Empodiodes torridus, Londt, 2019

Londt, Jason G. H., 2019, A revision of Empodiodes Oldroyd, 1972 with the descriptions of two new species from South Africa (Diptera, Asilidae, Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 60 (1), pp. 67-82 : 67

Empodiodes torridus sp. nov. Figs 5 , 9-11 , 14 , 15 , 16

Etymology.

L. Empodiodes torridus - dry, parched, hot, scorched - a name referring to the fairly dry and semi-arid environment supporting the species.

Description.

Based on holotype. Entire holotype (Fig. 14 ) photographed before the removal of its right wing and terminalia. The specimen is attached to a card preventing examination of parts of its left side.

Head: Dark red-brown to black, colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence, yellow and white setose. Antenna dark red-brown to black, scape and pedicel white setose, postpedicel laterally compressed and markedly curved outwards. Relative lengths of segments (scape as 1) Scape 1, pedicel 0.5, postpedicel 3.2, style 0.4 (including terminal seta-like sensory element). Face black, slightly protuberant, strongly gold-silver pruinose. Mystax white, covering almost entire face. Frons and vertex smoothly rounded (not indented between eye margins) silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow and white setose. Ocellar tubercle only weakly protuberant, weakly setose and lacking strong ocellar macrosetae. Occiput silver and gold pruinose, yellow (dorsally) and white (ventrally and along eye margins) setose. Palps small, 2-segmented, orange, pale yellow setose. Proboscis brown, straight, weakly white setose.

Thorax: Dark red-brown and orange, entirely silver and silver-gold pruinose, yellow and white setose. Cervical sclerite white setose. Anterior antepronotum with a row of pale yellow marcosetae. Mesonotum patterned with silver and gold longitudinal pruinose stripes, predominantly yellow setose, but some white setae present. Lateral macrosetae yellow (2 notopleurals, 1-2 supra-alars, 2 postalars). Scutellum dark red-brown, with c. 12 white apical macrosetae, disc fine silver pruinose, asetose. Pleura silver and gold pruinose, fine white setose. Anepimeron with 2 weak white anterodorsal macrosetae. Katatergal setae moderately well developed, pale yellow macrosetose. Anatergites silver pruinose, asetose. Postmetacoxal area probably membranous (hidden from view). Legs: Mainly light brown to yellow, but dorsal parts of femora and entire tarsi dark red-brown. Coxae silver pruinose, white setose. Trochanters white setose, femora, tibiae and tarsi white setose. Claws and pulvilli well developed. Empodia yellow, bristle-like except for metathoracic legs where empodia are moderately well developed, brown and laterally compressed. Wings (Fig. 5 ): Length (humeral crossvein to tip) x breadth (maximum): Holotype ♂ 3.3 × 1.4 mm. Veins dark red-brown to black, membrane transparent, entirely microtrichose, cells m3 and cua closed and stalked.

Abdomen: Dark red-brown and orange, entirely fine silver and silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow and white setose. Terga > twice as wide as long. Terga and sterna dark red-brown with broad orange distal margins, fine white setose, T1 with c. 5 white discal macrosetae.

Male terminalia (Figs 9-11 ): Unrotated. Epandrium subrectangular in dorsal view, twice as broad as long, with posterior margin slightly indented medially. Proctiger of similar length to epandrium in lateral view. Hypandrium subrectangular, twice as broad as long with an almost straight posterior margin. Gonocoxites relatively large, with complex structure involving twisted ventro-distal projections. Gonostyli well developed, jutting out beyond level attained by gonocoxal projections. Distal region of aedeagus conical with terminal opening.

Female: Unknown.

Type Material.

Holotype. South Africa (Northern Cape Province): 1♂ holotype 'S. Africa, C.P. / Van Wyk’s Fontein / Colesberg / 3038S, 2523 E’, '22 Sept. 1983 / Entomology Dept’, BMSA(D) 01390.

Distribution, phenology and biology.

Known only from the single specimen listed above, collected in September (Table 1) in a far eastern corner of the Northern Cape Province of South Africa (Fig. 16 ). The locality is situated in the fairly arid Nama-Karoo biome ( Van Wyk and Smith 2001) which lies in a summer rainfall region. While the type locality has not been photographed, Fig. 15 illustrates the kind of environment in which this species was probably collected. Nothing is known of the biology.

Figures

Figure 14. Empodiodes torridus sp. nov. entire holotype ♂ (Photo Muller).

Figure 15. A typical Karoo landscape at Doornfontein Nature Reserve (photographed 21 March 2006), representative of the environment in which Empodiodes torridus sp. nov. has been collected.

Figure 16. The distribution of Empodiodes species: E. greatheadi Oldroyd, 1972 (●), E. melanoscopaeus Londt, 1992 (○), E. namibiensis Londt, 2012 (■), E. pusillipes sp. nov. (□), E. torridus sp. nov. (▲), E. whittingtoni Londt, 1992 (♦) (Map Zamisa).

Figures 4, 5. Empodiodes wings: 4 E. pusillipes sp. nov. 5 E. torridus sp. nov.

Figures 6 - 11. Empodiodes ♂ terminalia: 6 - 8 E. pusillipes sp. nov. 6 lateral 7 dorsal 8 ventral, 9 - 11 E. torridus sp. nov. 9 lateral 10 dorsal 11 ventral. Scale bar: 1 mm.