Anthomyia latilamina, Ackland, 2001

Ackland, D. M., 2001, Revision of afrotropical Anthomyia Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), with descriptions of ten new species, African Invertebrates 42, pp. 1-94 : 61-64

Anthomyia latilamina sp. n.

( Figs 133–141 )

Holotype Ò: KENYA: ‘Holotype’ [circular printed white label with red perimeter]; ‘Nanyuki, Ka [=Kenya] / de Bruin (1) / 14 Jan 59 / em 21 Jan’ [white rectangular handwritten in pencil label]; ‘ SOUTH AFRICA [sic]: / pres. by F. Zumpt / BM 1976– 209’ [rectangular white printed label]; ‘ HOLOTYPE / Anthomyia Ò / latilamina / D. M. Ackland’ [red rectangular printed and handwritten label]. In good condition. Genitalia dissected and mounted in water-soluble DMHF resin on card, on staging pin. In BMNH. The label ‘South Africa’ was a general label applied to material presented to the Natural History Museum by Zumpt; de Bruin bred several species of Anthomyia from bird nests in East Africa, and sent them to Zumpt. As the paratype is labelled ‘em. bird’s nest’ it is safe to assume that the holotype did likewise.

Paratype Ò: UGANDA: Lodwar , 10.ii.1959, em. [emerged] 14.ii., bird nest ( BMNH). [ FIGS 133–141 ]

Etymology: From the L. latus =wide, and L. lamina =blade, a reference to the wide surstyli.

Male:

Colour: Interfrontalia, parafrontalia and genae varying from dark brown to blackish (with rather dense silvery dusting); parafrontals opposite lunule with a brownish orange shifting sheen stripe which extends from lunule to level of arista, and a brownish orange partly non-shifting spot in vibrissal angle which extends above genal groove when viewed in profile; face and occiput blackish (with normal dusting), upper part of occiput greyish dusted.Antennae dark brown, pedicel light brownish apically. Palpi dark brown, orange apically; arista paler in middle; prementum dark brown, thinly greyish dusted medially. Thorax ( Figs 133, 134 ) densely dusted (over dark ground-colour) with contrasting black and silvery grey pattern on dorsal surface; transverse postsutural band across the scutum complete between wing bases (anterior and posterior margins irregularly indented, the anterior margin not reaching suture, posterior margin reaching 2nd postsutural dorsocentral setae); presutural spots small, each spot hardly filling the space between presutural dorsocentrals and anterior posthumeral setae (and not reaching posterior posthumeral seta); scutellum largely black, with only its tip silvery grey. Pleura largely grey dusted, only lower part of the post pronotal lobes and anterior corner of anepisternum brownish black. Abdomen largely densely dusted over orange ground-colour, with contrasting black and grey pattern on tergites. Wing membrane slightly brownish orange tinged; veins orange-brown, except stem vein and membrane basally which are whitish; squamae as pale as wing base with whitish fringes; halteres yellow. Legs dark brown with grey dust (trochanters and femora partly orange).

Head: Parafrontalia 1.5 times width of anterior ocellus, not quite touching posteriorly (separated by narrow frontal stripe which is about half width of anterior ocellus), widening anteriorly to about width of first flagellomere; eyes at narrowest point separated by 3 times width of anterior ocellus; genae below lowest point of eye margin 0.32–0.34 times eye-height. 2 pairs of parafrontal setae on anterior half of distance between antennal base and anterior ocellus (anterior pair very small); minute interfrontal setulae. First flagellomere 2.5 times as long as wide (apex not reaching lower facial margin); arista tapering from base to apex (not abruptly narrowing in distal two-thirds), nearly twice length of first flagellomere, very short pubescent, longest hairs not as long as diameter of base. Prementum about 0.25–0.3 times as long as head height.

Thorax: 3 pairs of presutural acrostichals (the middle the longest) in rows separated by about distance from each to adjacent dorsocentral row, without additional setulae in between; acr / dc ratio 1:1:1; posthumerals1 + 1; prealar of same length or slightly longer than posterior notopleural; dorsal surface of scutellum bare centrally, lateral setulae (on sides) rather long; katepisternals 2 + 2, lower posterior as long as upper posterior seta, lower anterior half length of upper; anepisternum without a developed upper anterior setula, at most a slightly longer hair present.

Legs: f2 with row of 3 pv on about basal half; f3 with 7–9 av on whole length; t1 with a short ad and a longer median 1 pv; t2 with 1 ad, 2 pd and 2 p/pv; t3 with 1 av, 5 ad, 3 pd and 3–5pv.

Wing: costa with all marginal spinules short; the pair before distal break hardly differentiated, about 1.5 times length of adjacent spinules; lower crossvein slightly sinuate, joining M 1+2 obliquely; last section of M 1+2 1.5 times length of preceding section. Lower squama smaller than upper.

Wing length up to 6.5 mm.

Abdomen: 4th sternite ( Fig. 137 ) about twice as long as wide (wider than half width of 5th sternite), with a straight posterior margin, with long lateral setae. 5th sternite processes ( Figs 137, 138 ) short, with a few short setae laterally at their bases, otherwise with short bi-triserial rows of setulose hairs on their concave inner margins which are continuous with the apical setulae; membranous lobes hardly projecting ventrally in lateral view. Central process of synsternite (6+7) ( Fig. 141 ) with divergent arms in apical half only, tips of arms minutely pilose. Surstylus ( Fig. 136 ) slightly downcurved, very wide medially in lateral view, tapering to a rather narrow apex, bearing a ventral row of rather long setulae and 2 short spinules below the angle of its inner lobe; in profile upper dorsal margin with a moderately well developed lobe. Cercal plate ( Fig. 135 ) of about equal length and width, with a few short apical spinules and 1 pair of longer setulae on either side of them, otherwise setulose only on basal half, in profile apex not projecting, concealed behind surstylus. Pregonite ( Fig. 139 ) short and wide, with 2 setulae on the oblique distal margin; postgonite ( Fig. 139 ) with an widely expanded setula (extension beyond setula very narrow, and deeply indented just beyond setula). Distal section of aedeagus ( Fig. 140 ) with a proclinate dorsal process separated from its base by half its length, dorsal margin of distal section concave in lateral view, with the forked tips of its dorsal sclerotization projecting beyond the downcurved acrophallic sclerite.

Female unknown.

Discussion: A. latilamina is a distinctive species; one might mention the narrow postsutural crossband, the wide surstyli, the widely expanded seta on the postgonite (with a narrow dorsal extension), the narrow subbasal dorsal process on the distal section of the aedeagus, and the characteristic shape of the 5th sternite (ventral view). Its close relationship with amoena is indicated by the oblique and finely setulose inner margins of the 5th sternite processes (but not finely pilose as in amoena ), the wide 4th sternite, and the finely but sparsely pilose arms of the process on sternite (6+7).

Distribution: Only known from the type material from Kenya and Uganda.

Figures

Figs 133–141. Anthomyia latilamina sp. n. Ò holotype. 133. Thorax, dorsal view. 134. Ditto, lateral view. 135–141. Terminalia. 135. Cercal plate and surstyli, caudal view. 136. Ditto, lateral view. 137. 4th (part) and 5th sternites, ventral view. 138. 5th sternite, lateral view. 139. Gonites. 140. Distal section of aedeagus. 141. Central process of synsternite (6+7).