Ampsalis iterabilis (Walker), 1859

Winterton, Shaun L., 2023, Wasp-mimicking soldier flies of the Australian Region: revision of Ampsalis Walker, Elissoma White and Lagenosoma Brauer (Stratiomyidae: Clitellariinae), Zootaxa 5246 (1), pp. 1-63 : 14-16

Ampsalis iterabilis (Walker)

( Figs 9 ; 35 )

Tracana iterabilis Walker, 1859: 99 .

Ampsalis iterabilis Walker, 1859: 99 — Brunetti, 1923: 111 [redescription, synonymy]; James, 1975a: 29 [catalogue]; Woodley, 2001: 153 [catalogue].

Diagnosis. Wing smoky infuscate in distal third, pterostigma light brown; head yellowish brown; antenna subequal in length to head width; scutum black; scutellum black with relatively large spines; abdominal tergites 3–6 with broad yellow margin; legs yellow, hind femur and tibia darker in basal half.

Redescription. Body length = ca. 11.0 mm. Head. Frons slightly rounded, yellowish brown; face and parafacial yellow with short black setae; occiput black, yellow dorsally; antenna length subequal to head width, scape and pedicel dark yellow with black setae, flagellomeres I–II pale yellow, flagellomeres III–VIII brownish black, flagellomere VIII elongate and deeply plumose with microtrichia. Thorax. Black with faint yellow markings, scutum and scutellum black with dense white adpressed setal pile, postalar callus brown; antepronotum yellowish; pleuron with broad yellow margin along dorsal and posterior edges of anepisternum (more pronounced in female); scutellar spines relatively large, equal to 1/2 of scutellum length; coxae yellow to brown, legs yellow, foretibia light yellow, hind femur with broad, brown band on basal half, hind tibia brown, yellow apically; tarsi whitish yellow; haltere brownish yellow; wing hyaline, dark smoky infuscate in apical third beyond discal cell; venation brown, yellowish basally; pterostigma yellow. Abdomen. Ovoid, yellow, tergite 1 black, tergites 3–6 with broad, black-brown medial stripe (more discreet in female). Genitalia. Not dissected; terminalia apparently broken and lost from male lectotype.

Comments. As mentioned in the comments under A. geniata , it has been suggested that these two species are synonymous, but they are retained as distinct species here based on multiple characters of colour and vestiture, as well as differing antennal length and scutellar spine shape. Alfred Russell Wallace also collected the type series, presumably during his stay in the countryside outside of Makassar. The head is missing from the paralectotype, and most of the antennae missing from the lectotype, so details of the antennal colour and shape are taken from the original description by Walker (1859) and subsequent redescription by Brunetti (1923). Ampsalis iterabilis is distinguishable from other species in the genus by the yellow legs with dark banding in the hind femur and hind tibia, smoky infuscate wing in distal third, antenna length subequal to head width, and absence of translucent windows in abdomen.

Type material— Lectotype: 1 male, INDONESIA: Sulawesi: ‘ Makassar’ Ujung Pandang [-5.1562, 119.4184], A. R. Wallace ( OUMNH) [examined] . Paralectotype: INDONESIA: Sulawesi: 1 female, same data as lectotype ( NHMUK) [examined] .

Figures

FIGURE 9. Ampsalis iterabilis (Walker). A. Male lectotype, dorsal view; B. same, lateral view (images by Robert Douglas, copyright Oxford University Museum of Natural History); C. female paralectotype, lateral view (images by Martin Hauser with permission of The Natural History Museum, London).

FIGURE 35. Distribution of Australasian Ampsalis species.