Daspletis setithoracicus ( Ricardo, 1925 )

Londt, Jason G. H., 2010, A review of Daspletis Loew, 1858 with the addition of a remarkable South African species (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 51 (1), pp. 183-183 : 193-194

Daspletis setithoracicus ( Ricardo, 1925)

Fig. 14

Neodysmachus setithoracicus: Ricardo 1925: 264 .

Daspletis setithoracicus: Londt 1983: 294 , figs 19–21.

Londt (1983) recorded material: SOUTH AFRICA: 1^Bloemfontein [29°10'S: 26°00'E], 31.x.1920, Irving ( NMSA) ; 2ơ 2^Meiringspoort , 3322BC, rocky hillside & stream edge, 11–12.xii.1979, Londt & Stuckenberg ( NMSA) ; 1ơ Diepkloof , ca 20 km E De Rust, 3322BD, dry rocky hillside & stream, 12.xii.1979, Londt & Stuckenberg ( NMSA) ; ơ lectotype 1ơ 3^paralectotypes, Willowmore [33°17'S: 23°29'E], 25.xii.1922 (2ơ) xi.1922 (3^), Brauns ( BMNH) ; 15ơ 7^Willowmore , various dates: 1.xii.1907, xii.1909, 20.xii.1909, 15.xii.1912, i.1914, xi.1916, 25.xii.1917, i.1918, xi.1918, 20.xii.1919, 25.xii.1919, 1.i.1920, 20.xi.1920, 18.i.1922, 18.v.1922, 3.i.1926, xi.1926, Brauns ( NMSA) .

New material (all NMSA): SOUTH AFRICA:2ơ 1^56 km N Beaufort West (Loxton Rd), 3122CD, 1520 m, flat Karoo scrubland, 13.xi.1986, Londt & Quickelberge; 1ơ 10 km S Sutherland, Swaarweerberg , 3220BC, 1600 m, rocks woody macchia, Londt & Quickelberge, 19.xi.1986; 1^10 km SW Sutherland , 32°27'S: 20°36'E, 1650 m, S slope Swaarweerberg, 28.xi.1990, Whittington & Londt.

Other records: Ricardo (1925), when listing her material mentions a female from Sawmills.Although I have not seen the specimen, I can not accept the record as truly representative of the species as Sawmills is so far removed from valid records.

Distribution, phenology and biology: D. setithoracicus is fairly widely distributed in the southern parts of South Africa ( Fig. 14 ), occurring in the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Free State provinces. The species is active in the adult phase from October through to January, and there is a single record for May (which seems doubtful) (Table 1). There is a single NMSA prey record (sex of predator in brackets): Hymenoptera (1): Apidae , Apis mellifera (^).

Figures

Fig. 14. The distribution of Daspletis Loew, 1858 species in southern Africa: hirtus (circles), setithoracicus (squares), vespertilio (triangles), vulpes (diamonds).