Euscelidia popa, Dikow, 2003

Dikow, Torsten, 2003, Revision of the genus Euscelidia Westwood, 1850 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae), African Invertebrates 44 (2), pp. 1-131 : 96-97

Euscelidia popa sp. n.

Fig. 60

Etymology: Noun in apposition that refers to the type locality Mt. Popa , Myanmar.

Diagnosis: The species is distinguished from congeners by the overall yellow to gold pruinosity and setae and the densely arranged microtrichia on the wings.

Description: Head: Black; fc gold pruinose, fc gib indistinct, mystax yellow, many macrosetae; prob and plp brownish-black, prob with white setae, plp with yellow and brown setae; oc tr apruinose; occ yellow pruinose, setae yellow; Antennae - scp brown, brown setae ventrally; ped brown, brown setae ventrally and dorsally, white pruinose; pped ventrally light brown, brown dorsally, white pruinose; apsel brown.

Thorax: Black; ppro peg large, yellow pruinose; sct bluish-black, antero-laterally red, gold pruinose, apruinose indistinct spots laterally, yellow setae scattered on surface; macrosetae: black, 1 npl s, 1 spal s; mesopleura gold pruinose; sctl gold pruinose, ds sctl s and sctl s long, yellow; Legs - light brown to brown; fem light brown, setae white, meta fem slightly clubbed, club with brown setae; pro and meso tib light brown, yellow stripe anteriorly, meta tib in proximal half light brown, distal half brown, yellow stripe anteriorly; first tar yellow, brown distad, remaining tar brown, black setae; emp short, nearly a quarter of length of clw; Wings - densely covered with microtrichia, cells c, sc, proximal half of r 1, br, and bm dark brown, R 2+3 bent anteriorly and R 4 bent posteriorly (distal tip of cell r 2 widened); ptero distinct, brown; cell d terminating in 2 veins, cell a 1 nearly closed; hlt light brown.

Abdomen: Dark brown; T predominantly brown pruinose, anterior, lateral, and posterior margins grey pruinose, T1 with long yellow setae laterally, T2 with yellow setae laterally, remaining T with yellow or brown setae, S grey pruinose; ơ terminalia - ơơ specimens unknown.

Type material - The ^ holotype is labelled ‘Upper Burma [ Myanmar] Mt. Popa 600– 1000 m, X. u. XI. 37 [x.–xi.1937] leg. G. Heinrich (yellow label) / Brit. Mus. 1939-186 / HOLOTYPE Euscelidia popa sp. nov. det. T. Dikow 2001 (red label)’. The specimen is directly mounted, is in excellent condition, and is deposited in the BMNH.

Type locality and distribution ( Fig. 60 ): Myanmar , Mount Popa , 20 53'N 95 14'E. Myanmar .

Remarks: Despite the fact this species is only known from a single female I decided to describe it as a new species because it is easily distinguished from all other Oriental species by the overall gold and yellow appearance.

Figures

Fig. 60. Distribution. Euscelidia lepida sp. n., triangle; E. livida sp. n., square; E. popa sp. n., circle; E. rapacoides, star.