Hoplacephala transfuga (Villeneuve, 1933) Dawah & Abdullah & Pape, 2024

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A. & Pape, Thomas, 2024, Sarcophagidae (Insecta: Diptera) of Saudi Arabia: new records, an updated checklist and a new species, Zootaxa 5418 (1), pp. 1-33 : 9

Hoplacephala transfuga

( Figs 9–11 )

Alusomyia transfuga Villeneuve, 1933: 257 . Type locality: Egypt.

Africasia oestroidea Rohdendorf, 1934: 14 . Type locality: Egypt, 3rd Tower Suez Road .

Specimens examined. SAUDI ARABIA: 1♀, Asir, Maraba, Al-Hudaithy Fruit Farm , 14.iii.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( NMWC) .

Distribution. Egypt, Niger, Saudi Arabia *.

Remarks. First record from Saudi Arabia. The genus Alusomyia Villeneuve, 1933 is distinctive as currently defined by largely yellow coloration, strongly reduced mouthparts, an irregular row of bristly setae close to the anteroventral eye-margin, and wing cell R 4+5 closed or with very short petiole ( Rohdendorf 1975; Pape 1996). Each of the four nominal species included were based exclusively on a single male, the holotype, and Pape (1996) considered these to constitute two valid species. No further males have been reported in the literature, and the present report is the first record of a female. Alusomyia Villeneuve, 1933 is here synonymized with Hoplacephala Macquart, 1834 , syn. nov., argued from the presence of four proclinate orbital bristles, the row of strong parafacial setae close to the anteroventral eye-margin, the large gena, and the somewhat robust habitus compared to most other miltogrammines. The generic synonymy evokes the new combinations Hoplacephala transfuga ( Villeneuve, 1933) , comb. nov. and Hoplacephala turana ( Rohdendorf, 1975) comb. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 9–11. Hoplacephala transfuga (Villeneuve, 1933), female (Asir, Maraba, Al-Hudaithy Fruit Farm): (9) Habitus, dorsal view; (10) Habitus, lateral view; (11) Head, lateral view.