Atherigona (Atherigona) mulleri Deeming, 2024

Deeming, John C. & Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H., 2024, A contribution to the knowledge of Namibian Atherigona Rondani (Diptera: Muscidae), with the descriptions of four new species and two new subspecies, Zootaxa 5536 (4), pp. 501-535 : 518-519

Atherigona (Atherigona) mulleri Deeming , sp. nov.

Figs 9–12

Etymology: The specific epithet mulleri is a noun in apposition, named in honour Burgert S. Muller, in recognition of his contribution to the taxonomy of Afrotropical Atherigona .

Description: Male. Body length: ca 3.0 mm; wing length: 3.0 mm. Golden yellow species with vibrissa, adjacent setae, weak genal setulae and apical papal setulae golden; remaining setae and setulae and arista black; median part of scutum and scutellum weakly infuscate, with heavily grey pruinescence; anaterite and metanotum black, the latter shiny in lower 2 / 5 of height; tergites 3 and 4 with pair of small, round dark maculae.

Head: With frontofacial angle slightly less than right angle; parafacial broad, almost as broad at level of vibrissa as at insertion of arista, but not as broad as genal height.

Thorax: With 1 long and 1 short proepisternal seta; proepimeral setula minute; weak, short ventral katepisternal seta inserted slightly closer to insertion of more anterior of two dorsal setae. Legs: Fore leg with row of 4–5 fine setulae, both anteriorly and posteriorly, these longer than tarsal diameter; fore femur with preapical posteroventral seta longer than 2 preapical posterodorsal setae; mid femur with strong posterodorsal preapical seta; mid tibia with short posterior seta at mid length; hind femur with row of short, weak anterodorsal setae; hind tibia with strong preapical dorsal seta, anterodorsal seta at 0.4 of its length and ventral and posterodorsal setae at mid length. Wing: Membrane hyaline, with yellow veins and even distribution of microtrichia, absent in basal costal cell (bc); calypters hyaline with yellow rims; haltere yellow.

Abdomen: Tergites 3 and 4 with pair of small, dark maculae; hypopygial prominence (in lateral view) ( Fig. 12 ), with simple, rounded knob-shape (in dorsal view) ( Fig. 11 ), slightly projecting, with slight medial concavity, pilose above; trifoliate process ( Figs 9, 10 ), with lobes black, pale on stem and hood, median lobe with basal 3 / 4 broad and apex constricted, apex less than 1 / 2 as broad as at base, lateral lobes each with prominent flange on inner surface, outer surface bearing fine dark pilosity, stem 21 / 2 × as long as lobes.

Female: Unknown.

Affinities: The golden vibrissae, male fore tarsus bearing long setae anteriorly and posteriorly and the yellow pleura separate the new species from all other described species.

Type material examined: Holotype ♂, “ Namibia: OPUWA DIST. Ekuju / village: Kunene R. / 17°19'30''S 13°48'56''E / 11–12.x.1999 / [A.H.] Kirk-Spriggs [T.] Pape [W.] Hauwanga / Malaise trap, riverine forest [printed] // Namibian National / Insect Collection / National Museum / P.O. Box 1203 / Windhoek, Namibia [printed; blue card] // HOLOTYPE ♂ / Atherigona (s. str.) / mulleri sp. nov. / J.C. Deeming 2024 [printed; red border]” (NMNW; type series #663). In good condition, micro-pinned and staged; dissected, male terminalia in micro-vial pinned beneath specimen. Paratype ♂, same data as holotype, except: // “ PARATYPE ♂ / Atherigona (s. str.) / mulleri sp. nov. / J.C. Deem

Figures

FIGURES 1–23. Male terminalia of Atherigona spp. (1–4) A. (s. str.) australis Deeming, sp. nov. 1. Trifoliate process, dorsal view. 2. Same, lateral view. 3. Hypopygial prominence, dorsal view. 4. Same, lateral view. (5–8). A. (s. str.) maraisi Deeming, sp. nov. 5. Trifoliate process, dorsal view. 6. Same, lateral view. 7. Hypopygial prominence, dorsal view. 8. Same, lateral view. (9–12). A. (s. str.) mulleri Deeming, sp. nov. 9. Trifoliate process, dorsal view. 10. Same, lateral view. 11. Hypopygial prominence, dorsal view. 12. Same, lateral view. (13–16). A. (s. str.) jordaensi Magoai & Muller. 13. Trifoliate process, dorsal view. 14. Same, lateral view. 15. Hypopygial prominence, dorsal view. 16. Same, lateral view. (17–20). A. (s. str.) robertsi okavango Deeming, ssp. nov. 17. Trifoliate process, dorsal view. 18. Same, lateral view. 19. Hypopygial prominence, dorsal view. 20. Same, lateral view. (21). A. (s. str.) fumivenosa Deeming, trifoliate process, lateral view. (22). A. (Acritochaeta) tsumeb Deeming, sp. nov., cercal plate, ventral view. (23). Atherigona (Acritochaeta) yorki ssp. yorki Deeming, epandrium and surstyli, left oblique view. All not to scale. Abbreviations: epand—epandrium; sp—spines; sur—surstylus.