Atherigona stuckenbergi, Muller, 2015

Muller, B. S., 2015, Illustrated key and systematics of male South African Atherigona s. str. (Diptera: Muscidae), African Invertebrates 56 (3), pp. 845-845 : 899-900

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5733/afin.056.0301
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039387FE-FFEB-E028-FE43-FF0EFBBAFD1D
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Atherigona stuckenbergi
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Atherigona stuckenbergi View in CoL sp. n.

Fig. 62 View Figs 55–63

Etymology: Named for the collector of the type series, Dr Brian Stuckenberg.

Diagnosis: This species has the median piece of the trifoliate process very similar to A. occidentalis due to the Y-shaped apex, but it differs from the latter and is also very similar to A. parvihumilata in having its abdominal tergites entirely infuscate and not covered with paired markings as is custom for most species of the genus. It further differs from A. parvihumilata by the shape of the hypopygial prominence that is a well developed bilobate structure compared to that of A. parvihumilata which is reduced and weakly bifurcated.

Description:

Male.

Measurement s: Body length: 3.72 mm; wing: 3.28 mm; rm crossvein ratio: 0.392. Head: Ground colour brown. All head setae and setulae infuscated. Upper occiput brown, glossy, laterally silver-grey dusted. Ocellar triangle infuscated, with slight pruinosity. Frontal vitta infuscated.Frontal plate appearing glossy with slight pruinosity throughout, with three pairs of proclinate frontal setae and two pairs of orbital setae. Parafacial gold dusted, as wide as aristal base at narrowest. Scape, pedicel, postpedicel and arista infuscated. Palpus yellow, apex truncated and dilated with hyaline hairs.

Thorax: Ground colour dark. Postpronotal lobe gold dusted, with three setae and 10 setulae. Pleura entirely gold dusted, except for bottoms of katepisternum and meron which are silver-grey dusted; Proepisternum inconspicuous and gold dusted. Scutum brown, glossy with slight pruinosity throughout three dark-brown 2-4 dorsocentral vittae, having a slight dusted appearance between each vitta, stopping before scutellum. Scutellum with the same appearance as the scutum; one pair of basal setae, one pair of discal setae and eight discal setulae, one pair of subbasal setae and one pair of apical setae (subbasal pair 0.75× apical pair).

Legs: All legs yellow except for entire fore tibia and all leg basitarsi as well as second tarsal segment.

Leg chaetotaxy: Dorsal surfaces of fore tarsi, except for basitarsus with long setulae (at least as long as width of segments).

Wings: Hyaline. Veins dark-brown. Knob of halteres white with stalk yellow. Calypters white.

Abdomen: All tergites yellow; tergites 1+2, 3 and 4 with dorsal surfaces entirely infuscated; tergite 5 immaculate. Hypopygial prominence bilobed. Trifoliate process stem 3× the length of the apical process; trifoliate process entirely infuscated except for basal third of stem which is hyaline and median piece and hood which are brown; median piece with wide apical dilation and bifurcation in posterior view, appearing almost Y-shaped; median piece basally dilated in profile, gradually constricting towards apex; lateral plates with inner lobes, appearing wider than median piece in profile and in posterior view. Surstylus without any infuscation.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA: Limpopo: Entabeni Forest Station, Zoutpansberg range, Indigenous forest , i.1975, B.R. Stuckenberg ( NMSA; Type no. 2511).

Paratype ♂: Limpopo: same label data as holotype ( NMSA; Type no. 2511) .

Distribution: South Africa.

Atherigona tetrastigma Paterson, 1956 View in CoL Fig. 2 View Figs 1–9

Atherigona tetrastigma Paterson, 1956: 169 View in CoL , fig. 7; Deeming 1975: 1, fig. 3 (female tergite 8).

Diagnosis:This species is easily distinguished from other species due to the combination of an absent hypopygial prominence and the proepisternum not being knoblike (unlike A. divergens which has it knoblike).

Type material examined: Holotype ♂: ‘ TANZANIA: Kware b. moshi, 27.XII.1952, D.O.A exp., Atherigona tetrastigma ‘55, det. Paterson’ ( SMNS).

Distribution: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania.