Afroestricus persuasus (Oldroyd)

Scarbrough Table Of Contents, Aubrey G., 2005, Afroestricus, a new Afrotropical Ommatine (Diptera: Asilidae) genus with twenty species and two species groups, Zootaxa 1041 (1), pp. 1-76 : 41-44

Afroestricus persuasus (Oldroyd)

Figs. 101–110 , 194

Ommatius persuasus Oldroyd 1960: 306 c omb. n. Martin 1964: 324; Oldroyd 1980: 347.

Description, male. Body 11.4–13.0 mm; wing 8.1 mm. Head: Face yellow tomentose with white setae and 6–8 black bristles; FHWR 1.0:4.8. Antenna with pedicel and scape yellow, flagellum dark brown; FWLR 1.0:2.5. Frons dull yellow tomentose; lateral setae about as long as scape. Occiput yellowish tomentose, setae yellow to white; 5 to 7 thin, black postocular bristles, tips of longest 1/3 to 1/2 distance toward ocellar tubercle.

Thorax: Pronotum slightly brownish­gray tomentose, bristles yellow. Mesonotum with two narrow stripes medially and two spots laterally, both reddish­brown tomentose, sometimes separated narrowly by yellowish­gray tomentum, otherwise brown tomentum dorsally, sides yellowish­gray; setae mostly brown and short, anterior acrostichal setae about as long as scape; sides with yellow setae; three to four long dorsocentral bristles posterior to transverse suture, dorsocentrals more anteriorly much shorter and thinner; four to five lateral bristles present. Scutellum yellowish­gray tomentose with scattered light setae, a prominent preapical groove, and two marginal bristles. Pleuron mostly gray tomentose, anepisternite yellow; most bristles and setae white; anepimeral bristle black. Halter yellow

Wing: As Fig. 3a except as follows. Cell r 1 narrow apically, apex more pointed with R 2+3 curved forward about 50 degrees. Vein R 4 moderately curved forward. CuA 1 +M 3 about as long as r­m crossvein. Cell m 1 WR 1.0:3.5:3.4.

Leg: Fore coxa yellow, middle and hind coxae and trochanters brown; coxae gray tomentose with white setae. Femora yellow, narrow apex of middle and hind femora brown; black bristles present. Middle femur without preapical posteroventral bristle. Hind femur strongly swollen, concave ventrally with pronounced mound which bears a row of numerous, close spaced bristles that curves posteriorly on the basal 1/3; bristles bordered with numerous short, black setae; HFWLR 1.0:3.1. Tibiae yellow except narrow apex and apical 1/2 anteriorly of hind tibia; only black bristles present; hind tibia with flat, black, apical spurlike bristle. Tarsi with all basal tarsomere mostly and at least narrow base of remaining tarsomeres on the fore and middle tarsi yellow, apex of basal tarsomeres light to dark brown; tarsomeres otherwise brown; fore and middle tarsi with four yellow bristles respectively, bristles otherwise black.

Abdomen: Mostly yellowish­gray tomentose with yellowish setae; terga dorsally brownish with black setae.

Terminalia ( Figs. 101–106 ): Brown. Epandrium with narrow, deep notch dorsoapically. Gonostylus distinctive. Distiphallus short, slightly sigmoid, apex exposed laterally; epiphallus narrow. Gonocoxite long in lateral view, apex at or just before ventrolateral corner of epandrium. Hypandrium broadly rounded.

Female. Differs as follows. Body 11.1 mm; wing 8.6 mm; FHWR 1.0:4.9, FWLR 1.0:2.9; cell m 1 WR 1.0:6.5:6.5; HFWLR 1.0:5.2. Body tomentum stronger yellow than in male. Thorax: Scutellum with a weak preapical groove. Halter knob red, stalk yellow. Leg: Fore femur with a weak anterior preapical bristle, only slightly thicker than nearest bristle. Middle femur with five to six long, thin, anteroventral bristles. Hind femur not swollen, without a basoventral mound or ventral concavity; posteroventral row of bristles aligned longitudinally. Fore tibia and fore tarsus with two yellow bristles laterally. Abdomen: Tergum 8 mostly reddish, basally more dark brown; surface subshiny, tomentum sparse or absent; two stout black bristles in apical corner. Sternum 7 with four stout black brsitles. Terminalia ( Figs. 107–110 ): Tergum 9 about 1/3 as long as cercus, mostly sclerotized, membranous posteriorly. Sternum 8 black setose, sparse bristly setae laterally. Spermatheca annulate, only slightly larger apically. Genital fork distinctive.

Specimens examined. 1 M, MADAGASCAR: N, Ramena 10.vi.1991, A. Friedberg and Fini Kaplan ( NMSA) ; 1 M, Madagascar NW, Nosybe Forest, SE Lakobe Res , 5.iv.1991, A. Friedberg and Fini Kaplan, ( NMSA) ; 1 F, Madagascar N.? Diego Suarez [= Antsiranana 12°20’14”S 49°10’58”E], Montagne de Francaise , 12.iv.1991, A. Friedberg and Fini Kaplan ( NMSA) ; 1 M, 1 F, Madagascar, Oriental Forest Dist, Tanvanoa betw. Tamatave [= Toamasina] and Tananarine [= Antananarivo] 1.v.1937, C. Lamberton ( USNM) ; 1 F, Madagascar, Tananarine [= Antananarivo 18°51’47”S 47°36’39”E], iv.1949 ( CASC) ; 1 M, 5 F, Madagascar, Oriental Forest, Fanovana [=Fanovano 18°15’00”S 48°34’0”E], Tamatave District [date, collector?] ( ANSP) .

Distribution ( Tables 1, 2; Fig. 194 ). Collected in northern Madagascar from April to June.

Remarks. Afroestricus persuasus is distinguished from congeners by the yellow fore coxa, characters in the key and distinctive terminalia ( Figs. 101–110 ). The male is further recognized by the swollen hind femur and the numerous, close­spaced, posteroventral bristles on basal 1/3 of the hind femur which are bordered dorsally by abundant, short, black setae. Presently, A. persuasus is the only known species of Afroestricus in Madagascar.

Figures

FIGURE 194. Distribution of six species of Afroestricus in Africa and Madagascar.

FIGURES 101–110. Afroestricus persuasus (Oldroyd). Male terminalia: 101–103. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. 104. Gonostylus. 105–106. Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views. Female terminalia: 107–108. Dorsal and ventral views. 109. Spermatheca. 110. Genital fork.

FIGURES 3–4. Character states of the wing and postocular bristles of the subgenus Afroestricus Scarbrough. 3a–b. Wing venation of the macroscelis and the minutus species groups. 4a–b. Short, erect and long, thin, postocular bristles bristles. Abbrevations: First radial cell=r1; fourth radial cell=r4; discal cell=d; radial­medial crossvein=r­m; first medial cell=m1; third medial cell=m3.