Apiocera badipeniculata, D. K. Yeates, 1994

D. K. Yeates, 1994, Revision of African Apiocera (Diptera: Apioceridae), Ann. Natal Mus. 35, pp. 123-131 : 128-129

A. badipeniculata sp. n.

Figs 3- 4, 9-10

Types:

Holotype male, SOUTH AFRICA: ' Tankwa, Karoo , C.P., Zinn-Hesse Mus. Exp. Jan. 1949 ' ( SAMC). Condition good, some verdigris around pin. Paratype male, same data and condition as holotype .

Measurements: Head 3.5 mm wide; thorax 5.3 mm long; abdomen 14.6 mm long.

Diagnosis: Antennal flagellum and all head vestiture black; scutum, scutellum and abdominal tergites 1-4 entirely black, abdominal tergites 5-7 with orange integument and sparse black vestiture (Fig. 3). Wings with costal vein continuing along anal cell (Fig. 4); male genitalia with plume of long, coppery-brown hairs at apex of gonocoxites.

Description:

Head: Integument and vestiture entirely black. Inner margin of eyes parallel dorsally, diverging on ventral half, frons width twice that of ocellar triangle. Flagellum of two flagellomeres, first rounded, second small, peg-shaped and about as wide as high with acute apex. Short hairs on frons, long hairs on scape, shorter hairs on pedicel, long hairs on palp and ventral half of head. Palp with two segments, second segment crescent-shaped and apex pointed. Long bristle-like hairs on postcranium.

Thorax: Integument and vestiture entirely black (Fig. 3). Scutum and scutellum with long bristles around margin and shorter hairs over entire surface, pleura bare except antepronotum and proepisternum with hairs. Legs black or dark brown with black hairs and bristles. Pulvilli three-quarters length of tarsal claw. Haltere stem and bulb black.

Wings: Membrane hyaline, venation similar to congeners (Fig. 4). Veins dark brown, costal vein continuing along anal cell as in A. braunsí. R4 joining common R vein before wing margin, crossvein r-m at middle of discal cell, all veins of median field reaching margin strongly, CUA: and Al united just before wing margin.

Abdomen: Tergites 1-4 black with black hairs, 5-7 orange (Fig. 3) with black hairs, and tergite 8 and genital capsule dark brown. Sternites 1-4 brown with black hairs, 5-8 orange with black hairs. Male genitalia ( Fig. 9): Genital capsule clothed in black hairs, except at apex of gonocoxites, where plume of coppery-brown hairs reaches about two-thirds length of each epandrial lobe.

Etymology: The specific name is derived from the Latin badius (= brown) and peniculus (= penis, tail), and refers to a little brown brush at the apex of the gonocoxites.

Comments: All specimens of A. badipeniculata sp. n. were probably in the series mentioned by Paramonov (1950: 104). This species is very different from other African congeners in thoracic and abdominal colour pattern. The integumental colour of the thorax and first four tergites of the abdomen is black, and the overlying vestiture is also black. This is in sharp contrast to the other two species which have extensive white tomentum overlying the integument on the scutum and abdominal segments. The species has only been taken in the Tankwa district of the Karoo, along with specimens of A. alastor (Fig. 10).

The male genitalia are typical of other Apiocera , as listed in the generic diagnosis. The epandrial lobes ( Fig. 9) are more similar to A. braunsi than to A. alastor There is a female in SAMC from the same locality as the holotype. It is badly damaged by verdigris but agrees with the male in many respects, except that veins R5, M] and M2 become yellow-white near the wing margin and the integument of the abdomen is dark brown. I am not willing to describe this specimen as the female of A. badipeniculata until more specimens in better condition come to hand.