Acnephalum punctipennis Macquart, 1855

Londt, Jason G. H., 2010, A review of Afrotropical Acnephalum Macquart, 1838, including the reinstatement of Sporadothrix Hermann, 1907 and descriptions of two new genera (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 51 (2), pp. 431-482 : 441

Acnephalum punctipennis Macquart, 1855

Macquart’s holotype, in good condition (antennae broken off beyond pedicels; scutellar macrosetae damaged), was studied and compared with the andrenoides lectotype. Despite being a female it is very similar, and only the differences recorded below were noted. There is no doubt that punctipennis is a synonym of andrenoides .

Head: Antenna: Scape and pedicel uniform red-brown. Thorax: Entirely dark red-brown. Scutellar disc with a few white setae laterally. Legs: Mostly orange-brown. Wing: 8.4× 3.6 mm. Membrane mostly transparent, but with some basal staining that extends over costal region. All vein junctions are orange stained giving wings a spotted appearance. Abdomen: Generally strongly white setose, bordering fringe not well-developed (as is normal for females).

Holotype: SOUTH AFRICA: ♀ ‘Holo­ / type’ [circular, red­rimmed], ‘ Acnephalum / punctipennis / Macq. / 184 in / Coll. / Bigot.’, ‘Coll. Bigot / abt. 1845-93. / Pres 1913 by / J.E. Collin.’, ‘ A. punctipen / = nis. / 184 / ♀. Macq. n. s. / Pron. del Aiguillu [somewhat illegible] (D. Eu.) [somewhat illegible]’ [A large label made of two pieces of paper glued together, one upon the other. Probably originally placed below the specimen in a drawer], ‘Type Dip.: 155 / Acnephalum / punctipennis / Macquart / Hope Dept. Oxford’ (OXUM ).

Notes: Macquart (1855) gives specimen information as ‘De l’Océanie, cap des Aiguilles. M. Bigot.’ which somehow established the belief that the species was Australian.There is little doubt that the specimen comes from South Africa as it closely resembles other specimens from the region. While the precise provenance remains a mystery, the locality information appearing on the large label cited above, which is poorly hand written with a fine pen, and is somewhat illegible, may in fact pertain to Cape Agulhas. It is of interest that this species was entirely and inexplicably, although correctly, overlooked during the preparation of the Diptera catalogue of the Australasian and Oceanian regions.