. Hippomachus spaies. wing. 1 H. pego.sw Loe"". holCllype male: 2. H. mivalUS (Walker). hCllotype ftmale: