Afroholopogon fugax ( Loew, 1858 )

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 : 217-218

Afroholopogon fugax ( Loew, 1858)

Figs 2 , 30–32 , 77

Holopogon fugax Loew, 1858: 350 , 351 [1860: 166, 167]; Oldroyd 1974: 47, fig. 38 entire male; 1980: 362

(catalogue). Type locality: South Africa .

Afroholopogon fugax: Londt 1994: 64 , figs 20–23 ơ genitalia.

Redescription: Based on lectotype (a small specimen). Overall appearance as in Fig. 2 (Akkerendam ơ).

Head: Antenna: Dark red-brown, fine silver pruinose, white setose; segmental formula 1.0:1.2:4.6:0.2:2.0. Face dark red-brown, entirely strongly silver pruinose, mystax white, strong setae ventrally weaker dorsally but extending over entire face. Face width:head width ratio 1.0:4.9. Frons and vertex dark red-brown, weakly silver pruinose to shiny apruinose, white setose (long ocellars). Occiput dark red-brown, silver pruinose, white setose. Proboscis and palpi red-brown, white setose.

Thorax: Mesonotum dark red-brown to black, shiny apruinose except for narrow silver lateral and posterior margin. Setation: ac – long thin white; dc – long thin white; npl – 2 white; sa – 1 long white; pa – 1 long white. Scutellum dark red-brown to black, largely shiny apruinose except for narrow silver anterior margin, disc asetose, margin with 4 thin macrosetae accompanied by fine white setae arranged in two rows. Pleura dark red-brown, entirely weakly silver pruinose, white setose. Wing 3.4 x 1.4 mm, transparent (slightly milky appearance), microtrichia weak to absent, basal angle of r 4 32°. Halter pale brown with pale brown (dorsally) and white (ventrally) knob. Legs: cx dark red-brown, silver pruinose, white setose; trochanters dark red-brown; fem dark red-brown with narrow brown-yellow distal part, white setose; tib brown-yellow, white setose except for a few dark red-brown macrosetae distally; tar brownyellow and white setose except for some dark red-brown macrosetae ventrally.

Abdomen: Terga dark red-brown, shiny apruinose except for narrow silver lateral margins that are more extensive posterolaterally, white setose (tiny setae medially, long setae laterally). Sterna mostly hidden due to curvature of terga, red-brown, silver pruinose, long white setose. Genitalia: Holotype not dissected, but agrees well with Willowmore ơ illustrated ( Figs 30–32 ): Hypopygium rotated through between 90–180°; epand (in dorsal view) deeply incised medially to form two pointed lobes joined narrowly basally; goncx externally distally bilobed, lobes of distinctive shape; hypd (in lateral view) gently curved and projecting distally beyond level attained by goncx, tapering rapidly (in ventral view) to elongated forked medial process.

Variation: Sexes similar. The lectotype male is one of the smallest specimens seen. The female paralectotype on the same pin is, however, of average size (wing-length

5.1 mm, width 2.0 mm). Both type specimens appear slightly teneral as most of the other specimens are black rather than dark red-brown in colour. Femora are usually black while tibiae are brown-orange. A little variation has been seen in the shape of the hypandrial fork, in that the length of the terminal fork may vary slightly.

Type specimens: SOUTH AFRICA: ơ lectotype, 1^ paralectotype (pinned one above the other), ‘104’, ‘255’, ‘ Holopogon / fugax’ ( NHRS) .

Notes: Oldroyd (1974) incorrectly gives the type repository as ZMHB. Loew (1858) described both male and female specimens without designating a type. In 1860 he elaborated on his descriptions, stating that the specimens had been found in copula, but again did not designate a type. These specimens must therefore be considered syntypes. As there are other species resembling fugax , it is essential to designate a lectotype; I hereby designate the male as lectotype and the female as paralectotype.

Although locality information is not cited on labels, Loew gives ‘Caffraria (Wahlb.)’ (1858) and ‘(Caffrerei, Wahlberg.)’ (1860) as the origin of the specimens.This poses a problem.Wahlberg’s route is well documented ( Usher, 1972) and in no way overlaps with the known distribution of the species. I therefore designate a type locality where presence of the species has been well established – South Africa, Northern Cape,Akkerendam Nat. Res., 1 km N of Calvinia (3127S 1946E).

Other material studied: NAMIBIA: 1ơ, ‘ Aus [2616 CB] / Dec. 1924 ’, ‘ S.W. Africa. / R. E. Turner. / Brit. Mus. / 1930-113.’ ( BMNH) . SOUTH AFRICA: 1^, ‘26 mls North / of Postmasburg [2819S 2304E]’ ~ ‘Mus. Staff / Oct. 1939 ’ ( SAMC); 1^, ‘ Aggenys [2912S 1851E] or / Bushmanland / Btw Springbok / and Pella’ ~ ‘Mus. / Staff / Oct. 1939 ’ ( SAMC); 1ơ, ‘ Knersvlakte [3115S 1845E]. North / of Van Rhynsdorp / South-West Cape / 6–9 October 1964 / B&P Stuckenberg’; 2^, ‘ Sth Africa : Cape Prov / Hantamsberg summit / 15.xi.1986 3119BD / Quickelberge & Londt / 1600 m Rocky macchia’; 6ơ 7^, ‘ S Africa: N Cape #31 / Akkerendam Nat. Res. / 1 km N of Calvinia 1260 m / 31°26'55''S: 19°46'22''E / 9–10.xi.1998 JGH Londt / Karoo vegetation’; 8ơ 7^, Sth Africa: N Cape / 12 km S of Calvinia / 31°34'10''S: 19°43'56''E / 7.ix.2002 J.G.H. Londt / 1080 m Sandy roadside’, ‘Data correction / For ix read xi’; 2^ 1?, ‘Sth Africa: Cape Prov / 47 km E of Williston / 14.xi.1986 3121AB / Londt & Quickelberge / 1280 m Rocky scrubland’; 2ơ, ‘ S Africa: Cape #27 / 15 km E of Sutherland / 32°23'S: 20°48'E 1600 m / Date: 26.xi.1990 / Whittington & Londt / Valley nr Observatory’; 1ơ, ‘ Tankwa Karoo / Waterval [3235S 2025E] / C.P.’ ~ ‘ Mus. Exped. / Nov. 1952 ’ ( SAMC); 2ơ 2^, ‘ Capland / Willowmore [3317S 2330E] / 20.11.1916 / Dr. Brauns. ’; 1ơ, ‘ Capland / Willowmore / Dec. 1 1916 / Dr. Brauns. ’; 1^, ‘ Capland / Willowmore / 25.11.1916 / Dr. Brauns. ’; 1ơ, ‘ Capland / Willowmore / 1.12.1916 / Dr. Brauns. ’; 1ơ, ‘ Capland / Willowmore / 5.12.1916 / Dr. Brauns. ’; 1ơ, ‘ Resolution [3318S 2632E] / Albany Distr / 17.10.1927 / A. Walton’ .

Other material recorded: Oldroyd (1974) gives ‘Willowmore (Brauns), Resolution, Albany Dt. (Walton), S.W.Africa: Seeheim (van Son).TRANSVAAL:Kruger National Park (Potgieter & Strydom)’.The specimens from Willowmore and Resolution are probably correctly identified. The Kruger National Park material is likely, however, to represent another species. Oldroyd’s (1974) drawing (his fig. 38) does not agree with fugax and is likely to represent a male from Seeheim as it agrees well with xeros described below.

Distribution (Table 1), phenology (Table 2) and biology: Fairly widely distributed in the south-western parts of South Africa. Found mainly in the Succulent Karoo and Nama-Karoo biomes ( Fig. 77 ). The species flies from October to December. Specimens have been collected among low woody plants in fairly arid areas.

Similar species: Superficially similar to argos and aspros , but considered most similar to chirundu , tanystylos and xeros (see discussion).

Figures

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.

Figs 20–32. Afroholopogon species, male genitalia: (20–22) A. capensis (Lindner, 1961), 9 km SW Willowmore: (20) lateral, (21) dorsal, (22) ventral; (23–25) A. chirundu sp. n., paratype, Chirundu: (23) lateral, (24) dorsal, (25) ventral; (26–29) A. dasys sp. n., paratype, Abd al-Kuri: (26) lateral, (27) right gonocoxite, (28) dorsal, (29) ventral; (30–32) A. fugax (Loew, 1858), Willowmore: (30) lateral, (31) dorsal, (32) ventral. Arrows indicate broken gonostylus. Scale lines = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 77. Southern African distribution of Afroholopogon Londt, 1994 species: africanus – closed circle, anassa – open circle, chirundu – closed square, fugax – open square, vumba – closed triangle.