Atherigona (Atherigona) hyalinipennis van Emden, 1959

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A. & Deeming, John C., 2020, The Muscidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, descriptions of two new species, new records and updated list of species, Zootaxa 4869 (1), pp. 1-54 : 24-25

Atherigona (Atherigona) hyalinipennis van Emden, 1959 ( Fig. 31 )

Atherigona (Atherigona) hyalinipennis van Emden, 1959: 193 .

Specimens examined. 3m, 3f, Asir, Abha, Madenate Al-Ameer Sultan, Hay Al-Sad , 25.ii.–25.v.2002, Malaise trap, H . A . Dawah & M . A . Abdullah ( NMWC; CERS) ; 1m, same data but 10.v.2002 ( CERS); 1f, same data but 4–25.v.2013 ( CERS) ; 2m, Asir, Maraba, Al-Hudaithy farm, l– 31.v. 2004, Malaise trap, H . A . Dawah ( CERS); same data but 15.x.–30.xi.2004 ( CERS) ; 1m, Asir, Keratha, Al-Ethrebany Fruit Farm , 15.v.–11.vi.2006, Malaise trap, H . A . Dawah ( CERS); Al-Dawaseer, Al-Joba village , 1.iii.–30.iv.2005, Malaise trap, H . A . Dawah ( CERS) .

Distribution. This species was previously recorded from Saudi Arabia by Dawah & Abdullah (2009). It was described from Eritrea (as “ Ethiopia ”). In the Middle East it has been recorded from Oman and the United Arab Emirates ( Pont 1991; Deeming 2008).

Biological remarks. Hosts include the Rhodes grass ( Chloris gayana Kunth ) which is grown widely in Arabia for feeding livestock and horses. Also it attacks cultivated Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench and several other cereals and grasses ( Deeming 1971; 2000; 2008; Skidmore 1985; Pont 1991). In Oman this species is a serious pest of Rhodes grass ( Deeming 2000) and in Ethiopia of the staple cereal tef ( Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter ) ( Nigus & Damte 2018). Deeming (2019) deals in detail with larval diagnosis, various aspects of biology of immature stages, parasitic Hymenoptera and distribution of this species.

Figures

FIGURE. 28–31. Muscidae species habitus: 28) Atherigona (Atherigona) conigera Emden, 1940, Male; 29) Atherigona (Atherigona) gilvifolia Emden, 1940, Male; 30) Atherigona (Atherigona) humeralis (Wiedemann, 1830), Male; 31) Atherigona (Atherigona) hyalinipennis Emden, 1959, Male.