Ligyra paris (Bezzi, 1923)

Greathead, David J. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2004, New species of Bombylioidea in Mario Bezzi’s Unpublished Hungarian Museum Manuscript, Zootaxa 773, pp. 1-56 : 41

Ligyra paris (Bezzi, 1923)

97. Hyperalonia paris ɗΨ Eritrea: Ghinda & Ψ ‘Africa orientali germanica’ [= Tanzania]. MS page [97].

Bezzi, 1923: 338 – diagnosis; ɗ, Kenya: “Voï, dans le pays Taita, alt. 600m, st. n°. 60, mars 1912 ” in MNHN.

Bezzi, 1924: 366 – key and diagnosis: 2 specimens, Kenya: x.1911 (R.J. Stordy); 1ɗ, S. Nigeria: Ibadan, 7.xii.1913 (Dr W.A. Lambourn) in BMNH.

Hesse, 1956: 919 – key and description by comparison with L. vittata (Ricardo) . Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999: 409 – incorrectly treated the Bezzi (1923) and (1924) as two separate proposals of a new name with different types and type localities listing a holotype in MNHN for the 1923 proposal and an undetermined number of syntypes in BMNH for the 1924 proposal.

Types: The syntype specimens listed by Bezzi (1924) as being in BMNH are not present in the collection nor are they listed in the museum catalogue. We therefore conclude that they are lost.

Remarks: Ligyra paris is a common and widespread species in the savanna zones of trop­

ical Africa. It has totally infuscated brown wings with darker spots on crossveins and

brown vestiture. It can only be confused with L. vittata but is darker.