Anypodetus Hermann, 1907

Dikow, Torsten & Dubus, Meliah, 2023, A review of the assassin-fly genus Anypodetus Hermann, 1907 with the description of a new species (Insecta, Diptera, Asilidae), African Invertebrates 64 (2), pp. 165-206 : 165

Anypodetus Hermann, 1907

Anypodetus Hermann, 1907: 69. Type-species: Anypodetus fasciatus Hermann, 1907, by original designation.

Taxon depository.

ZooBank: http://zoobank.org/63102CAB-9379-42CA-98CF-4F00619DFB70;

Original description online: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12637581;

GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/1664898;

Plazi TreatmentBank ( Londt 2000): https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B39D2F-F04B-9D48-FE18-FF29D9E046D5;

iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/641011-Anypodetus.

Diagnosis.

The genus can be delineated by the absence of pulvilli, very long macrosetae on the scape that often reach the tip of the antennae, the sexual dimorphism in mystax setae coloration and arrangement in some species, the absence of macrosetae on the supero-posterior anepisternum, the wing cell r5 open and cell m3 closed, the small size with a wing length of 4.8-8.5 mm, and the restricted distribution to southern Africa (single record from southern Zambia).

Distribution, biodiversity hotspots, seasonal imago flight activity, and biology.

Known from throughout southern Africa with a single locality in southern Zambia (Figs 11 , 51 , 52 ). A relatively commonly observed and collected genus known from 378 specimens in museum collections from 131 collecting events between 1906-2019 and nine observations at iNaturalist (Table 2 ). Three species of Anypodetus occur in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot, but none are endemic to this hotspot. Adult flies are active from spring to late summer (September-March) with a single record for August (Table 3 ). With the exception of a few isolated prey records nothing is known of the biology.

Figures

Figure 11. Map of southern Africa with elevational relief and biodiversity hotspots (sensu Conservation International in gray) and distribution of Anypodetus specimens studied by Londt (2000) and now (SimpleMappr https: // www. simplemappr. net / map / 20262). Distribution and occurrence data available in Google Earth KML file https: // www. simplemappr. net / map / 20262. kml.

Figure 51. Map of southern Africa with elevational relief and biodiversity hotspots (sensu Conservation International in gray) and distribution of A. arachnoides, A. leucothrix, A. londti sp. nov., and A. unicolor (SimpleMappr https: // www. simplemappr. net / map / 20266). Distribution and occurrence data available in Google Earth KML file https: // www. simplemappr. net / map / 20266. kml.

Figure 52. Map of southern Africa with elevational relief and biodiversity hotspots (sensu Conservation International in gray) and distribution of A. fasciatus, A. fascipennis, A. macroceros, A. nigrifacies, and A. phalaros (SimpleMappr https: // www. simplemappr. net / map / 20267). Distribution and occurrence data available in Google Earth KML file https: // www. simplemappr. net / map / 20267. kml.