Notiolaphria dimidiatifemur Oldroyd, 1960

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 : 208-209

Notiolaphria dimidiatifemur Oldroyd, 1960 , comb. n.

Figs 6 , 13 , 20 , 35

Laphria dimidiatifemur Oldroyd, 1960: 282 ; 1980: 351 (catalogue).

Etymology: The name is derived from the Latin words dimidius (half, halved), ater (black) and femur, descriptive of the coloration of the femora.

Redescription: Based on material examined. No apparent sexual dimorphism exists.

Head: Black, silver and gold pruinose, black and white setose. Antenna: Black, scape and pedicel black setose. Segmental ratios (scape as 1) — 1: 0.7:2.8. Style absent, postpedicel tipped with a pit-enclosed spine-like sensory element. Face black, ventral mystical area dull silver pruinose, dorsal area between mystax and antennal sockets bright gold pruinose. Mystax with long black and white setae and two dorsolaterally situated groups of silver, glistening, scale-like setae. Dorsal region of face with 1 or two pairs of tiny black or white setae situated close to antennal bases. Frons black, dull silver pruinose with a few fine black setae laterally adjacent to eye margin. Ocellar tubercle with a pair of long, strong, black macrosetae. Vertex black, gold pruinose. Postocular (occipital) region black, shiny silver pruinose, black setose dorsally, fine white setose ventrally. Palpi and proboscis dark red-brown to black, white setose.

Thorax: Black, with areas of silver and gold pruinescence, black and white setose. Pronotum black. Mesonotum black, extensively shiny apruinose, but with areas of fine silver-gold pruinescence situated mainly laterally and posteriorly. Acrostichals black, poorly developed to absent. Dorsocentrals black, poorly developed, extending both anterior and posterior of transverse suture. Mesonotal macrosetae: Black, 1 npl, 2 spal, 2 pal. Scutellum shiny blue-black with narrow gold pruinose anterior margin, disc with few isolated tiny black setae, 4 long black apical macrosetae (accompanied by 2 small setae). Pleura: Black, entirely gold-silver pruinose, black and white setose.Anepisternum with two black macrosetae posteriorly. Katatergal macrosetae black (dorsally) and white (ventrally). Anatergites uniformly gold-silver pruinose, asetose. Legs ( Fig. 20 ): Coxae black, silver pruinose, fine white setose. Trochanters shiny black, apruinose, white setose. Femora somewhat inflated, orange except for narrow black distal tip, black and yellow setose. Tibiae and tarsi shiny blue-black, macrosetae black, fine setae mostly yellowish. Claws black, pulvilli and empodia well developed. Wings: ♂ 7.3× 2.5 mm, ♀ 8.3× 2.9 mm. Veins blackish, cell r 5 open, m 3 and cua closed and stalked, membrane unstained, transparent, microtrichia largely absent from proximal half of wing and extensive in distal half ( Fig. 6 ). Halter pale yellow to orange.

Abdomen: Shiny blue-black, apruinose except for terga that have tiny posterolateral areas of silver pruinescence and sterna that have narrow posterior margins silver pruinose. T1 with 2–4 laterally situated white macrosetae, T2 and T3 with 1–2 white macrosetae, T4 with or without a single white macroseta laterally. Fine setae white, short on terga, longish on sterna.

Male terminalia ( Fig. 13 ): Rotated through 90°. Epandrium as a single shield-like plate, showing no indication of bifurcation distally but tapering slightly to broad apex. Proctiger jutting out beyond distal end of epandrium, dorsal and ventral lobes of similar development. Gonocoxites composed of external and internal lobes. External lobe broader proximally (broader than epandrium in lateral view), tapering gradually to about three-quarters of length before rapidly tapering to fairly narrowly rounded apex in lateral view. Internal lobe laterally compressed, jutting out distally well beyond level achieved by external lobe, broader proximally, clearly dorsally hooked terminally. Gonostylus projecting to about the same distance as internal lobe of gonocoxite, laterally compressed, somewhat parallel-sided, apex clearly dorsally hooked. Hypandrium, reduced to a subtriangular sclerite less than half the length of gonocoxites, with moderately rounded terminal lobe. Aedeagus of moderate length with three terminal prongs.

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

Material examined: MADAGASCAR: 1♂ ‘ Madagascar: Province / Fianarantsoa; Parc National / Ranomafana ; Vohiparara ; / at broken bridge; el 1110m; / 21°13.57'S, 47°22.19'E;’, ‘ ex malaise trap in high altitude / rain forest; 12–19.ii.2002 / California Acad of Sciences ; / coll: M. Irwin, & R. Harin’Hal / MA-02-09A-16’ ( CAS) ; 1♂ ‘ Madagascar, Tulear Prov. / Zombitse Nature Reserve / 16km E Sakaraha 825m / tropical forest on sand / 22.8823°S 44.7006°E [22°50'23"S 44°43'44"E, c. 860 m] / M.E. Irwin and E.I. Schlinger / MEI.99-MA-14, 13.xii.1999 ’ ‘CASENT / 8019485’ ( CAS) ; 1♀ ‘ Madagascar : Prov. / Fianarantsoa, 7km / W Ranomafana [National Park 21°19'S 47°23'E, c. 1515 m], 900m / 1 – 9 February 1990 / W. E. Steiner’ ( USNM) .

Other material: Oldroyd (1960) listed only the ♀ holotype housed in the MNHN. Data supplied are ‘ Madagascar Est : Maroantsetra, Ambohitsitondrona [? = Ambohitsitondroinan 15°34'32"S 50°00'41"E, c. 750 m] (J. Vadon)’, ‘ Décembre’ .

Remarks: Both specimens studied by me and listed above have all femora almost entirely orange; only the distal ends are narrowly black. Photographs of Oldroyd’s type, provided by Dr E. Fisher show that the femora are half black and half orange. This suggests that there are either two different species involved or that there is some variation. For the present I consider this difference to represent variation.

Distribution, phenology and biology: Known only from the three widely separated Madagascan localities, each in a different province ( Fig. 35 ). Collected in the summer months of December and February ( Table 1 ). Associated with tropical forest on sandy substrate at Zombitse Nature Reserve and so assumed to occupy similar environmental conditions elsewhere. Records suggest an association with forests between altitudes of 750– 900 m. 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 11–15. Notiolaphria male terminalia (note: rotated through 90°). (11, 12) No.coerulescens (Macquart, 1834) (Madagascar, Lambomakakandro):(11) lateral and (12) ventralviews;(13) No.dimidiatifemur (Oldroyd, 1960) (Madagascar,Zombitse Nature Reserve):lateral view; (14, 15) No.microtheres sp.n. (Madagascar, Mikea Forest): (14) lateral and (15) ventral views. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figs 20, 21. Notiolaphria species, metathoracic legs: (20) No. dimidiatifemur (Oldroyd, 1960) ♀, (Madagascar,7 km W Ranomafana);(21) No.rifitibia (Oldroyd,1960) ♂, (Madagascar, Foulpointe).

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 (▲).