Notiolaphria miltothorax, Londt, 2015

Londt, Jason G. H., 2015, Taxonomic observations regarding four genera ofAfrotropical robber flies, Choerades Walker, 1851, Laphria Meigen, 1803, Nannolaphria Londt, 1977 and Notiolaphria Londt, 1977, and the description of Ericomyia gen. n. (Diptera, Asilidae, Laphriinae), African Invertebrates 56 (1), pp. 191-191 : 211-213

Notiolaphria miltothorax sp. n.

Figs 8 , 16, 17 , 23 , 35

Etymology:The name is derived from the Greek words miltos (red, red earth) and thorax, descriptive of the coloration of both the thorax (mesonotum and pleura) and legs (parts of both femora and tibiae).

Description: Based on all examined material. A large, fairly colourful species ( Fig. 23 ) displaying little sexual dimorphism.

Head: Black, gold-silver pruinose, black, yellow and white setose.Antenna: Black, scape with strong yellow macrosetae and many fine white setae. Pedicel with few black setae distally. Segmental ratios (scape as 1) — 1:0.5:2.5. Style absent, postpedicel tipped with a pit-enclosed spine-like sensory element. Face moderately gibbose in ventral half, black, uniformly gold-silver pruinose. Mystax confined to gibbosity, with long black (many) and white (few) macrosetae and two dorsolaterally situated groups of silver scale-like setae. Dorsal region of face with many fine white setae. Frons black, but masked by strong silver pruinescence. Strongly white setose laterally adjacent to eye margin. Ocellar tubercle with a pair of long, pale yellow macrosetae and a few fine setae.Vertex black, but masked by gold-silver pruinescence. Postocular (occipital) region black, entirely silver pruinose, yellow setose dorsally, fine white setose ventrally. Palpi and proboscis dark red-brown to black, white setose.

Thorax: Red-brown and black, with extensive areas of gold-silver pruinescence, black, orange and white setose. Pronotum black. Mesonotum predominantly red-brown, gold-silver pruinose, with shiny, black, apruinose areas (anterior half of postpronotal lobe; medial band extending from anterior margin to just before posterior margin; a pair of suboval areas situated laterally and separated by transverse suture). Acrostichals fine black and white, poorly developed. Dorsocentrals black and white, poorly developed, extending both anterior and posterior of transverse suture. Mesonotal macrosetae: Black and orange, 1–2 npl, 2 spal, 2 pal. Scutellum red-brown, entirely gold-silver pruinose, disc fine white setose, c. 8–10 long yellow (a few may be black) apical macrosetae. Pleura: Mostly red-brown dorsally with dark red-brown to black ventral parts, almost entirely gold-silver pruinose (weak on ventral part of anepisternum), yellow and white setose. Anepisternum with one yellow macroseta posteriorly. Katatergal macrosetae long, white. Anatergites dark red-brown to black, uniformly silver pruinose, asetose. Legs: Coxae black, silver pruinose, fine white setose.Trochanters red-brown, apruinose, fine white setose. Femora somewhat inflated, F1 entirely black (may have a tiny dorsoproximal red-brown area), F2 & 3 extensively black but with a large red-brown area dorsoproximally, macrosetae orange or black, sine setae mostly white. Tibiae extensively red-brown except for broad black distal region, black and white setose. Tarsi shiny blue-black, black setose. Claws black, pulvilli and empodia well developed. Wings (only 2♂ 2♀ measured as others have excessively twisted wings): ♂ holotype 9.9× 3.4 mm, ♂ paratype 9.5× 2.8 mm, ♀ paratypes 9.6× 2.8 mm 10.1× 3.1 mm. Veins red-brown, cell r 5 narrowly open, closed on margin or closed and short-stalked, m 3 and cua closed and stalked, membrane slightly yellow stained, transparent, microtrichia almost entirely absent from proximal two-thirds of wing and evenly distributed over distal one-third ( Fig. 8 ). Halter cream with slightly darker base.

Abdomen: Shiny dark red-brown to blue-black, apruinose except for terga that have lateral margins silver pruinose and sterna that are entirely but weakly silver pruinose. Male T1 with 2–3 laterally situated orange macrosetae, T2–5 each with 1–2 orange macrosetae laterally; ♀ T1 with 1–2 orange macrosetae laterally, T2 with 1–2 macrosetae, T3 with 1 macroseta (T4–5 lacking macrosetae). Fine setae white, short on terga, long on sterna.

Male terminalia ( Figs 16–17 ): Rotated through 90°. Epandrium as a single shield-like plate, showing no indication of bifurcation distally, but tapering slightly to broad apex. Proctiger well-developed jutting out beyond distal end of epandrium, ventral lobes a little better developed than dorsal lobes. Gonocoxites composed of external and internal lobes. External lobe fairly well developed, broad proximally (as broad as epandrium in lateral view), tapering gradually to about two-thirds of length before tapering more rapidly to rounded apex in lateral view. Internal lobe relatively weakly developed, laterally compressed, parallel-sided, jutting out distally well beyond level achieved by external lobe, clearly dorsally hooked terminally. Gonostylus relatively poorly developed, projecting to about the same distance as internal lobe of gonocoxite, laterally compressed, almost parallel-sided for much of length, somewhat pointed distally. Hypandrium, greatly reduced, wider than long in ventral view, with obtusely rounded apical lobe. Aedeagus of moderate length with three terminal prongs.

Female terminalia: Simple, slightly telescopic, setaceous and lacking spines.

Holotype: MADAGASCAR: ♂ ‘ Madagascar , Tulear / Prov. Zombitse National / Park , near Angap office / 22°53.19'S 44°41.53'E / 9 – 19 May 2002 / California Acad of Sciences / coll, R. Harin’Hala, malaise / trap. Deciduous spiny forest / elev 840m, MA 02-13A-28’ ( CAS).

Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 1♂ ‘ Madagascar , Sofia Region / Port-Berger Distric , 20km N / Ambovomamy, Elev. 86m, ex / malaise trap, 16–18.vii.2008, 15°27.07'S 47°36.80'E [15°27'09"S 47°36'48"E, c. 70 m], colls. M. Irwin, R. Harin’Hala MG-33-56’ ( CAS) ; 1♀ ‘ Madagascar , Menabe Region / Morondava Dist, 7km E Beroboka / Antsarongaza forest. Elev 45m . Ex / malaise trap, 17 – 25.xi.2008 / 19°58.65'S 44°39.92'E’ [19°58'39"S 44°39'55"E, c. 55 m], colls M. / Irwin, R. Harin’Hala MG-45B-47’ ( CAS) ; 1♂ 1♀ ‘ Madagascar , Tulear Prov. / Zombitse N.P., nr. Angap / office, 22°53.19'S 44°41.53'E [22°53'19"S 44°41'32"E, c. 810 m] / 840m, 27 March – 3 April 2002 / CAS, coll, R. Harin’Hala, mal. / tr. spiny for. [spiny forest], MA 02-13A-22’ ( NMSA) ; 1♀ same data but 3 – 13 July 2002, MA 02-13A-34’ ( CAS) .

Distribution, phenology and biology: Distribution confined to three widely separated localities down the western side of Madagascar ( Fig. 35 ), the Zombitse material being collected in deciduous spiny forest. The species has been collected during the months of March–May, July and November ( Table 1 ). No prey records are available.

Figures

Figs 5–10. Notiolaphria species, wings. (5) No. coerulescens (Macquart, 1834) (Mauritius, Roche Bois); (6) No. dimidiatifemur (Oldroyd, 1960) (Madagascar, 7km W Ranomafana National Park); (7) No. microtheres sp. n. (Madagascar, Mikea Forest); (8) No. miltothorax sp. n. (Madagascar, 7km E Beroboka, Antsarongaza forest); (9) No. rufitibia (Oldroyd, 1960) (Madagascar, Foulpointe); (10) No. stuckenbergi (Oldroyd, 1960) (Madagascar, Zombitse National Park).

Figs 16–19. Notiolaphria male terminalia (note: rotated through 90°). (16, 17) No. miltothorax sp. n. (Madagascar,Ambovomany):(16) lateral and (17) ventral views.(18, 19) No.stuckenbergi (Oldroyd, 1960) (Madagascar, Zombitse National Park): (18) lateral and (19) ventral. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 23. Notiolaphria miltothorax sp. n. ♀, (Madagascar, Zombitse National Park).

Figs 34–37. (34) Distribution of Nannolaphria nigra Londt, 1977 (■) and Notiolaphria coerulescens (Macquart, 1834) (●); (35–37) Distributions of Notiolaphria species in Madagascar: (35) No. dimidiatifemur (Oldroyd, 1960) (●), No. microtheres sp. n. (■), No. miltothorax sp. n. (▲); (36) No. rufitibia (Oldroyd, 1960) (●), No.stuckenbergi (Oldroyd) (▲); (37) Ericomyia atomentosa (Oldroyd, 1960) typical specimens (●) atypical specimens (▲).