Saropogon melampygus ( Loew, 1851 )

Londt, Jason G. H., 1997, Afrotropical Asilidae (Diptera) 29. A review of the genus Saropogon Loew, 1847 (Dasypogoninae), ANNALS OF THE NATAL MUSEUM 38, pp. 137-157 : 147-149

Saropogon melampygus ( Loew, 1851)

Figs 16-20

Dasypogon (Saropogon) melampygus Loew, 1851: 10 . melanopygus. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

In his original description, Loew (1851) makes no mention of the material upon which his taxon was based. The likely holotype, housed in the ZMHB, does not bear Loew's name, the hand-written identification label merely having the letter 'm' where one would expect the author's name. A survey of other major European institutions failed to produce any other material and so I accept the ZMHB specimen as the holotype of melampygus .

Redescription: Based on holotype ♀.

Head ( Figs 16-17 ): Face brown-yellow, gold pruinose; frons, vertex and occiput dark red-brown (except for a small yellow-brown subtriangular area behind occelarium), silver pruinose except for a transverse band across vertex, including most of ocellarium, which is shiny apruinose. Setae of frons and vertex black, of occiput yellowish and dark red-brown. Antenna brown-yellow, distal nine-tenths of flagellum and microsegment dark brown; setae mostly dark red-brown, a few yellow; proportional lengths of segments - 1: 0.9: 2.9; 0.3; microsegment with subapical pit-enclosed seta. Width of eye: width of face ratio 1.3: 1. Mystax composed of 11 setae, yellowish except for 2 black ones at lateral extremities; confined to a single row on lower facial margin. Palpus dark red-brown. Proboscis dark red-brown, straight.

Thorax: Mesonotum largely dark red-brown, postpronotal and postalar lobes as well as posterior part of mesonotum brown-orange; fine silver pruinose especially along lateral margins. Macrosetae: 3 yellow-orange npl; 2-3 yellow-orange spal (1 black); 2 yellow-orange pal; ca. 4 pairs black dc postsuturally. Scutellum brown-orange, with 2 yellow marginal macrosetae; disc asetose, fine silver pruinose. Pleura dark redbrown to black, silver pruinose; katatergite with ca. 8 scattered fine yellowish setae. Coxae as pleura. Wing: 6.0 x 2.3 mm; cells m, and cup closed at margin; membrane yellow-brown stained, mostly opaque; microtrichia covering entire surface except alula and proximal part of anal lobe. Halter: Brown-yellow. Legs: Brown-yellow; setae yellow and dark red-brown, most microsetae dark red-brown.

Abdomen: Dark yellow-brown and dark red-brown - TI-2 yellow-brown, T3-5 yellow-brown with dark red-brown anterolateral parts, T6-terminalia dark red-brown to black; macrosetae yellowish, confined to lateral parts of T 1.

Variation: Other material listed appears conspecific and displays very limited variation except for slight colour differences. d genitalia (Senegal specimen) ( Figs 18-20 ): black; rotated ca. 90° clockwise; proctiger characteristically heavy and downtumed distally; hypandrium tapering distally and lacking obvious membranous terminal lobe ( Fig. 20 ); phallus well developed ( Fig. 20 ).

Material examined: Type: SYRIA: 1 ♀ holotype, ' Syria / Chrenb.'; ' Saropogon / melampygus / m'; ' Typus [orange]' ( ZMHB) .

Other (Afrotropical): ERITREA: 1 ♀ 'Eritrea: / Jebbel [= Jebel] / Geddem

[15°20'N: 39°35'E] / 9.ii.1956 / D. J. Greathead' ( BMNH); 1 ♀ ' Eritrea: / Jebel / Geddem / 22.ii.56 / D. J. Greathead' ( BMNH) ; I ♂ ' Eritrea: / Sheb [15°50'N: 39°03'E] / 10.ii.1956 / D. J. Greathead' ( BMNH) ; 1 ♂ I 9 ' Eritrea: / Sheb / on / Heliotropis / 17. ii.1956 / D. J. Greathead' ( BMNH) ; 3 ♂ ' Eritrea: / Arkiko [= Hargigo - lS032'N:39°27'E] / 14.iii.1961 / D. J. Greathead' ( BMNH) ; 2 ♂ 1 ♀ ' Eritrea: / Arkiko / l. iv.1961 / D. J. Greathead' ( BMNH) . MALI: 1 9 N. Mali, 350m / Adrar [Adrar des Infora region - ca. 20oN:2°E] / 20.x-2.xi.81 / G. Popov' ( BMNH) . MAURITANIA: 1 ♂ 2 ♀ ' Mauritania / Aounel Atrous [Ayoun el 'Atrous- 16°38'N: 9°37'W] / 1 O. ix.61 / G. B. Popov' ( BMNH) . NIGER: 1 ♂ ' Niger: Gaya [11 °52'N: 3°28'E] / viii.75 / G. B. Popov' ( BMNH) . SENEGAL: 3 ♂ 1 ♀ ' Senegal 25-35 km / sud de Richard Toll [16°28'N: 15°41'W] / piege malaise / 29.9.1989 [& 13.9.1989,31.8.1989, 18.8.1989] / leg. H. v.d. Valk c.s.'; ' Saropogon d / longicornis (Macq. 1839) / Det. J.G.H. Londt' ( NMSA) ; 10 ♂ 3 ♀ same date but 18.iii., 25 & 31.viii, 2, 29 & 30.ix.89 ( WAAU) . SOUTH YEMEN: 1 ♀ ' Arabia: E. A. P. / Waddi / Jardan [l 5°58'N: 46°48'E for Ayadh - see below] / 7.vi.1956 / D. J. Greathead' ( BMNH). SUDAN: 1 9 ' Sudan / EI Fau [t 4°09'N: 34°20'E] / (Kassala P.) [ Province ] / 13-17. x. 1978 / K. Guichard' ( BMNH).

Other ( Palaearctic ): EGYPT: 1 ♂ ' Ezbet-Naghl [?] / 12.6.21 '; ' ColI. Efflatoun / Egypt'; 'CO H. Curran / Collection / Acc. 31144'; ' Saropogon / melanopygus Lw. / Det Efflatoun' ( CASC) .

Note: Wulp (1899) records melampygus on 'several specimens of both sexes', collected by Col. Yerbury from Lahej (13 °01'N: 44°54'E) and Shaik Othman (Shaikh 'Othman - 12°53'N: 45°01'E) in South Yemen. He commented on variation in the species, drawing special attention to coloration of the antennae, mystax and abdomen. His material, which I have not seen, is presumably in OXUM.

Biological notes: Greathead (pers. comm.) has provided me with the following descriptions of localities at which he collected this species:

Jebel Geddem - 'Prominent volcanic mountain on coast at southern end of bay on south side of Massawa. I collected on the lower slopes where dense Acacia spp. bush grows on the outwash of silt derived from lava'.

Sheb - 'Settlement by wadi at foot of escarpment, therefore relatively moist with scattered Acacia spp. and ephemeral vegetation after rain when collections were made'..

Arkiko - 'Large village by sea on bay south of Massawa. Open plain with heavily grazed short grassland. Scattered grazed Acacia spp. shrubs'.

Wadi Jardan - 'Runs past the settlement of Ayadh. Dry river bed with Calotropis procera and Leptadenia pyrotechnica (both Asclepiadaceae ) on sand/gravel plain with the annual grass Aristida plumosa after rain. Scarcely rains, main source of moisture from underground water draining from mountains to south'.

These notes clearly indicate that melampygus is associated with Acacia savanna, a fact well supported by the distributional data available.

Relationships: A distinctive species, perhaps most closely similar to kenyensis (see above).

Figures

Figs 16--20. Saropogon melampygus Loew, d (Richard Toll). 16--17. Head. 16. Lateral. 17. Anterior. 18-20. d genitalia. 18. Lateral. 19. Dorsal. 20. Ventral. Scale lines equal 1 mm.