Anthomyia tempestatum Wiedemann, 1818

Ackland, D. M., 2001, Revision of afrotropical Anthomyia Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), with descriptions of ten new species, African Invertebrates 42, pp. 1-94 : 31-34

Anthomyia tempestatum Wiedemann, 1818

( Figs 50–65 )

Anthomyia tempestatum Wiedemann, 1818: 46 ; Stein, 1906: 75; Stein, 1908: 171; Bezzi, 1908: 97, 119; Speiser, 1910: 159; Stein, 1913: 561; Stein, 1918: 199; Stein, 1919: 147; Hennig, 1968: 213;? Malloch, 1924: 268, 272; Speiser, 1924: 103; Karl, 1935: 47; Zimsen, 1954: 25; Ackland, 1977: 207; Büttiker, Attiah & Pont, 1979: 358; Michelsen, 1997: 39.

Anthomyia tempestatum Thomson, 1869: 556 ; Stein, 1910 a: 72.

Anthomyia pluvialis tempestatum Wiedemann : Emden, 1948: 163 (in part).

Lectotype Ò: SOUTH AFRICA: Cape: ‘Cap. b. sp’ [=Caput bonae spei; printed label]; ‘tempestatum / Coll. Wiedem. ’ [printed label]. In good condition. Genitalia dissected by Michelsen and stored in glycerol in a plastic tube on the pin . Lectotype designated by Michelsen 1997: 40. In NMW.

Material examined: KENYA: 1Ò, Muguga. ix.1969, C. F. Dewhurst ( BMNH) . NAMIBIA: 1Ò, Rietfontein, 23 mls SW Grootfontein (W49), 3.iv.1972, Southern African Exp. , 1972 ( BMNH) . OMAN: 1Ò, Jabal Shams , 23 ° 12'N: 57 ° 12'E, 1910 m, to light, 20–21.x.1994, M. D. Gallagher, 8627 ( NMWC) . SAUDI ARABIA: 1Ò, no locality or date, W. Büttiker ( BMNH) . SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: 1Ò, Lundeans Nek, Barkly East dist. , 18.i.1963, B. & P. Stuckenberg, 1925–2100 m ( NMSA) . YEMEN: 1Ò2^, San’a, ca. 7900 ft, 2–15.x.1937, Dr Carl Rathjens, from lucerne ( BMNH) .

Male: As A. benguellae , except:

Colour: Transverse postsutural band across the scutum ( Figs 50–51 ) always complete between wing bases (in the material listed above), but anterior and posterior margins strongly indented along dorsoventral rows, presutural spots separated behind head, each spot about as long as wide. Wing membrane fairly clear; wing bases with pale brownish veins; squamae paler.

Head: Parafrontalia touching in upper frons half, widening anteriorly to slightly less than width of first flagellomere; eyes separated by diameter of anterior ocellus; genae below lowest point of eye margin 0.3 times eye-height. 2–3 pairs of parafrontal setae on anterior half of distance between antennal base and anterior ocellus; arista widened in basal quarter to two-thirds, then abruptly narrowing, about 1.5 times length of first flagellomere, short pubescent, longest hairs about as long as diameter of base. Prementum about 0.35 times as long as head height.

Thorax: 2–3 pairs of rather fine presutural acrostichals (about same length) in rows slightly closer together than to dorsocentral rows, without additional setulae in between; acr / dc ratio 5:4:5; prealar slightly shorter than posterior notopleural; katepisternals 1 + 2, anterior seta very short and hair-like, much shorter than dorsal posterior seta.

Legs: f2 with 5 short pv on about basal half, no av; f3 with 9–12 av on whole length, becoming longer distally, pv on whole length; t1 with 1 fine median pv; t2 with 1 very short ad, 1–2 pd and 2 p/pv; t3 with 7 av (distal one longer), 8–10 ad of varying length, 3–4 pd and 7–8 short pv. Pulvilli three-quarters length of 5th tarsal segment.

Wing: last section of M 1+2 1.25 times length of preceding section.

Wing length up to 5 mm.

Abdomen: 4th sternite ( Fig. 54 ) twice as long as wide, parallel-sided with about 4 longer lateral setae on each side, and a few shorter setae posteriorly. 5th sternite processes ( Fig. 54 ) with some longer lateral setae basally, otherwise with some longer inwardly directed setae on inner margins (mainly uniserial); membranous lobes ( Fig. 55 ) very small, hardly projecting in lateral view. Central process of synsternite (6+7) ( Fig. 58 ) with arms more or less parallel, minutely pilose apically. Surstylus ( Fig. 53 ) robust in lateral view, with the basal dorsal lobe large. Cercal plate ( Fig. 52 ) longer than wide, with a narrowly produced apex, in profile the apex is concealed behind surstylus. Pregonite ( Fig. 56 ) with posterior margin strongly expanded, twice as wide as the constricted median part, bearing 2 short strongly expanded setulae; postgonite ( Fig. 56 ) with a slightly expanded setula situated close to the hook-like posterodorsal corner. Distal section of aedeagus ( Fig. 57 ) with a strongly reclinate curved dorsal process separated from its base by its length, dorsal margin of distal section concave, forming a right angle in lateral view (strongly flexed).

Female: (perhaps not separable from A. parapluvialis , the following characters taken from a female collected together with a male at Lundeans Nek, E Cape). Similar to the female of A. benguellae except for the following:

Colour: Thoracic pattern very similar to that of male.

Head: Eyes widely separated (by about slightly more than their transverse width, ratio 9:12:9); genae below lowest point of eye margin about 0.38 times eye height. Arista abruptly tapering as in male at about apical third.

Thorax: Presutural acrostichal setulae short and the rows closer together than to dorsoventral rows, acr/dc ratio 3:2:3. katepisternals 1 + 1, anterior seta fine and half length of posterior seta.

Legs: f2 and f3 with very short ventral setulae; t2 with 1 short ad, 2 pd and 2 p/pv; t3 with 1 av, 3–4 ad, 1 pd and 3–4 short p setae.

Wing length up to 5.0 mm.

Discussion: Michelsen (1997) examined 10 syntypes of tempestatum Wiedemann. He designated as lectotype a male (which had been examined by Stein in 1913) which belonged to Anthomyia tempestatum as understood by Hennig (1968) and Ackland (1977). He identified the remaining paralectotypes as A. benguellae Malloch.

Hennig’s concept of tempestatum , and illustrations of the genitalia were based on material I sent to him, which was collected in Morocco by Dr A. C. Pont. The genitalia figures (especially text-fig.193) agree exactly with Figs 52–58 in this paper of a specimen from eastern Cape. Hennig did not examine any types of tempestatum , but stated that they were in the ZMUC; however Michelsen (1997) did not regard these as syntypes. Stein, Malloch and Emden all recorded tempestatum from the Afrotropical Region, but at least some of these records refer to an undescribed species ( parapluvialis of this paper). It is not possible to say which records refer to tempestatum .

It is possible to separate both males and females of tempestatum and pluvialis in Moroccan material ( Figs 59–65 ) ( parapluvialis does not occur there) by the nature and extent of the scutal black pattern (and in the males by the shape of the 5th sternite). The scutellum in Ò pluvialis ( Fig. 59 ) has the lateral black spots divided medially, in tempestatum ( Fig. 60 ) they are joined basally; the thorax in ^ pluvialis ( Fig. 60 ) has three postsutural spots, whilst in tempestatum ( Fig. 63 ) there are five postsutural spots.

But because the black postsutural band in tempestatum from central and South Africa is more or less continuous (spots fused together), and in many examples of parapluvialis the band may be fused, or sometimes divided by grey dusting, males can only be identified with certainty by reference to the lateral view of the 5th sternite (and of course dissection of the postabdomen). In view of the large number of widespread records of parapluvialis (based on males) and the fact that I have only been able to find three males of tempestatum from the Afrotropical Region, I suspect that most of the records of tempestatum probably refer to parapluvialis .

Stein was doubtful about the validity of tempestatum as a distinct species from pluvialis . He recorded tempestatum from Namibia and Tanzania (1906), South Africa (1908), Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, South Africa (1913). In view of numerous records and wide distribution of parapluvialis , and the very few specimens I have seen of tempestatum from the Afrotropical Region, most of Stein’s records of tempestatum must remain doubtful.

A. tempestatum males can be distinguished from benguellae and parapluvialis by the chaetotaxy of the hind tibia which has about 7 av, 8–12 ad of varying length, 3–4 pd and 7–8 short pv setae; cercal plate with a narrow pointed apex, surstyli in lateral view wider, pregonite very strongly expanded distally, distal section of the aedeagus bent at right angles, postgonite with only a slightly expanded setula, 5th sternite processes with a small subapical membranous lobe. I have not been able to find any characters to separate the females reliably in the Afrotropical Region (note previous comment on Moroccan tempestatum ).

Distribution: Namibia, South Africa to Kenya, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Oman (Palaearctic: North Africa, Spain, Mediterranean region).

Figures

Figs 50–58. Anthomyia tempestatum Wiedemann. 50–51. Ò thorax (Namibia). 50. Dorsal view. 51. Lateral view. 52–58. Ò terminalia (Eastern Cape, South Africa). 52. Cercal plate and surstyli, caudal view (apical spinules omitted). 53. Ditto, lateral view. 54. 4th and 5th sternites, ventral view. 55. 5th sternite, lateral view. 56. Gonites. 57. Distal section of aedeagus. 58. Central process of synsternite (6+7).

Figs 59–65. Patterns of thorax markings (Morocco). 59–61. Anthomyia pluvialis L. 59. Ò thorax, dorsal view. 60.^ thorax, dorsal view. 61. ^ thorax, lateral view. 62–65. Anthomyia tempestatum Wiedemann. 62. Ò thorax, dorsal view. 63.^ thorax, dorsal view. 64. ^ thorax, lateral view. 65. Ò thorax, lateral view.