Stegosoma Loew, 1863: 15

Kurahashi, Hiromu & Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H., 2006, The Calliphoridae of Namibia (Diptera: Oestroidea), Zootaxa 1322 (1), pp. 1-131 : 86-87

Genus: Stegosoma Loew, 1863: 15 .

TYPE SPECIES: Stegasoma vinculata Loew, 1863, by monotypy .

NOTES: The three described species are restricted to the Afrotropical Region (Zumpt 1958a: 198). The only biological information recorded for the genus is for S. vinculatum listed below.

Stegosoma vinculatum Loew, 1863: 15 .

Figs. 10 , 93 .

TYPE LOCALITY: South Africa .

DISTRIBUTION: Widespread in West Africa to southern Africa: Benin, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia *, Nigeria, South Africa (Cape, Natal, Transvaal), Zambia and Zimbabwe.

MATERIAL: 1♀, Avis Dam, 27–28.ii.1974, [SMStaff], H17714; 1♀, Otjiguinas 458, 12.vii.1974, [SMStaff], H20273; 2♀, Otjikotoberg 459, 8–13.vii.1974, [SMStaff], H20167; 1♀, Good Hope 397, 22–24.v.1973, [SMStaff], H13210; 5♂, 6♀, Gautsche Pan, 9–13.vi.1971, [SMStaff], H2187; 1♀, same except: 22–23.i.1984, Irish(1), H57979; 1♂, Epukiro River, Elandslaagte, 6 km S, 22.xi.1988, Marais; 1♀, Kaudom Game Reserve at(3): 11–30.i.1991, Marais ( PT); 1♂, Tsams Ost spring, 26–27.xi.1997, Kirk­Spriggs(1) & Marais (S); 1♀, Viljoenskroon 507, 12–18.xi.1998, Olivier(1) ( MT); 2♂, same except: 15–22.ii.1998; 2♀, Somerkoms 521, 6–8.ii.2001, Kirk­Spriggs(1), ex [damaged nest of] Trinervitermes ? rhodesiensis (Sjöstedt) ( Isoptera ); 2♀, Salambala forest, 23–29.xii.2002, Kirk­Spriggs(2) ( MT); 2♀, Mile 46, 25–27.iii.2003, Kirk­Spriggs(1) ( MT); 40♀, B8 rest­stop at: 15.xii.1999, Marais, Mann & Newman, MMN3, termite nest; 6♂, Epukiro River, 3 km N at: 9–11.ii.2001, Kirk­Spriggs(1) & Wheeler, swarming before dawn, 1 metre from ground beneath Terminalia ; 20♂, same except: 10–11.ii.2001; 22♀, same except: 9–11.ii.2001, Kirk­Spriggs(1) & Marais, termitarium of Trinervitermes ? rapulum (Sjöstedt); 1♀, Kubunyana camp: Kwando River, 28–30.x.2003, Kirk­ Spriggs(2) ( MT).

NOTES: Cuthbertson (1933: 105) describes the life history and notes that males are uncommon in Zimbabwe, occurring in flowers of a Gymnosporia sp. (as Gymosporia [sic]) ( Celastraceae ) and other plants. He further notes that females are found in the vicinity of termite ( Isoptera ) mounds, which have been cut through by the plough, and also in Aardvark burrows in mid­ October. He states that eggs are laid in the soil and detritus at the bottom of the burrows in termite nests, and larvae are very active, occurring among dead and dying worker termites. Also recorded is a swarm of flies emerging from a hole in a termite mound in December. Zumpt (1958a: 201) includes a record “… reared from nest of Trinervitermes havilandi [= T. trinervoides (Sjöstedt, 1911) ]” from Johannesburg, South Africa. New observations in Namibia indicate that female flies appear to be exclusively attracted to damaged termite mounds of at least two species of Trinervitermes (40♀ Trinervitermes sp. ; 22♀ Trinervitermes ? rapulum (Sjöstedt); 2♀, Trinervitermes ? rhodesiensis (Sjöstedt) ( Isoptera : Termitidae ) (vide supra). Males have been observed to swarm before dawn (26♂), approximately one metre above ground, around the periphery of a Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC. (Comretaceae) tree in the Gobabis District of Namibia. The relatively large eyes of the males of this species may well reflect these nocturnal or semi­nocturnal habits. In Namibia adults have been collected by sweeping and in pitfall and Malaise traps. Apparently restricted to the ‘arid’ and ‘mesic’ savanna biome of central, north, north­eastern and southern Namibia ( Fig. 93 ). Recorded throughout the year, except April, August and September; most abundantly in February and December (vide Table 2). Cuthbertson (1935: 19) briefly describes the egg, 1 st and 3 rd instar larvae and puparium, illustrating the egg (Plate V, a), the posterior and lateral aspects of the anal compartment (ibid, b and c), the posterior and anterior spiracles of the 3 rd instar larva (ibid, d and e), and the cephaloskeleton of a 1 st and 3 rd instar larva (ibid, g and f).

Figures

FIGURES 7–11. 7–8. Tergites 4–5 of abdomen of Hemigymnochaeta spp. 7. H. trichaeta sp. nov. ♂, dorsal aspect. 8. H. unicolor (Bigot) ♂, dorsal aspect. 9–11. Hind tarsi of Stegosoma spp., dorsal aspect. 9. S. bowdeni Peris ♂ (Ghana). 10. S. vinculatum Loew ♂ (Namibia). 11. S. wellmani Lichtwardt ♂ (Ghana). Not to scale.

FIGURES 93–98. Distributions of Namibian Calliphoridae species. 93. Stegosoma vinculatum Loew. 94. Thoracites kirkspriggsi Kurahashi. 95. T. nigrifacies Kurahashi. 96. T. sarcophagoides Kurahashi. 97. Isomyia darwini (Curran). 98. I. deserti (Karsch).