Atherigona londti, 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 : 882-883

Atherigona londti sp. n.

Fig. 48

Etymology: Named after the collector of the holotype and some paratype material, Dr Jason Londt.

Diagnosis: This species is very similar to A. flavifinis and A. latibasilaris in having the apex of the scutellum yellow, but differs greatly in terms of the shape of the trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence. It keys close to A. hyalinipennis and A. secrecauda Séguy, 1938 in both Deeming (1971) and Dike (1989 a) but the trifoliate process of A. londti lacks the wing-like projections of the hood in A. secrecauda and cordiform median piece of A. hyalinipennis .

Description:

Male.

Measurement s: Body length: 3.317 mm; wing: 2.944 mm; r­m crossvein ratio: 0.429. 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 yellow. Frontal plate silver-grey dusted with three pairs of proclinate frontal setae and two pairs of orbital setae. Parafacial silver-grey dusted, narrower than aristal base at narrowest. Scape and pedicel ferruginous, postpedicel infuscated except for ferruginous basal area. Arista brown. Palpus yellow; truncated and dilated with hyaline hairs.

Thorax: Ground colour dark. Postpronotal lobe golden dusted, with three setae and eight setulae. Pleura grey dusted. Proepisternum inconspicuous and gold dusted. Scutum grey dusted, with three weak, barely visible 2-4 dorsocentral vittae, stopping before scutellum. Scutellum grey dusted except for yellow apex; one pair of basal setae, one pair of discal setae and three discal setulae, one pair of subbasal setae and one pair of apical setae (subbasal 0.8× apical).

Legs: All legs yellow except for dark marking on apex of fore femur, with fore tibia and fore tarsi infuscated.

Leg chaetotaxy: Fore tarsi without any specialised chaetotaxy.

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 dark markings, taking up a third of dorsal surface (absent in some paratypes); tergite 4 with two small dark spots, taking up a third of dorsal surface; tergite 5 immaculate. Hypopygial prominence slightly bifurcate. Trifoliate process stem 1.6× the length of the apical process; stem brown except for apical third which is hyaline, hood also hyaline, rest of process infuscated; median piece club-shaped with gradual apical dilation, curved in profile, but linear, with two pairs of forward projecting setulae; lateral plates with inner lobes. Surstylus without dark markings.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape: Boesmansriviermond, Hill above caravan park, 27–31. xii.1985, J.G.H. Londt ( NMSA; Type no. 2507).

Paratypes: Eastern Cape: 1♂ 3 km E Grahamstown, Belmont Valley, 2& 5.i.1986, J.G.H. Londt & B. Londt, Malaise trap ( NMSA; Type no. 2507); 3♂ Grahamstown (plot 5280), Three Chimneys farm, 33°18.542'S 26°29.846'E, 2–13.iii.2008, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( AMGS); 2♂ Grahamstown, Albany Museum grounds, 33°18.822'S 26°31.315'E, 15–23.x.2007, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( AMGS); 1♂ Port Elizabeth , Cape Recife area, Reserve , 22–27.xii.1985, J.G.H. Londt ( NMSA; Type no. 2507) ; Western Cape: 1♂ Cape Town , NE of Houtbay, 34°02'S 18°20'E, 3.x.1994, R. Danielsson ( MZLU) .

Distribution: South Africa.

Figures

Figs 46–54. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (46) A. chrysohypene sp. n.; (47) A. tritici Pont & Deeming; (48) A. londti sp. n.; (49) A. hyalinipennis van Emden; (50) A. secrecauda Séguy; (51) A. lineata lineata (Adams); (52) A. lineata torrida Deeming; (53) A. lineata ugandae van Emden; (54) A. soccata Rondani. Not to scale.