Ischiolobos holcocephaloides ( Lindner, 1955 ) Londt, 2005

Londt, Jason G. H., 2005, A review of afrotropical Afroholopogon Londt, 1994 with the description of a new genus and new species (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 46 (1937), pp. 203-252 : 232-234

Ischiolobos holcocephaloides ( Lindner, 1955) , comb. n.

Figs 65–67 , 80

Heteropogon holcocephaloides Lindner, 1955:30 , 31; Oldroyd 1980: 362 (catalogue). Type locality: Tanzania. Afroholopogon holocephaloides [sic]: Londt 1994: 64.

Redescription: Based on holotype.

Head: Antenna: Dark red-brown, fine gold pruinose, yellow setose; segmental formula 1.0:1.4:4.0:0.1:1.4. Face dark red-brown, entirely gold-silver pruinose, mystax yellow, strong ventrally, centrally weak, dorsal region asetose. Face width:head width ratio 1.0:4.5. Frons and vertex dark red-brown, entirely gold-silver pruinose, tiny fine yellow setose. Occiput dark red-brown (colour masked by gold-silver pruinescence covering entire area), fine pale yellow setose. Proboscis red-brown, yellow-white setose. Palpi red-brown yellow setose.

Thorax: Mesonotum dark red-brown, entirely gold-silver pruinose with brown-red patches. Setation: ac – tiny pale yellow (a little longer postsuture); dc – fine yellow, longer postsuture; npl – 3 short yellow accompanied by a few smaller setae; sa – 1 fine yellow accompanied by some tiny yellow setae; pa – 1 fine yellow and a few tiny setae. Scutellum red-brown, entirely gold-silver pruinose, disc with a few tiny yellow setae, margin with approx. 4 thin yellow setae. Pleura red-brown, entirely gold-silver pruinose, sparsely yellow setose. Wing 4.9 x 2.1 mm,light brown, microtrichia red-brown, covering entire membrane, basal angle of r 4 20°. Halter yellow with brown-pink knob. Legs: cx red-brown, gold-silver pruinose, yellow setose, anterior surface of cx 3 with peg-like projection ( Fig. 5 , ơ from Mkuzi); trochanters brown; fem yellow with brown dorsodistal parts, fine yellow setose (brown on brown parts); tib yellow with brown distal half, yellow setose; tar yellow-brown, distal segments darker than proximal ones, setae yellow and brown.

Abdomen: Terga mostly yellow, T7–9 orange-brown, fine gold pruinose, especially laterally, fine yellow setose. Sterna mostly yellow, S7–9 orange-brown, entirely fine gold-silver pruinose, fine yellow setose. Genitalia: Holotype not dissected, but agrees well with Mulanje ơ illustrated ( Figs 65–67 ): Hypopygium rotated through between about 180°; epand (in dorsal view) shallowly incised distomedially to form slightly bilobed cupped structure; goncx externally distally unilobed; hypd (in lateral view) short and not projecting distally beyond level attained by goncx, tapering rapidly (in ventral view) to somewhat pointed medial process.

Variation: Individual variation minimal, but some geographical variation evident. The holotype appears slightly teneral in that its colours are somewhat paler when compared with other specimens. The Kenyan female has slightly more extensively darkened hind femora, while specimens from the southern parts of the range have black ventral femoral setae rather than yellow ones. The Marieps female is somewhat unusual in having orange postpronotal lobes and parts of the thoracic pleura.

Type specimens (seen): TANZANIA: ơ holotype, 1ơ paratype, ‘Kware b. Moshi [0321S 3720E] / 27.xii.– 13.i.1952 / D. O. Africa Exp.’, ‘4.i.52’, ‘ Holcocephala / sp. inder. / det. H. Oldroyd. 1953 / NOT caligata Speiser’, ‘ Heteropogon / holcocephaloides / Lindner det Lind.’. The ơ is labelled ‘Typus / Lindner / 1954 [sideways] [red ink]’ while the ^ is labelled ‘Paratypoid / Lindner / 1954’ (SMNS).

Other material studied: KENYA: 1^, ‘Kenya, Rt. A109 / Kibwezi [0225S 3758E] 200 Km / S.E. Nairobi / 2,7. xii.1989 / A. Freidberg / & Fini Kaplan’. MALAWI: 1ơ, ‘Malawi Zomba Plateau / 13–14.xii.1980 1500 m / Londt & Stuckenberg / 1535Ad Montane forest’; 2ơ 3^, ‘Malawi Mulanje Mnt. / Likabula river valley / 28–30.xi.1980 1535Dc / 1000 m Stuckenberg & / Londt Riverine / Brachystegia woodland’. SOUTH AFRICA:1^, ‘Marieps Mnt.[2432S 3052E] / Jan. 1926 / G. van Son.’; 1ơ 1^, ‘Mt Emlembe near Havelock / Mine on Barberton Road / 25°55'S, 31°07'E. 2531CC / 7 Nov. 70 Stuckenberg 1425 m / Montane forest & streams’; 1ơ, ‘South Africa, Natal Prov. / 20 mi. N. Jozini (2732Ac) / Nov. 28, 1971 ME & BJ Irwin / dry hillside; 750 ft. el.’; 1^, ‘South Africa, Natal Prov. / 10 mi. N. Jozini (2732Ac) / Nov. 28, 1971; ME & BJ Irwin / dry forest; 800 ft. el.’; 1^, ‘South Africa: Natal / Mkuze Reserve / 3215E 2740S [order reversed] 21.xii.92 / P E Reavell 120 m / Light in Acacia / veld’; 1ơ, ‘Mkuzi 50 1/26/2005 / °S- 27.62638 °E 32.25995 / Acacia grandicornuta / Short Open Woodland / Transect 1 / Earthwatch Team 11 / d1125’; 1ơ, ‘Mkuzi 51 20/1/2005 / °S- 27.66356 °E 32.26732 / Acacia nilotica and Acac / tortilis Woodland / Pan_trap 8 Yellow / Earthwatch Team 10 / d513’; 1ơ 3^, ‘South Africa, Natal Prov. / Zululand, Dukuduku Forest / 4 mi. W. of St. Lucia; 3 m. / Nov. 26, 1971; (2832Ad) / ME & BJ Irwin’; 2ơ 4^, ‘South Africa: Natal / Krantzkloof Nat. Res. / 2930DD / Date: 8.xi.1984 / Coll: J.G.H. Londt’.

Distribution (Table 1), phenology (Table 2) and biology: The southern African distribution is shown in Fig. 80 . Localities in East Africa are too few to warrant illustration. The species flies from November to January. Although labels suggest an association with forests, the species probably lives in grassy ecotonal situations.

Similar species: A. mesotopos (see discussion).

Figures

Figs 65–76. Ischiolobos species, male genitalia: (65–67) I. holcocephaloides (Lindner, 1955), Mulanje Mnt.: (65) lateral, (66) dorsal, (67) ventral; (68–70) I. mesotopos sp. n., paratype, Queen Elizabeth Park: (68) lateral, (69) dorsal, (70) ventral; (71–73) I. niveoscutum (Hull, 1967), 10 km E Rhodes: (71) lateral, (72) dorsal, (73) ventral; (74–76) I. notios sp. n., paratype, Sundays River Valley: (74) lateral, (75) dorsal, (76) ventral. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 80. Southern African distribution of Ischiolobos gen. n. species: holcocephaloides – closed circle, mesotopos – open circle, niveoscutum – closed square, notios – open square.

Figs 1–6. (1) Diagrammatic representation of how the basal angle of the fourth radial cell (r 4) was measured; (2) Afroholopogon fugax (Loew, 1858), entire male,Akkerendam Nature Reserve;(3) Afroholopogon uranopia sp. n., male head, paratype, Graaff-Reinet; (4) Afroholopogon vumba (Oldroyd, 1974), wing, holotype; (5) Ischiolobos holcocephaloides (Lindner, 1955), left metacoxa, Mkuzi male, showing anterior peg-like process; (6) Ischiolobos mesotopos sp. n., entire male, holotype.