Afroestricus macroscelis (Bezzi)

Scarbrough Table Of Contents, Aubrey G., 2005, Afroestricus, a new Afrotropical Ommatine (Diptera: Asilidae) genus with twenty species and two species groups, Zootaxa 1041 (1), pp. 1-76 : 32-35

Afroestricus macroscelis (Bezzi)

Figs. 71–80 , 194

Ommatius macroscelis Bezzi 1906: 292 c omb. n. Hull 1962: 436; Oldroyd 1980: 347.

Redescription, male. Black. Body 11.2 mm; wing 8.8 mm. Head: Face yellow tomentose with abundant black setae and bristles on dorsal 1/2, mostly yellow ventrally; FHWR 1.0:3.5. Antenna black; flagellum+style absent; several, long setae below scape as long as or longer than scape and pedicel. Frons yellowish­brown to reddish­brown tomentose; setae longer than scape and pedicel combined. Occiput mostly yellowish­gray tomentose with yellow to white setae; row of 11 to 12 thin, black, postocular bristles extending to or just before midlateral margin of eye; longest bristles strongly proclinate, apices just before ocellar tubercle posteriorly.

Thorax: Pronotum brown tomentose, darkest dorsally, with black bristles. Mesonotum mostly brown tomentose dorsally, narrow median stripes and lateral spots obscure, yellow laterally and posterior; vestiture mostly black, sparse pale setae present laterally above wing and posteriorly between dorsocentral bristles; postpronotal setae black; anterior acrostichal setae as long as scape and pedicel combined; long dorsocentral setae and bristles extend forward well beyond transverse suture, shortest of these 2/3 as long as and much thinner than first notopleural bristle, longer and thicker bristles in row posteriorly; four lateral bristles present. Scutellum yellowish­gray tomentose with mostly yellow setae, two black marginal bristles, and a prominent preapical groove. Pleuron yellow tomentose anteriorly, grading to yellowish­gray posteriorly, with mostly long yellow setae; anepisternite with scattered black setae posteriorly; anepimeral bristle black. Halter yellow.

Wing: As Fig. 3a except as follows. Cell m 1 WR 1.0:3.0:3.8.

Leg: Coxae and trochanter black, former yellow tomentum and pale yellow to white vestiture. Femora black with abundant, long yellow setae ventrally, especially fore and middle femora. Middle femur with long, black bristles anteriorly and anteroventrally. Hind femur with black bristles ventrally, at least two to three yellow bristles anteriorly; HFWLR 1.0:3.3. Tibiae mostly brown to black, narrow anterior or posterior, and base yellow to brownish­yellow. Hind tibia with a prominent apical tubercle. Tarsi brown to black with mostly black bristles, three to four yellow bristles present on fore and middle tarsi.

Abdomen: Black with mostly gray tomentum and pale yellow or white setae; terga 5 to 8 dorsally slightly brown tomentose with scattered black setae along apical margin; setae moderately long and thin laterally on each tergum.

Terminalia (71–76): Mostly black, narrowly yellow brown to red apically. Epandrium wide apically, apex broadly emarginate with raised corners in lateral view. Gonostylus distinctive. Distiphallus horizontal, narrow; epiphallus flat anteriorly, narrow dorsally, lateral extension short; ejaculatory apodeme thick, lateral flanges absent. Gonocoxite short laterally. Hypandrium broadly rounded apically.

Female. Differs as follows: Body 8.6 mm; wing 6.8 mm; FHWR 1.0:4.2; HFWLR 1.0:4.7. Head: Face with mostly black setae and bristles, yellow along ventral margin only. Post ocular bristles extend to midlateral margin of eye. Thorax: Katatergite with one to two black bristles. Leg: Setae below femora not unusually abundant. Hind femur basally with two to three yellow posteroventral bristles. Hind tibia without apical tubercle. Abdomen: Terga mostly black setose; apical segments with yellow or black bristles. Terminalia ( Figs. 77–80 ): Tergum 9 entirely sclerotized, about 1/3 as long as cerci. Sternum 8 with four to five thin, black bristles laterally. Spermatheca smooth, base and apex wide. Genital fork distinctive, base narrowly sclerotized medially.

Type specimens examined: ERITREA: 1 M syntype, Male symbol ~ Typus [red label ~ ERITREA:ADI­UGRI, viii­1909, D.A. Andreini ~ 1961 [diamond­shaped label with parallel blue lines and one purple through the number 196 ~ Ommatius macroscelis n. sp. ( MZUF); 1 F syntype, labels identical except label designating sex absent ( MZUF).

Distribution ( Tables 1, 2; Fig. 194 ). Known from type locality; captured in August.

Remarks. Afroestricus macroscelis differs from congeners by the combined characters of black femora, thin proclinate bristles, and terminalia ( Figs. 71–80 ). The species has a distinctive terminalia that is not easily confused with any other species with black femora. Although both A. macroscelis and A. abyssinia have long, thin, proclinate postocellar bristles and a wide, shallow apical notched epandrium, the black femora and combined characters of the terminalia separate the species.

The male type lacks the flagellum+pedicel, middle and hind right legs, and numerous setae and bristles of the mesonotum. The tomentum pattern of the mesonotum is also obscure but it otherwise is in good condition. The female is slightly teneral and in poor condition. The flagellum+pedicel is absent; the right eye has a hole on the dorsal surface; the dorsal vestiture of the mesonotum is absent; the wings are wrinkled; and the abdomen

is glued to the thorax. The syntype male is selected lectotype to stabilize the status of the species.

Figures

FIGURE 194. Distribution of six species of Afroestricus in Africa and Madagascar.

FIGURES 71–80. Afroestricus macroscelis (Bezzi). Male terminalia: 71–73. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. 74. Gonostylus. 75–76. Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views. Female terminalia: 77–78. Dorsal and ventral views. 79. Spermatheca. 80. Genital fork.

FIGURES 3–4. Character states of the wing and postocular bristles of the subgenus Afroestricus Scarbrough. 3a–b. Wing venation of the macroscelis and the minutus species groups. 4a–b. Short, erect and long, thin, postocular bristles bristles. Abbrevations: First radial cell=r1; fourth radial cell=r4; discal cell=d; radial­medial crossvein=r­m; first medial cell=m1; third medial cell=m3.