Rhabdogaster pedion, Londt, 2006

Londt, Jason G. H., 2006, A review of the Afrotropical genus Rhabdogaster Loew, 1858 with descriptions of new species (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 47, pp. 243-313 : 275-276

Rhabdogaster pedion sp. n.

Figs 1–3 , 83–85 , 130

Etymology: From Greek pedion (field). Refers to this species’ montane grassland habitat. Description: Based on holotype ơ unless otherwise stated.

Head: Black, orange-gold pruinose, pale yellow-white setose. Antenna black, setae black. Face with pair of closely associated black apruinose subtriangular spots centrally. Mystax entirely pale yellow-white, occupying approx. lower half of face. Frons entirely orange-gold pruinose, vertex (including ocellar tubercle) entirely shiny black apruinose. Occiput entirely gold-silver pruinose. Proboscis and palpi dark red-brown, setae pale yellow-white.

Thorax: Dark red-brown to black, silver and gold pruinose, pale yellow-white setose. Mesonotum extensively pruinose except for a pair of stripes anteriorly, a pair of small spots laterally and parts of postpronotal and postalar lobes. Pleura almost entirely pruinose (small apruinose spots on an- and katepisternum). Scutellum almost entirely pruinose except for hind margin, with 2 long pale yellow-white sctl s. Postmetacoxal bridge ( Fig. 2 ) entirely gold-silver pruinose. Legs: cx dark red-brown, gold-silver pruinose, pale yellow-white setose; troc dark red-brown; fem dark red-brown with orange distal ends, pale yellow-white setose; tib orange with dark red-brown distal ends, predominantly pale yellow-white setose (few black setae ventrodistally); tar dark redbrown, partly pale yellow-white (mainly dorsally) and black (mainly ventrally) setose. Wing ( Fig. 3 ) 6.3 x 2.0 mm, veins brown, membrane transparent, unstained, almost entirely dark microtrichose (except for small parts proximally). Discal cell entirely microtrichose, costal cell with microtrichia along entire length but absent from much of posterior margin.

Abdomen: Black, silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow-white setose. Tergites almost entirely pruinose except for narrow distal margins of proximal segments, setae short. Sternites entirely pruinose, setae moderately long. Terminalia ( Figs 83–85 ): epand in lateral view slightly shorter than external lobe of goncx and hypd, tapering to fairly acute tips; in dorsal view lobes broadly fused proximomedially; hypd in lateral view curved, with upcurved distal end, projecting to about same length as external lobe of goncx; in ventral view broadly-rounded proximally, tapering rapidly distally to elongate process with rounded apex. In lateral view external lobe of goncx tapering distally to narrowlyrounded tip; gonst in ventral view slightly curved with narrowly-rounded tip.

Variation: A reasonably uniform species. Extent of orange leg coloration, and thoracic and abdominal pruinescence slightly variable.

Holotype:ơ SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: ‘RSA:KZ-Natal #13 / Injasuti Nature Res. / 29 ° 12'S: 29 ° 22'E 1800m / date: 27.iii.1994 / Coll: J.G.H. Londt’.

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: 1ơ ‘ S Africa: Natal #50 / Royal Natal Nat. Park / 28 41'S: 28 57'E 1900m / Date: 7–11.iv.1990 / nr. Grotto. Indigenous / river-forest margins’; 6ơ 9^‘ S Africa: Natal #12 / Royal Natal Nat. Park / 28 ° 41'S: 28 ° 57'E 1440m / Date: 02–04.iv.1993 / Coll: J. Londt / Mahai Camp / grassland’; 1ơ ‘ South Africa : Natal. / Royal Natal Nat. Park / 2828DB. J. Londt. / 28–29.iv.1984. Forest / margins & grasslands.’; 6ơ 5^1? ‘ South Africa : Natal / Royal Natal National / Park 6–10.xii.1984 / JGH Londt Riverine / bush Montane slopes’; 6ơ 4^‘ S. Africa: Natal #2 / Royal Natal National / Park. 25.iv.1984 1900m / at Witsieshoek / R. Miller & P. Stabbins’ (1ơ 1^BMNH); 2ơ ‘ South Africa : Natal / Cathedral Peak area / xii.26–27.1977. 2829CC / R.M. Miller. indigenous / for., Malaise trap’; 10ơ 7^‘ South Africa : Natal / Cathedral Peak area / 2829 Cc 16–18.xii.1977 / JGH Londt ex Malaise’; 1ơ ‘ South Africa : Natal / Cathedral Peak area / 2829CC J.G.H. Londt / Date: 5–6 Feb. 1983 / ex Malaise’; 1ơ 3^‘ S. Africa. Natal / 2.5 km S .

Ukuhlamba / Res. Station. Grassy margin / path to weir. 2829CC / 21 Dec. 1979. B. Lamoral’; 3ơ 1^1? ‘ South Africa. Natal / Ukhahlamba Res. Stn. / 2829CC 13.i.1984 / Themeda veld / P. Reavell’; 1ơ 1^1? ‘ Fire lookout / Grassland on / steep slopes / 7500–7700 Ft. ’, ‘ Cathedral Peak / Forestry Reserve / Natal Drakensberg / March 1959 / B.R. & P.J. Stuckenberg’; 1ơ ‘ Little Berg Summits / Themeda Grassland / 5500–6000 Ft. ’, ‘ Cathedral Peak / Forestry Reserve / Natal Drakensberg / March 1959 / B.R. & P.J. Stuckenberg’; 1ơ ‘ Indumeni River / Fynbos consocies / 6300 ft. ’, ‘Cathedral Peak / Forestry Reserve / Natal Drakensberg / March 1959 / B.R. & P.J. Stuckenberg’; 5ơ 8^‘ South Africa: KZNatal / uKhahlamba- Drakensberg / Park Monk’s Cowl N. R. / 29 ° 03'01"S 29 ° 23'51"E / 22.i.2006 J. G. H. Londt / 1518m Montane grassland; 5ơ 1^‘ RSA: KZ-Natal #13 / Injasuti Nature Res. / 29 ° 12'S: 29 ° 22'E 1800m / date: 27.iii.1994 / Coll: J.G.H. Londt’; 1^‘ RSA: KZ-Natal #14 / Injasuti Nature Res. / 29 ° 12'S: 29 ° 22'E 1500m / date: 29.iii.1994 / Coll: J.G.H. Londt’; 1ơ ‘ RSA: KZ-Natal #16 / Injasuti Nature Res. / 29 ° 12'S: 29 ° 22'E 1800m / date: 27.iii.1994 / Coll: J.G.H. Londt’; 2ơ 4^‘ South Africa: Natal / Giants Castle G. Res / 2929AD 16.ii.1988 / D. Barraclough / Montane grassland’; 1ơ 1^‘ Sth Africa: KZ-Natal / Cobham Forst Reserve / 29 ° 41'50"S 29 ° 24'44"E / 1530m 24.ii.2000 / JGH Londt Grassland’ .

Other specimens studied: LESOTHO: 1ơ ‘ Bushmans Pass / Maloti Mountains / 2125–2250m. / 8–14 Jan. 1963 ’, ‘ Maseru [2927BD] District / Basutoland / B. & P. Stuckenberg’ . SOUTH AFRICA: Gauteng: 1^‘ Transvaal R.S.A / Brits Dist. / Hartbeespoort Dam / (25 27 DD) / 21.iii.1972 / J.A. van Reenen’; 1^‘ S.Afr: Gauteng / Pretoria-oos [Pretoria-East] / 25 ° 32'S 28 ° 11' [E omitted] / 20.iii.1998 / leg. F. Swanepoel’, ‘ Univ. of Pretoria / Dept. Zoology & / Entomology / 2 nd Year Collection’ ; KwaZulu-Natal: 5ơ 5^‘ South Africa : Natal / Normandien Forest Res / 27 ° 57'45"S: 29 ° 41'03"E / Montane Podocarpus / Forest margins 1950m / JGH Londt 19.iv.1988 ’; 1^‘ So. Africa: Natal, 15km / SE Rorke’s Drift / 28 ° 30'S, 30 ° 30'E / 30 May 1992 RM Miller’; 1ơ 3^‘ South Africa KwaZulu-Natal / Umfolozi Nature Reserve / Mbhzane Field Station / 28 ° 13.37'S / 31 ° 47.72'E / Mixed Thornveld / leg. T. Dikow 7.v.2000 ’; 1^‘ South Africa : Natal / Ntambanana area / 3145E 2835S 30.iii.85 / P E Reavell 275m / Windy ridge in / grassveld’;1^‘ South Africa : Natal / Empangeni area / 3155E 2845S 18.vi.83 / P E Reavell 110m / Vosloo’s farm / Digitaria grassveld / in Tamboutie veld’; 3ơ 9^‘ South Africa : Natal / Harold Johnson Nature / Res c 29 ° 12'S: 31 ° 25'E / Coast Lowlands Forest / J.G.H. Londt 20m / 29.iv.1988 For. Edge’; Eastern Cape: 1ơ 1^‘ S Africa: E. Cape #9 / 10 km ENE of Rhodes / 30 ° 45'S: 28 ° 01'E 2080m / Date: 5.ii.1992 Natal / Museum Expedition / causeway near Malpas’; 1ơ ‘ S Africa: E Cape #2 / 37 km NE Maclear / 30 ° 53'S: 28 ° 18'E 1670m / Date: 3.ii.1992 Natal / Museum Expedition / Grassland and stream.’; 1ơ ‘ S Africa: Cape #8 / Zuurberg Nat. Park / 33 ° 21'S: 25 ° 44'E 600m / Date: 21.xi.1990 / Londt & Whittington / Montane macchia area’ . SWAZILAND: 3ơ 3^‘ Swaziland #48 / Mbuluzi Nature Reserve / 26 ° 08'S: 32 ° 00'E 200m / Date : 25.iv.1991 / J Londt & L Schoeman / Mixed woodland area’; 10ơ 7^‘Swaziland #45 / 13 km N. of Ngogolo / 26 ° 19'S: 31 ° 38'E 300m / Date: 22–24.iv.1991 / J Londt & L Schoeman / Panata Ranch / Bushveld’ .

Distribution, phenology and biology (Tables 1, 2, Fig. 130 ): Recorded from South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Most of the recorded localities are in the Drakensberg mountain range. Collections have been made from November through to June (i.e. summer, through autumn, and early winter – in a summer-rainfall region). Five prey records are available at the NMSA: 2ơ ( Hymenoptera , Formicidae , alates), 1^( Hymenoptera ,? Eucharitidae ), 1^( Diptera , Empididae ), 1^(Isoptera, Termitidae , alate).

Similar species: R. eremia sp. n.

Figures

Figs 1–5. Rhabdogaster species: (1–3) R. pedion sp. n., Normandien Forest: (1) entire male, (2) sclerotised postmetacoxal bridge, (3) wing venation; (4) R. maculipennis Engel, 1929, lectotype, male wing showing pattern of staining; (5) R. oresbios sp. n., wing showing dark appearance caused by dark microtrichia.

Figs 80–91. Rhabdogaster species, male terminalia: (80–82) R. oribi sp. n., Oribi Gorge Reserve holotype: (80) lateral, (81) dorsal, (82) ventral; (83–85) R. pedion sp. n., Royal Natal National Park paratype: (83) lateral, (84) dorsal, (85) ventral; (86–88) R. pellos sp. n., Grahamstown paratype: (86) lateral, (87) dorsal, (88) ventral; (89–91) R. poa sp. n., Serowe paratype: (89) lateral, (90) dorsal, (91) ventral. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 130. Distribution of Rhabdogaster species: pedion sp. n. – closed circles; pulverulentus (Loew, 1858) – open circles.