Astochia lumarius, Londt, Jason G. H., 2019

Londt, Jason G. H., 2019, A revision of Afrotropical Astochia Becker, 1913 with descriptions of three new species (Diptera, Asilidae, Asilini), African Invertebrates 60 (2), pp. 215-237 : 221

Astochia lumarius sp. nov. Figs 7 , 8-9 , 26

Etymology.

L. luma f. thorn, lumarius - of thorns. Named after the thorny projections found on the male epandrium.

Description.

Based mainly on holotype, in reasonable condition although greasy (therefore masking pruinescence), with notes on the somewhat teneral female paratype, with paler coloration and slightly buckled wings.

Head: Dark red-brown to black, black and white setose. Antenna dark red-brown to black, scape and pedicel black setose, postpedicel slightly laterally compressed. Relative lengths of segments (scape as 1) scape 1, pedicel 0.54, postpedicel 1.25, style 2.00 (0.18: 1.71: 0.11 - composed of a short basal element followed by a long, thin, stylus tipped with a tiny seta-like sensory element). Face black, ventral 2/3 protuberant. Mystax mainly black with some white macrosetae along epistomal margin, confined to protuberance. Frons black. Vertex black, strongly concave. Ocellar tubercle with c. 10 weak to moderately developed ocellar macrosetae. Occiput black (dorsally and along dorsal eye margins) and fine white (ventrally) setose. Palps black, one-segmented, black (distally) and white (proximally) setose. Proboscis dark red-brown to black, straight, white setose.

Thorax: Dark red-brown to black, black and white setose. Antepronotum dark red-brown, black and white setose. Mesonotum black, postpronotal lobe orange-brown, entirely black setose except for some white setae on postpronotal lobe. Lateral macrosetae black (2 notopleurals, 2 supra-alars, 2 postalars). Scutellum dark red-brown to black, with 3 black apical scutellar macrosetae, disc fine white setose. Pleura dark red-brown to black, fine black and white setose. Katatergal setae moderately well developed, black. Anatergites fine white setose. Postmetacoxal area membranous.

Legs: Orange-brown except for anterior faces of femora which are black. Coxae mostly fine white setose. Trochanters weakly black and white setose. Femora with macrosetae black, minor setae white. Tibiae and tarsi entirely black setose. Claws, pulvilli and empodia well developed.

Wings ( Fig. 7 ) Length 10.7 mm (humeral crossvein to tip) × breadth 3.5 mm (maximum). Veins dark redbrown to black, membrane transparent, marginally microtrichose, centrally lacking microtrichia, cells m 3 and cua closed and stalked.

Abdomen: Dark red-brown to black, white setose except for terminalia which are mostly black setose.

Male terminalia ( Figs 8 , 9 ): Unrotated. S8 with posterior region slightly protruding distally and equipped with long black setae distally ( Fig. 8 ). Epandrium subcircular in lateral view, only slightly longer than high, left and right lobes narrowly joined proximally, with a complex arrangement of dorsally situated thorny processes opposing each other at midlength, best observed in dorsal view ( Fig. 9 ). Hypandrium relatively small, without obvious lobes. Gonocoxite well-developed, subtriangular in lateral view. Gonostylus moderately developed, slightly dorsally upturned distally. Aedeagus long, terminating in slender filaments.

Female: Similar to ♂ except for the following features. Head mainly orange-brown, strongly gold-silver pruinose. Antennal scape and pedicel orange. Thorax mainly orange-brown, gold-silver pruinose except for longitudinal dorsal bands, black setose. Antepronotum orange, mainly white setose. Scutellar disc with a few black setae amongst white ones. Anatergites black and white setose. Femora only slightly darker anteriorly. Tibiae with some minor setae white. Wing (slightly warped) 12.5 × 3.8 mm. Abdomen orange-brown. T1 entirely white setose, other tergites black and white microsetose. T1-5 dull gold pruinose, T6-9 apruinose and modified into a telescopic ovipositor.

Type material.

Holotype. Malawi: 1♂ 'Malawi Chimaliro / forest reserve [c. 12°27'S, 33°33'E] 1200m / 1233Bc Stuckenberg & / Londt 9.xii.1980 / Brachystegia woodland’, ‘NMSA-DIP-03376’ (NMSA).

Paratype: 1♀ 'M 4383 / Zomba Plateau [c. 15°20'S, 35°19'E 1755m] / Malawi xi.13.73 / Coll. C. Dudley’ ‘NMSA-DIP-14498’ (NMSA).

Note: The holotype specimen was previously assigned to A. strachani (see Londt 1982), but on closer inspection has rather different genitalia and is now considered dispecific.

Distribution, phenology and biology.

Known only from the Chimaliro Forest Reserve in Malawi ( Fig. 26 ). Collected in November and December (Table 1 ). Found associated with Brachystegia woodland.

Figures

Figure 7. A. lumarius sp. nov. holotype wing.

Figure 26. Distribution of Astochia species: A. lumarius sp. nov., A. silva sp. nov., similis sp. nov., A. sodalis, A. strachani.

Figures 8, 9. Astochia lumarius sp. nov. holotype male terminalia: 8 lateral 9 dorsal. Scale bar: 1 mm.