Nemestrinus ater Olivier, 1811

El-Hashash, Arafa Elsayed, Badrawy, Haitham Badrawy Mousa & Ibrahim, Ayman Mohyie-Eldin, 2021, A review of tangle-veined flies (Nemestrinidae, Diptera) in Egypt, ZooKeys 1071, pp. 11-42 : 11

Nemestrinus ater Olivier, 1811

Figures 23-32 , 33-41

Nemestrinus ater Olivier, 1811: 171.

Nemestrinus abdominalis Olivier, 1811: 171. Syn. nov.

Nemestrinus nigra Wiedemann, 1828: 560.

Nemestrinus osiris Wiedemann, 1828: 561.

Nemestrina fascifrons Bigot, 1888: 8. Syn. nov.

Type locality.

Egypt.

Specimens examined.

Abu Rowash 30°04'30.7"N, 31°11'59.7"E, 24.ii.1926 (1 f#) , 26.ii.1927 (1 f#) ; Rafah 31°17'03.0"N, 34°14'18.0"E, 25.iv.1921 (1 f#) ; W. Garawi 29°47'43.9"N, 31°25'54.9"E, 31.iii.1930 (1 f#) (AZUC) ; W. Garawi 29°47'43.9"N, 31°25'54.9"E, 22.iii.1930 (1 f#) , 31.iii.1930 (1 f#) (CUC) ; Abu Qir 31°18'42.4"N, 30°03'37.3"E, 26.iii.1915 (1 f#); (Noaman Bey) Alexandria 31°10'03.5"N, 29°51'56.2"E, (1 f#, without date); Dekheila 31°07'32.0"N, 29°48'37.3"E, 4.iii.1928 (1 f#) ; Dekheila Mariut 31°07'32.0"N, 29°48'37.3"E, 24.v.1925 (1 f#) ; Burg El-Arab 30°54'12.7"N, 29°33'13.7"E, 19.iv.1928 (1 f#) ; Gabal Abu Rowash 30°04'30.7"N, 31°11'59.7"E, 13.ii.1924 (1 f#) ; 19.iii.1924 (1 f#) ; Kafr Hakim 30°04'39.7"N, 31°06'46.3"E, 24.iii.1925 (1 f#) , 20.iii.1926 (1 f#) ; Mansouriah 29°58'05.3"N, 31°08'51.9"E, 4.iii.1934 (2 f#) ; Burg El-Arab 30°54'12.7"N, 29°33'13.7"E, 18.iv.1925 (1 f#) ; Marsa Matrouh 31°11'04.1"N, 27°15'42.4"E, 17.iii.1933 (2 f#) ; Suize 29°58'09.6"N, 32°32'59.8"E, 5.iv.1927 (1 f#) ; Sinai N.E. 31°15'49.4"N, 34°10'15.8"E, 19.iv.1928 (1 f#) ; W. Silly Helwan 29°50'37.6"N, 31°19'05.0"E, 22.iii.1926 (1 f#) (MAC) ; Abu Rawash 30°04'30.7"N, 31°11'59.7"E, 26.iii.1952 (1 f#) ; Gabal Asfar 30°12'05.7"N, 31°21'19.7"E, 9.iii.1951 (1 f#) ; Mansoura 31°02'43.1"N, 31°22'54.9"E, 2.iii.1955 (1 f#) ; Mansouriah 29°58'05.3"N, 31°08'51.9"E, 12.iii.1952 (1 f#) ; Pyramids 30°04'39.8"N, 31°00'53.4"E, 12.iii.1951 (1 f#) ; W. Natroun 30°25'58.2"N, 30°14'39.2"E, 2.iv.1951 (1 f#) (ASUC).

Specimens previously identified as N. fascifrons : Abu Rowash 30°04'30.7"N, 31°11'59.7"E, 6.ii.1926 (2 m #); Helwan 29°50'37.6"N, 31°19'05.0"E, 18.iii.1927 (1 m #), 7.iii.1930 (1 m #); Mansouriah 29°58'05.3"N, 31°08'51.9"E, 18.ii.1926 (1 m #); Mariut 31°08'32.5"N, 29°54'10.5"E, 5.iv.1921 (1 m #); W. Garawi 29°47'43.9"N, 31°25'54.9"E, 22.iii.1930 (1 m #), 31.iii.1930 (1 f#); W. Morrah 22°22'39.1"N, 33°46'00.3"E, 26.iii.1927 (1 m #) (AZUC); Kafr Hakim 30°04'39.7"N, 31°06'46.3"E, 20.iii.1926 (1 m #); Mansouriah 29°58'05.3"N, 31°08'51.9"E, 13.ii.1926 (1 m #), 2.iii.1927 (1 m #); W. Garawi 29°47'43.9"N, 31°25'54.9"E, 22.iii.1930 (1 m #), 31.iii.1930 (2 m #) (CUC); Dekheila 31°07'32.0"N, 29°48'37.3"E, 4.ii.1928 (2 m #), 4.iii.1928 (1 m #); Burg El-Arab 30°54'12.7"N, 29°33'13.7"E, 19.iv.1923 (1 m #); Kerdasa 30°01'32.1"N, 31°06'27.5"E, 15.ii.1923 (1 m #), 10.ii.1925 (1 m #); Mansouriah 29°58'05.3"N, 31°08'51.9"E, 13.ii.1926 (1 m #), 6.iii.1926 (1 m #); Burg El-Arab 30°54'12.7"N, 29°33'13.7"E, 27.iv.1923 (1 m #), 18.iv.1925 (5 m #); (Six Towers) Suize Road 29°59'45.9"N, 32°29'34.4"E, 26.iii.1926 (1 m #); Gabal Asfar 30°12'05.7"N, 31°21'19.7"E, 9.iii.1951 (1 m #); Mansoura 31°02'43.1"N, 31°22'54.9"E, 2.iii.1955 (1 m #) (ASUC).

Specimens previously identified as N. abdominalis : Egypt (1 f#), without date, specimen number USNMENT01371553 (USNM) (previously identified by W. Wirth as N. abdominalis but as N. ater by Dr. Torsten Dikow using our key).

Diagnosis.

Frons shiny black with a transverse white band; wing with small cells extending forward from R1 to hind margin; abdomen orange with longitudinal black vitta in male but entirely black in female.

Redescription.

Length: male body 10-16 mm, wing 9-15 mm. Female body 14-21 mm, wing 10-13 mm. Male: Frons shiny black with transverse white band; face rather short, snout-like, sides with grayish yellow pollinosity (Figs 23-25 ). Antenna blackish and pollinose (Fig. 26 ).

Thorax black or blackish brown, with blackish to yellowish brown hairs, pleurae with long and dense black hairs; leg blackish or dark yellow; claws well developed; pulvilli almost rudimentary. Wing blackish brown, but apex and postero-apical margin pale brown; wing with many small cells extend forward from R1 to hind margin (Fig. 27 ). Abdomen short, wide, reddish to orange with longitudinal black strip that is narrow posteriorly and sometimes absent at apex (Fig. 28 ). Male genitalia with gonocoxite having two processes, inner process short and slender, whereas the outer process is longer, thicker and subapically curved; gonostyli longer than the inner gonocoxal processes but shorter than the outer one, with subapical cleft and small projection (Figs 29 , 30 ); aedeagus free, narrow distally and fused proximally with parameres; parameres slightly sinuate; parameral apodeme a long, while aedeagal tine is short; ejaculatory apodeme slender and narrow (Figs 31 , 32 ). Female. Similar as male (Figs 33-37 ), except: eyes widely separated more than in male. Abdomen entirely black or at least with reddish black lateral margins (Fig. 38 ). Head in male slightly wider than thorax but in female narrower than thorax. Female genitalia with quadrate subgenital plate, bilobed distally (Fig. 39 ); genital furca with furcated arms and serrated laterally (Fig. 40 ); uterus small, with terminal accessory process; spermathecal ducts narrow and long with oval medium spermathecae (Fig. 41 ).

Local distribution.

Coastal strip, Lower Nile.

Geographical distribution.

Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel, Spain, and Tunisia ( Sack 1933; Bernardi 1973; Richter 1988).

Remarks.

Nemestrinus abdominalis and N. fascifrons are newly synonymized with N. ater . The earlier works of Lichtwardt (1909, 1919), Villeneuve (1912), and Bequaert (1938) suggested that N. ater , N. abdominalis , and N. fascifrons were closely related to each other based on Egyptian, Tunisian, and Palestinian material. We observed that N. ater has sexually dimorphic abdominal color. We also discovered that all the specimens previously identified by Efflatoun as N. fascifrons are males and we confirm these identifications. We also confirm that all the specimens that were previously identified by the same author as N. ater are females and confirmed by us as N. fascifrons . The two “species” of Efflatoun were captured from approximately the same locality and time of year by the same collector, i.e., "Efflatoun collected males at W. Garawi on 22.iii.1930 and 31.iii.1930 and females at W. Garawi on 22.iii.1930 and 31.iii.1930"; both are deposited in the Cairo University collection. We observed the sexual dimorphism and regard them as representing the same species.

Figures

Figures 23 - 32. Male of Nemestrinus ater, head, frontal (23), head, dorsal (24), head, lateral (25), antenna (26), wing (27), and abdomen (28). 29 - 32 male genitalia: epandrium, proctiger, and cerci (29), gonocoxite with gonostylus, ventral (30), aedeagal complex, lateral (31) and dorsal (32). Abbreviations: aedg. aedeagus, aec. aedeagal complex, aedg tn. aedeagal tine A 2. anal vein, al. alula, bm. basal medial cell, br. basal radial cell, c. cerci, C. costa, CuA 1,2, CuP. cubital veins, d. discal cell, db. dorsal bridge, DV. diagonal vein, e. epandrium, ej. ejaculatory apodeme, endaedg pr. endoaedeagal process, 1 st fl. first flagellomere, gap. gonocoxal apodeme, gc. gonocoxite, gpr. gonocoxal process, gs. gonostylus, h. hypandrium, h. humeral cross vein, lat ej pr. lateral ejaculatory process, m 3. third medial cell, pm. parameres, pm ap. parameral apodeme, pr. proctiger, pt. phallic plate, M 1, M 2, M 3. medial veins, m-cu. cross vein between medial and cubital veins, pd, pedicel, R 1, R 2, R 3 + 4, R 5, Rs. radial veins, r-m. cross vein between redial and medial veins, Sc. subcostal vein, sc. Scape, st. stylus.

Figures 33 - 41. Female of Nemestrinus ater, head, frontal (33), head, dorsal (34), head, lateral (35), antenna (36), wing (37), and abdomen (38). 39 - 41 female genitalia: subgenital plate (39), genital furca (40), and spermathecae (41). Abbreviations: ma. median aperture, pl. posterolateral projection, sp. spermatheca, spd. spermathecal duct, ut. uterus.