Promachus anicius (Walker)

Young, Charles L. & Hradský, Milan M., 2008, Robber flies of South Korea-V. South Korean species of the Subfamily Apocleinae Papavero, 1973 (Diptera, Asilidae), Zootaxa 1725 (1), pp. 1-16 : 6

Promachus anicius (Walker)

( Figs 3 , 38, 39 & 12–18 )

Asilus anicius Walker, 1849: 392 .

Large, robust flies, 23–31 mm. Abdomen with striking bright gold marginal bands. The males are easily separated from P. yesonicus by the white and black thickly matted hair on the dorsal epandria (all white in P. yesonicus ). The epandrial lobe shape, scutellar bristles, and male sternite 8 ( Fig. 33 ) are also dissimilar between the two species. Promachus anicius may be identical to Promachus pallipennis ( Macquart, 1855) , as noted by Ricardo (1920) (see Discussion below).

Adult. Male.

Head: Face covered in dense bright gold pile streaked with darker pile. Mystax hair abundant, long, yellow/white. A group of peristomal hair extending to eye margin. Genae with a fringe of long dense yellow hair. Occipital fringe of shorter yellow hair and bristles merging into stout yellow and black postocular hair and bristles. Black ocellar and orbital hair; long yellow facial hair. Antenna gray, brown pollinose with long slen- der style. Thorax dark brown with short black evenly dispersed acrostical hair. Paramedian stripes dark brown. Pleura covered in gold pile and long yellow hair; dorsal anepisternal hair black. Chaetotaxy with: 2 notopleural, 2 supraalar, and 4 postalar bristles. Posterior dorsocentral hair long, yellow with 2 black bristles. Long, dense, yellow scutellar hair; 8 strong black pre marginal bristles; long yellow and black marginal bristles. Legs black and yellow. Coxae gray black with yellow hair. Femora black with yellow and black hair and bristles. Fore femur with anterior and posterior short yellow hair, and a fringe of long yellow sparse ventral hair. Dorsal hair black; 5 black anterior and dorsal bristles; 2 posterior and short apical bristles. Mid femur with anterior and posterior short yellow hair and a fringe of long yellow sparse ventral hair. Dorsal hair black; 3 black anterior bristles; 4 posterior; 5 anteroventral; 2 posterior apical bristles. Hind femur with anterior and posterior short yellow hair and a fringe of long yellow sparse ventral hair. Dorsal hair black; 5 black anterior bristles; a row of 10 ventral and strong subapical and apical bristles. Tibiae yellow with black apices and yellow and black bristles and hair; fore tibia darker. Fore tibia with black hair dorsally; yellow hair posteriorly and a long fringe of yellow hair ventrally; 2 black bristles anterobasally; l row of dorsal bristles; 1 row of long posteroventral bristles; strong apical cluster of bristles. Mid tibia with yellow hair, black apically and a weak fringe of ventral yellow hair. Four anterior black bristles; 2 rows of dorsal bristles; 4 posterior bristles; 2 ventral; strong apical cluster of bristles. Hind tibia with yellow hair, black at apices. 3 long black dorsal bristles; 2 venteroapical bristles; long apical bristles. Tarsi black with black bristles and hair. Wings ( Fig. 3 ) tinged brown. Distal branch of R 4 sinuate at apical half. Abdomen black with gold marginal bands and dense white and black hair on male genitalia. Dorsal surfaces of tergites 1–4 with gold hair; tergites 5–8 with black hair. Medial and lateral gold marginal hair long and dense on tergites 2–5, weaker on subsequent tergites. Sternites with long gold hair. Male genitalia ( Figs 12–18 ) obscured with dense hair, white basally, black apically. Tergite 8 reduced with black hair. Sternite 8 ( Fig. 33 ) with 2 lobes laterally and a bilateral lobe medially, surface with dense black hair and bristles. Hypandrium reduced, grooved medially. Epandrium ( Fig. 13 ) short, basally covered in fine white hair; a dorsal rounded lobe bearing stout black bristles and distal apices sharply toothed. Gonostylus ( Fig. 16 ) C-shaped with hooked appearance. Aedeagus ( Fig. 18 ) tubular and elongated, 3 pronged.

Female. Similar to male except tergite 7 similar to proceeding segments. Tergite 8 cylindrical, metallic blue-black with long sparse black hair. Ovipositor stout and robust; cerci wide, plate-like as in P. yesonicus ( Fig. 27 ).

Material examined. Chollabuk Province . 1 ♂, 3 ♀, 1/VIII/2003 , Sonyudo Is. Okto-Myon, 35°49’18”N, 126°24’47”E. 13 ♂, 3 ♀: same data except: 22–26/VII/2005 .

Field notes. Promachus anicius inhabits sand dunes on Sunyou—do Island off South Korea’s west coast. Promachus yesonicus was observed on the periphery of the sand dunes harboring P. anicius , but not within it. P. anicius is sympatric with Philodicus integer and Astochia virgatipes , all three species overlapping seasonally. While at rest, the male holds the epandria widely open. Prey: Diptera : Muscidae . See table 1 for prey and seasonality.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Male wing. 1. Philodicus integer; 2. Promachus nigribarbatus; 3. Promachus anicius; 4. Promachus yesonicus.

FIGURES 36–41. 36. Philodicus integer, male dorsal; 37. Philodicus integer, male lateral; 38. Promachus anicius, male dorsal; 39. Promachus anicius, male lateral; 40. Promachus yesonicus, male dorsal; 41. Promachus yesonicus, male lateral.

FIGURES 12–18. Promachus anicius, male. 12. genitalia, lateral; 13. epandrial lobe; 14. genitalia, dorsal; 15. genitalia, ventral; 16. gonostylus; 17. gonopod; 18. aedeagus.

FIGURES 33–35. Promachus anicius. 33. male sternite 8—South Korea; 34. male sternite 8—China; 35. female genitalia, lateral.

FIGURES 26–32. Promachus yesonicus. 26. male genitalia, lateral; 27. female genitalia, lateral; 28. male genitalia, dorsal; 29. male genitalia, ventral; 30. gonostylus; 31. gonopod; 32. aedeagus, lateral.