Promachus yesonicus Bigot, 1887

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 : 12

Promachus yesonicus Bigot

( Figs 4 , 40, 41 & 26–32 )

Promachus yesonicus Bigot, 1887: 79 .

Medium to large robust flies, 22–30 mm. Abdomen with striking bright gold marginal bands. The males are easily separated from P. anicius by the all white thickly matted hair on the dorsal surface of the epandria (black and white in P. anicius ). The lobe-shape epandrium, scutellar bristles, and male sternite 8 are also dissimilar between the two species.

Adult. Male.

Head: Face covered in dense bright gold pile streaked with darker pile. Mystax hair abundant, long, yellow. A group of peristomal hair extending to eye margin. Genae with a dense fringe of long 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 facial yellow hair. Antenna gray, brown pollinose with long slen- der style. Thorax dark brown with short black evenly dispersed acrostical hair. Paramedian stripes dark brown pollinose. Pleura covered in gold pile and long yellow hair; dorsal anepisternal hair black. Chaetotaxy with: 2–3 notopleural, 3 supraalar, 3–4 postalar bristles. Posterior dorsocentral hair long, yellow. Long, dense yellow and black scutellar hairs; long yellow marginal bristles. Legs black and yellow. Femora black with yellow and black hair and black bristles. Tibiae yellow with black distal apices and yellow and black bristles and hairs, fore tibia darker. Tarsi black with black bristles and hairs. Wings ( Fig. 4 ) tinged brown. Distal branch of R 4 straight at apical half. Abdomen black with gold marginal bands and dense white hair covering male genitalia. Dorsal surfaces of tergites with black hair. Medial and lateral gold marginal hair long and dense on tergites 2–5, weaker on subsequent tergites. Male genitalia ( Figs 26, 28–32 ) obscured with dense white hair on dorsal surfaces of epandrial lobes. Tergite 8 reduced with black hair. Sternite 8 excised and thickened medially with long black hair. Hypandrium reduced, grooved medially. Epandrium short, stout without medial tooth. Gonostylus ( Fig. 30 ) hook-like with tapering apex. Aedeagus ( Fig. 32 ) tubular and elongated, 3 pronged.

Female. Similar to male except gold abdominal bands heavier, more thickly haired. Tergites 7 & 8 metallic blue/black with long black hair. Ovipositor ( Fig. 27 ) stout and robust; cerci wide, plate-like as in P. anicius .

Material examined. Chollabuk Province. 2 ♂, 2 ♀: (2 pairs in cop.) 6/VIII/1998, Impi-myon, Kunsan-shi, 35°/37’93”N/126°/41’78”E. 18 ♂, 8 ♀: (2 pairs in cop.) 13/ VI –12/VIII/1999, Kunsan, Umpa Lake , 35°57’93”N/126°41’78”E . 2 ♂, 3 ♀: (2 pairs in cop.) 28/VII/2004, Iksan-shi, Miruksan Mt. , 36°01’12”N / 127°01’52E . 2 ♂, 1 ♀: (1 pair in cop.) 21/VIII/1998, Songsu-myon, Songsusan Mt. Resort, 35°38’26”N, 127°24’42”E . 2 ♂, 1 ♀: 20/VII/2001, Pyongsanbando N. P., Puan-gun, 37°44’57”N, 128°34’19”E.

Chungcheongnam Province. 1 ♂: 20/VI/2002 , Taejon, Chon-won-gun, P. Fauchas coll.

Kangwon Province . 2 ♀, 1 ♂: 31/VII/2006, Chuncheon, Nam-myon, Hongchon R. (west), 37°42’84”N, 127°35’73”E .

Kyongsangbuk Province . 1 ♂, 1 ♀: 28/VI/2002, Kimchon Gate, P. Fauchas coll.

Field notes. Promachus yesonicus is the most abundant and widespread of the South Korean Apocleinae . The species has a wide array of habitats, ranging from inland grassy burial mound areas, sandy river banks, island beaches and upland forests. The robber fly forages from bare earth, stones and vegetation. They mate in a tail-to-tail position. Prey: Coleoptera :? Rutelinae , Elateridae . Hymenoptera : Apidae : 2 spp., Ichneumonidae : 2 spp. 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 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.