Atherigona rimapicis, 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 : 895-896

Atherigona rimapicis sp. n.

Fig. 58

Etymology: From the Latin rima (cleft) and apicis (top), referring to the cleft apex of the median piece of the trifoliate process.

Diagnosis: This species keys close to A. facilis Deeming, 1971 in Dike (1989 a) but differs from it in that it does not have a strongly bifurcated hypopygial prominence ( Fig.58c ). It has the median piece of the trifoliate process almost bent angular and apically dilated in profile, compared to A. facilis which has the median piece linear in profile.

Description:

Male.

Measurement s: Body length: 3.937 mm; wing: 3.168 mm; r­m crossvein ratio: 0.377.

Head: Ground colour dark. All head setae and setulae infuscated. Occiput silver-grey dusted with narrow median part glossy, laterally silver-grey dusted. Ocellar triangle silver-grey dusted. Frontal vitta infuscated. Frontal plate golden dusted around three pairs of proclinate frontal setae and grey dusted around two pairs of orbital setae. Parafacial golden dusted, wider at narrowest than aristal base. Scape, pedicel and postpedicel infuscated except for and apical edge of pedicel and basal area of postpedicel. Arista infuscated. Palpus yellow; truncated and dilated with hyaline hairs.

Thorax: Ground colour dark. Postpronotal lobe golden dusted, with three setae and 11 setulae. Pleura grey dusted. Proepisternum inconspicuous and gold dusted. Scutum grey dusted, with three 2-4 dorsocentral vittae, stopping before scutellum. Scutellum grey dusted; one pair of basal setae, one pair of discal setae and six discal setulae, one pair of subbasal setae and one stronger pair of apical setae (subbasal 0.88× apical).

Legs: All legs yellow.

Leg chaetotaxy: Apical three segments of fore tarsi with dorsal setulae that are at least as long as segments are wide.

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

Abdomen: All tergites yellow; tergite 1+2 immaculate; tergite 3 with a pair of small teardrop shaped dark markings, taking up a third of dorsal surface; tergite 4 with two small dark spots, taking up a third of dorsal surface; tergite 5 immaculate. Hypopygial prominence with strong bifurcation, lobes appearing as two fused triangles in apical view. Trifoliate process stem 2.3× the length of the apical process; entire process brown throughout except for hyaline base of stem; median piece very strongly apically dilated, almost circular, with deep cleft at apex and appearing somewhat angular in profile (Holotype specimen is damaged with median piece separated from rest of process); lateral plates without inner lobes. Surstylus without dark markings.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: De Hoop Nature Reserve , 34°27'S 20°25'E, 0–200 m, 10–13.x.1994, R. Danielsson ( MZLU).

Paratypes: Western Cape: 1♂ same data as holotype ( MZLU); 1♂ Eastern Cape: Grahamstown, Albany Museum grounds, 33°18.822'S 26°31.315'E, 15–23.x.2007, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( AMGS) .

Distribution: South Africa.

Figures

Figs 55–63. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (55) A. nesshurstensis sp. n.; (56) A. vernoni sp. n.; (57) A. convexa sp. n.; (58) A. rimapicis sp. n.; (59) A. falkei Deeming; (60) A. danielssoni sp. n.; (61) A. tigris sp. n.; (62) A. stuckenbergi sp. n.; (63) A. steeleae van Emden. Not to scale.