Pseudorhyncomyia aethiopica, Rognes, Knut, 2013

Rognes, Knut, 2013, A new species in the genus Pseudorhyncomyia Peris, 1952 and the identity of P. deserticola Zumpt and Argo, 1978 (Diptera, Rhiniidae), Zootaxa 3736 (3), pp. 249-264 : 257-258

Pseudorhyncomyia aethiopica sp. nov.

Figs. 1–13 .

Holotype male, Ado, Somali province, Ethiopia (NMSA), here designated. For details, see Material examined below.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latinized adjective, gender feminine in the nominative singular, derived from the name of the African country Ethiopia where the type locality is located. The name was introduced by Zumpt on the label of the holotype.

Diagnosis. Male. Length 8 mm (n=1). Frons width at narrowest point / head width ratio: 0.06 (n=1). Cell r4+5 petiolate. Parafacial, facial membrane and anterior half of genal dilation bright shining waxy yellow without tomentum. Black spot in lower part of parafacial much smaller than black spot on gena. Thorax with green metallic colour shining thorough the layer of microtomentum dorsally. Yellow area dorsally on each side of base of abdomen affecting T1+2 and T3. Cerci with tapering, slightly curved prongs, but the strong divergence seen in Fig. 10 may be an artifact caused by Zumpt’s preparation technique, unduly flattening preparations. Surstyli enlarged distally, with bundle of black setae basally.

Female. Unknown.

Description. The generic description above includes an explicit account of specific features.

Material examined. Type material. Holotype: adult male, labelled (1) SOMALILAND [printed] // Adoland / / 9 / 12 / 53 [both lines handwritten by D. Greathead: a conclusion based on independent opinions of Annette Greathead and Neal Evenhuis] // Desert Locust Survey [printed]; (2) slide no. 61 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) Pseudorhyncomyia / aethiopica n. sp. / Zumpt 1960 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (4) NMSA-DIP / 61637 [printed] ( Fig. 7 ); (5) My holotype label. The specimen had been dissected by Zumpt and slide 61 carries a circular coverglass with the epandrial complex and two loose unidentifiable fragments; aedeagus and gonites are absent. The slide is labelled: (top of slide) Pseudorhyncomyia / aethiopica n.sp. / Zumpt / ♂ term. 61 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (bottom of slide) LOCALITY [printed] / Somaliland [handwritten by Zumpt] / DATE [printed] ( Fig. 11 ). The type locality is shown in Fig. 13 . The ST5 is intact in situ ( Fig. 12 ), like a small fragment of the TST7+8 ( Figs. 1, 2 ). Part of the abdomen has a darkening on the right side apparently caused by application of a fluid used for softening the abdominal tip before removing the genitalia directly from the pinned specimen. During the study the abdomen fell off, possibly because of a weakness in the thorax-abdomen junction. The abdomen was glued back to a card on a separate pin given copies of the original labels.

Distribution. Ethiopia ( Somali province).

Biology. Unknown. Possibly P. aethiopica has a similar life habit to P. braunsi , see below.

Discussion. Locality and collector of P. aethiopica holotype. The locality label on the holotype does not mention the name of the collector. However, it was likely David Greathead, who worked for the Desert Locust Survey in what was Somaliland at the time (Murphy & Cock 2007, Clitheroe & Villet 2011, Sarah Gess in e-mail of 27 August 2013, Annette Greathead in e-mail of 28 August 2013). Greathead’s connection with the “Adoland” locality is documented by Roffey (1958) who listed observations of Trox procerus Harold (Coleoptera) in association with egg-fields of the Desert Locust made in several countries. Therein on p. 451, bottom row, is an entry with several columns (here separated by slashes) which read “ Ethiopia / Ado / 7°19' N / 45°10' E / 24– 25.xi.1953 / …” and the last column lists “D.J.Greathead” as observer. In addition, a photograph of the Ado locality taken in December 1953 kindly made available to me by Sarah Gess (David’s sister), shows him doing fieldwork with two colleagues ( Fig. 13 ). It is labelled “At the Ado egg field, Bob Hall, self [David Greathead] and George Popov”. According to Annette Greathead (David’s wife), George Popov was the senior member of the team working in “Somaliland” and he may have been the one to forward the specimen to Zumpt. The only correspondence her husband had with Zumpt was in 1960 and 1961 relating to species of Blaesoxipha and Sarcophaga , not to other Diptera . The date 9/12/53 on the label is consistent with all of this. Name. The name aethiopica was originally an unpublished MS-name introduced by Zumpt on the label of the holotype. Zumpt must have recognized the specimen as a new species, cf. the “n.sp.” on the label he wrote in 1960 ( Fig. 7 ), but he may have forgotten all about it, for he never published the name. In 1978 he even described (together with Dorothee Argo) a “second species” in the “so far monotypic” genus Pseudorhyncomyia Peris , i.e., P. deserticola Zumpt and Argo from Namibia (“South West Africa”). No mention was made then or at any other time about P. aethiopica . The name is herewith made available from the date of publication of the present paper.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Pseudorhyncomyia aethiopica sp. nov. (from holotype in NMSA). 1. Habitus, left lateral view. 2. Habitus, dorsal view.

FIGURES 3 – 9. Pseudorhyncomyia aethiopica sp. nov. (from holotype in NMSA). 3. Head, anterior view. 4. Head, left lateral view. 5. Head, dorsal view. 6. Right suprasquamal ridge, red arrow points to bundle of white setulae. 7. Original labels on holotype. 8. Apex of wing. 9. Area around meron and posterior thoracic spiracle on left side, red arrow points to white meral setae.

FIGURES 10 – 13. Pseudorhyncomyia aethiopica sp. nov. (from holotype in NMSA). 10. Genitalia, from slide 61. 11. Labels on slide 61. 12. ST 5, in situ. 13. Type locality (courtesy of Sarah Gess).