Synolcus aurulentus Engel, 1929

Londt, Jason G. H., 2012, The genus Synolcus Loew, 1858, with descriptions of new species (Diptera: Asilidae), African Invertebrates 53 (2), pp. 661-661 : 676-678

Synolcus aurulentus Engel, 1929

Figs 6 , 35–38 , 79 , 89

Synolcus aurulentus: Engel 1929: 156–157 , fig. 4 (♂ gen.); Hull 1962: 426; Oldroyd 1974: 165; Londt 1980:

27–30, figs 3 (wing), 12–14 (♂ gen.), 15 (♀ gen.); 1990: 2, 10.

Synolcus aurulentus rufus Hull, 1967: 260–261 ; Oldroyd 1980: 346 (catalogue).

Redescription:

Male.

Head: Dark red-brown to blackish, strongly silver-gold pruinose, black, pale yellow and white setose. Antenna: Dark red­brown to blackish, fine gold pruinose, scape and pedicel black setose, postpedicel with few yellow setae dorsally; mean segmental ratios (n= 5) 1:0.7:1.3:1.1 (0.2:0.8:0.1), i.e. pedicel shorter than scape, postpedicel a little longer than scape, stylus almost as long as postpedicel. Face: Blackish, strongly silver pruinose. Mystax mostly black with a variable number of yellow setae ventromedially. Frons and vertex: Blackish, strongly red-gold pruinose, frons black setose laterally, ocellar tubercle black setose. Occiput: Blackish, strongly gold-silver pruinose, black (dorsally), yellow (centrally) and white (ventrally) setose.

Thorax: Dark red-brown to blackish, silver and red-gold pruinose, black and pale yellow setose. Prothorax: Dark red-brown to blackish, red-gold pruinose, pale yellow setose. Mesonotum: Dark red-brown to blackish, red-gold pruinose with broad blackish median band and lateral patches, macrosetae uniformly black, minor setae short blackish pale yellow. Macrosetae: acr poorly developed posterior of transverse suture, dc moderately developed posteriorly, extending well anterior of transverse suture, 2 npl, 2 spal (usually 1 strong, 1 weak), 1–2 pal (1 strong, 1 weak or absent). Scutellum: Dark red-brown to blackish, strongly red-gold pruinose, disc black and pale yellow setose, 1 pair black apical macrosetae (rarely with 3 macrosetae and rarely yellow in colour). Pleura: Uniform dark red-brown to black, silver to red-gold pruinose, weakly pale yellow setose, c. 8 yellow and blackish ktg. Legs: Cx dark red-brown to black, red-gold pruinose, pale yellow setose; cx 3 with 1 lateral macroseta (+ weaker setae). Tro dark red-brown, largely apruinose, weakly pale yellow setose. Fem dark red-brown to black, distal tips brown-orange, major setae mostly pale yellow (some black), minor setae long or short pale yellow. Tib proximally brown-orange, distally dark red-brown, major and minor setae black and pale yellow. Tar dark red-brown, major and minor setae mostly black (may be a few yellowish major setae). Wing ( Fig. 6 ): Veins mostly dark red-brown, orange-brown proximally, membrane largely transparent, but pale brownish in appearance due to dark microtrichiae, wing tip may be weakly brown stained. Cell sc lacking sc–r. Cells r 1 and r 2+3 considerably expanded and displaying corrugations. Wing length × breadth (mean, n =5) 10.2 (9.6–10.5) × 4.5 (4.1–4.7) mm. Haltere: Pale brown-yellow.

Abdomen: Dark red-brown to black, silver-gold, red-gold and blackish pruinose, mostly pale yellow setose.T1 fairly uniformly silver-gold pruinose, c. 4 pale yellow macrosetae laterally accompanied by many pale yellow setae, a few black minor setae medially. T2–8 mostly red-gold pruinose but darker blackish pruinose anteromedially, setae pale yellow laterally and posterolaterally (including 1–3 macrosetae). S as T but uniformly silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow setose.

Terminalia ( Figs 35–38 ): Epand subtriangular in lateral view ( Fig. 35 ) about twice as long as deep, with fairly acutely pointed distal tip and broadly rounded, ventrally directed lobe at about midlength; epand lobes in dorsal view separated proximally ( Fig. 36 ). S8 fairly narrow, somewhat ventrally directed distally, with weakly developed medial projection (hypd and goncx not obscured from view). Gonst as in Fig. 38 . Aed fairly straight with downturned tip ( Fig. 35 ).

Female: Essentially similar to male. Wing length × breadth (mean, n=5) 9.9 (8.2–11.5)× 3.4 (2.8–3.9) mm. Wing not expanded as in male. Terminalia ( Fig. 79 ): Ovipositor laterally compressed, knife-like, moderately elongate (a little more than twice as long as deep).

Type material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: 1♂ lectotype ‘ 25.i.1922 / Cape Colony / Dr. Brauns / Knysna / forest [34°00'S 23°00'E] ’; 1♀ paralectotype ‘ Knysna Cape / Dr. Brauns / Colony / i.1922 ’.

Other material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: 1♂ 10 km SW Middelburg [31°30'25"S 25°01'03"E], 11.xii. 1960, Brown ( SANC) ; 5♂ 2♀ Outeniqua State Forest near Knysna , 3323CC, 23.i.1984, Barraclough, forest & forest margins ; 1♀ Alexandria Forest Reserve , 3326DA, 28.xii.1985, Londt, forest & forest margins ; 1♂ 1♀ Franskraal , 5 km ESE Gansbaai, 3419CB, 7–9.i.1983, Miller, Malaise trap, dunes ; 8♀ Diepwalle, Knysna Forest , 3423AA, 9.xii.1979, Londt & Stuckenberg, deep forest & margin ; 3♂ 5♀ Tsitsikamma forest near Storms River , 3423BB, 7.xii.1979, Londt & Stuckenberg, forest & forest margins ; 2♂ Cape Recife Reserve, Port Elizabeth , 3425BA, 22–27.xii.1985, Londt ; 1♀ Somerset East [32°43'S 25°35'E], 10–22. xii.1930, Turner ( BMNH) ; 2♂ Spitzkop, Meirings Poort [33°03'S 20°35'E], i.1935, Mus. Staff ( SAMC) ; 1♂ 1♀ Seweweekspoort [33°22'S 21°25'E], 4–6.xii.1968, Potgieter & Jones; 1? Seven Weeks Poort [33°22'S 21°25'E], ii.1932, Barnard ( SAMC) ; 1♀ Hex River [33°29'S 19°35'E], xii.1884 ( SAMC) ; 1♂ 1♀ Loerie [33°52'S 25°01'E], i.1960, SAM ( SAMC) ; 1♂ 1♀ Diepwalle Forest , 33°57'S 23°10'E, 400 m, 13.i.1983, Miller ; 1♀ George [33°58'S 22°27'E], 26.xii.1996, Picker, forest ; 1♂ 1♀ Storms River [33°58'S 23°53'E], 31.xii.1953 ( BMNH) ; 1♀ Port Elizabeth [33°58'S 25°35'E], 1.xii.1961, Taylor ; 1♀ Witels Forest , 33°59'S 24°07'E, 13–18.xii.1977, Jacobs ; 4♂ Diepwalle, Knysna area , 34°00'S 23°00'E, 26.xii.1988, Londt, forest & forest margins ; 1♂ Tsitsikamma [Coastal National Park, 34°01'S 23°55'E], Musprah ( BMNH) ; 1♂ Knysna [34°02'S 23°02'E], xii.1952, Heyes ; 1♀ Knysna , 19.xii.[19]53 ( BMNH) ; 3♂ Coldstream, Humansdorp [34°02'S 24°46'E], i.1921, Tucker ( SAMC) ; 1♂ Robberg, Plettenberg Bay area , 34°03'S 23°22'E, 8.xii.1988, Londt, on tall shrubs in Nat. Res .; 1♀ Bontebok National Park, Swellendam , 34°04'S 20°28'E, 2–3.i.1993, Koch ( ZMHB) ; 1♂ Noetzie near Knysna , 34°04'S 23°08'E, 30 m, 17.xii.1995, Cradock ; 1♂ 1♀ Goukamma Nat.Res., Eastern section near Buffelsbaai , 34°05'S 22°57'E, 29.xii.1994 – 15.i.1995, van Noort, dune fynbos, Malaise trap ( SAMC) .

Other recorded material not studied: Hull (1967) lists for his subspecies rufus – ♂ Holotype, ♀ allotype, 1♂ 2♀ paratypes, Tsitsikamma Forest , Storms River , 11–13.i.1951, loc. No. 134; 1♂ 1♀, same place, Stormsrivierpiek , loc. No. 137; 1♀, Assegaaibos, 30 mi west north west of Humansdorp, 1.3.1951, loc. No. 192 (Brinck and Rudebeck).

Distribution, phenology and biology: Restricted to the southern tip of South Africa, mostly southwards of the 33°S latitude ( Fig. 89 ), being recorded for the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. Adults fly from December through to February (Table 1). Label data and personal experience indicate that the flies rest on vegetation and appear to be associated with forests, forest margins or thick undergrowth.

Figures

Figs 2–14. Synolcus species,♂ wing venation:(2) S.acrobaptus (Wiedemann, 1828) (Gydo); (3) S.amnoni Londt, 1990 (Nkhandla); (4) S. argentius Londt, 1990 (5 km NE Grootderm); (5) S.armstrongi sp.n. (Karkloof paratype); (6) S. aurulentus Engel, 1929 (Outeniqua); (7) S. dubius (Macquart, 1846) (Ntumeni); (8) S. griseus Engel, 1927 (Entabeni); (9) S. macrocercus sp. n. (Middelpos paratype); (10) S. malawi Londt, 1990 (Lichenya paratype); (11) S. minor (Bromley, 1947) (Melmoth); (12) S. namibiensis sp. n. (Ai-Ais paratype); (13) S. spinosus Londt, 1980 (Gladdespruit paratype); (14) S. ukhahlamba sp. n. (Monks Cowl holotype).

Figs35–38.Synolcus aurulentus Engel,1929, male genitalia (Knysna Forest):(35) lateral (showing aedeagus tip), (36) dorsal, (37) ventral, (38) gonostylus tip. Scale line 1 mm.

Figs 76–86. Synolcus species, ovipositor: (76) S. acrobaptus (Wiedemann, 1828) (Cape Town); (77) S. argentius Londt, 1990 (5 km NE Grootderm, redrawn from Londt 1990); (78) S. armstrongi sp. n. (Karkloof paratype);(79) S.aurulentus Engel,1929 (Knysna Forest, redrawn from Londt 1980); (80) S. dubius (Macquart, 1846) (Coffee Bay, redrawn from Londt 1980); (81) S. grieseus Engel, 1927 (Entabeni,redrawn from Londt 1980); (82) S.macrocercus sp.n.(Worcester paratype);(83) S. minor (Bromley, 1947) (Ngome, redrawn from Londt 1990); (84) S. namibiensis sp. n. (Ai-Ais paratype); (85) S. spinosus Londt, 1980 (Gladdespruit paratype, from Londt 1980); (86) S. ukhahlamba sp. n. (Injasuti paratype). Scale lines 1 mm.

Fig. 89. The distributions of Synolcus species: S. armstrongi sp. n. – squares, S. aurulentus Engel, 1929 – circles, S. minor (Bromley, 1947) – triangles.