Agaedioxenis brevicornis (Villeneuve, 1939) Cerretti & O’Hara & Winkler & Lo Giudice & Stireman, 2015

Cerretti, Pierfilippo, O’Hara, James E., Winkler, Isaac S., Lo Giudice, Giuseppe & Stireman, John O., 2015, Two tribes hidden in one genus: the case of Agaedioxenis Villeneuve (Diptera: Tachinidae: Exoristinae), Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 15 (3), pp. 489-512 : 505-507

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1007/s13127-015-0211-0
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C53D317-5C05-45D7-A9E4-FB6E6D6F28DE
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038587E4-FFAB-295F-FCC1-FA3DFA50CB42
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Agaedioxenis brevicornis (Villeneuve, 1939)
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Agaedioxenis brevicornis (Villeneuve, 1939) , comb. nov.

( Figs. 2a View Fig , 3c–d, k View Fig ; 4g View Fig , 5e–f View Fig ; 6e View Fig , 8a–d View Fig )

Gaedioxenis (Agaedioxenis) brevicornis Villeneuve, 1939: 1 View in CoL . Holotype male (BMNH). Type locality: Zimbabwe, Mutare [as “Umtali”] District.

Gaedioxenis brevicornis View in CoL : Crosskey (1980: 878), Afrotropical catalogue.

Gaedioxenis propinqua Villeneuve, 1939: 2 View in CoL . Holotype female (not located). Type locality: South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal [as “Natal”]. Syn. nov.

Gaedioxenis propinqua View in CoL : Crosskey (198 0: 878), Afrotropical catalogue.

Note about synonymy. Gaedioxenis brevicornis and Gaedioxenis propinqua were described in the same paper by Villeneuve (1939). We consider these names to be subjective synonyms, with the former based on a male and the latter on a female of the same species. Acting as the First Reviser, we select G. brevicornis as the senior synonym (Article 24.2.2 of the Code, ICZN 1999).

Note about the holotype of Gaedioxenis brevicornis Villeneuve. The holotype is pinned sideways on a micropin (minuten) and double-mounted on a rectangular card. The head is detached and glued, face up, to the same card. The left fore leg and right hind leg are missing. The specimen is otherwise in good condition but generally rather dirty (D. Whitmore, pers. comm. April 2014).

Material examined. 1♂, “Capland” [ South Africa, Western Cape], Stellenbosch , 10.ix.1926, Dr. H. Brauns ( NMDA) . 1♂, same data except 13.ix.1926 ( NMDA) . 1♀, same data except 15.x.1926 ( NMDA) . 1♀, same data except 21.x.1926 ( NMDA) . 1♂, same data except 25.x.1926 ( NMDA) . 1♂, Kapstadt [ South Africa, Western Cape, Cape Town], 13.x– 7.xi.1958, Lindner ( CNC) . 1♀, “Natal” [ South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal], Mooi River, Willow Grande, Well Brook , 18.x.1913, R. C. Wroughton ( CNC, abdomen missing) . 2♂♂, “S. Rhodesia” [ Zimbabwe], “Umtali Dist.” [Mutare District], Vumba Mountains , iii.1938, A. Cuthbertson ( CNC, labelled by Villeneuve as a paratype of Gaedioxenis brevicornis but the species was described from a single male) .

Description.

Body length: 9–12 mm.

Male.

Colouration: Head ground colour black except genal groove and facial ridge which are dark red. Head covered with grey reflecting microtomentum. Scape and pedicel yellow to reddish brown; postpedicel and arista black. Palpus mainly yellow and usually with blackish tip. Thorax (except scutellum) black; scutellum anteriorly black turning into red on posterior 2/3 or more. Presutural area of scutum with 4 well-outlined dark vittae (lateral pair subtriangular, median pair straight and narrow); postsutural area of scutum, when viewed from behind, with 5 dark vittae, all extending length of postsutural area though ending shortly anterior to transverse suture. Legs black. Tegula and basicosta black. Wing membrane hyaline. Abdomen almost entirely black in ground colour, sometimes faintly reddish laterally on tergite 4. Tergites 3 and 4 with a band of whitish reflecting microtomentum on anterior 1/3 or less, tergite 5 with at most a narrow band of whitish or brownish reflecting microtomentum.

Head ( Figs. 2a View Fig , 3c View Fig ): Compound eye bare. Frons 0.70–0.85 times as wide as compound eye in dorsal view. Inner vertical seta long and robust. Outer vertical seta not or only slightly [often varying within single specimens] differentiated from postocular row. Ocellar seta strong, proclinate. Fronto-orbital plate with an irregular row of strong medioclinate setae lateral to frontal setae running most of length of frontal setae but decreasing in size on upper portion, sometimes with several additional strong setae on lower portion. Two to 4 upper reclinate orbital setae. Proclinate and lateroclinate orbital setae absent. Parafacial flat, at its narrowest point 1.30–1.45 times as wide as postpedicel; parafacial covered with fine, long, black setae (sometimes confined to lower 1/2 of parafacial). Facial ridge concave, with decumbent setae on lower 1/4–1/5. Vibrissa strong, arising at or slightly above level of lower facial margin. Face slightly raised and usually barely visible in lateral view. Lower facial margin protruded and clearly visible in lateral view. Postpedicel 1.1–1.2 times as long as pedicel. Arista apparently bare, thickened on basal 1/2–3/4. First aristomere at most as long as wide; second aristomere about 1.0–1.5 times as long as wide. Genal dilation well developed. Gena in profile 0.28–0.43 times as high as compound eye. Occiput flat or slightly convex; posterodorsal portion of occiput with 1–2 irregular rows of black setulae behind postocular row. Rest of occiput and postgena almost entirely covered with fine, pale setae. Palpus long and narrow, sub-cylindrical. Prementum slender, 0.55–0.65 times as long as height of head.

Thorax: Four postpronotal setae, the 3 strongest basal setae arranged in a straight line; 1 strong anterior seta arising between mid basal and inner basal setae. Scutum with 3+3 acrostichal setae; 3+4 dorsocentral setae; 1+3 intra-alar setae; 1 to 3 posthumeral setae; 1+3 supra-alar setae (first postsutural supra-alar seta longer than notopleural setae); notopleuron with 2 strong setae, equal in length and thickness; postalar callus with 2–3 setae. Anatergite bare. Prosternum with several long setulae on lateral margin. Proepisternal depression bare. Katepimeron bare. Four katepisternal setae. Anterior and posterior lappets of metathoracic spiracle unequal in size (posterior lappet larger, operculum-like). Apical scutellar setae varied from absent to long and thin, if present then divergent. One pair of subapical scutellar setae, 1 pair of lateral, and 1 pair of basal setae; lateral and subapical setae subequal in size or lateral pair slightly shorter; 1 pair of widely separated discal setae and 1–2 pairs of strong, erect preapical setae. Postmetacoxal area membranous.

Legs: Fore tibia with 2 posterior setae. Preapical anterodorsal seta of fore tibia about as long and robust as preapical dorsal seta. Fore claws longer than fifth tarsomere. Mid tibia with 3–5 anterodorsal setae. Submedian ventral seta on mid tibia present. Row of anterodorsal setae of hind tibia very irregular in size (i.e., not forming a comb-like row) ( Fig. 3k View Fig ). Preapical posteroventral seta of hind tibia distinctly shorter than preapical anteroventral seta. Hind tibia with 3 dorsal preapical setae (mid-dorsal one usually shorter than preapical anterodorsal and preapical posterodorsal setae).

Wing: Costal spine well developed, about 1.2 times as long as crossvein r-m. Vein R 4+5 with 2–3 setulae only at base. Bend of M vein obtuse. Costa sector cs 2 ventrally bare. Costal sector cs 4 about as long as cs 6. Section of M between crossveins r-m and dm-cu clearly longer than section between dm-cu and bend of M. Section of M between dm-cu and bend of M shorter than postangular section of M. Cell r 4+5 closed at wing margin or short petiolate. Wing membrane uniformly covered with microscopic setulae.

Abdomen ( Fig. 4g View Fig ): Ventral edges of syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3 and 4 entirely overlapping corresponding sternites. Mid-dorsal depression of syntergite 1+2 extending posteriorly to hind margin of syntergite. Syntergite 1+2 with 1 pair of median marginal setae, and 1–3 pairs of lateral marginal setae; tergite 3 with 1 pair of median marginal setae, and 1–2 pairs of lateral marginal setae (the longest median marginal setae 0.9– 1.3 times as long as corresponding tergite measured at its maximum median length); tergite 4 with a complete row of marginal setae; tergite 5 with erect marginal and discal setae not arranged in rows. Tergites 3 and 4 usually without median discal setae; short median discal setae occasionally present only on tergite 4. Tergites 3 and 4 ventrally with a pair of sexual patches ( Fig. 4g View Fig ). Tergite 5 about 0.9–1.0 times as long as tergite 4.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 5e–f View Fig , 6e View Fig ): Tergite 6 divided into 2 hemitergites, not fused with segment 7. Syntergosternite 7+8 relatively narrow. Sternite 6 asymmetrical and right side connection to segment 7 narrowly membranous. Sternite 5 with anterior margin almost straight; posterior margin with a deep median U-shaped cleft. Membranous transverse band on sternite 5 well developed. Epandrium short and convex. Lateral epandrial lobe not developed. Cerci in posterior view long and sub-triangular, distally only slightly separated. Surstylus laterally compressed, shorter than cerci; distal 2/3 rounded in lateral view and proximally not fused with epandrium; with several short setulae on both outer and inner surfaces. Bacilliform sclerite rod-shaped and fused to surstylus antero-basally; surstylus with a stout median, proximal apophysis ( Fig. 6e View Fig , red arrow), visible in lateral view in form of a postero-proximal lobe ( Fig. 5f View Fig , red arrow). Hypandrial arms strongly approximated, fused or not fused posteromedially. Pregonite well developed, sub-triangular, hook-shaped distally. Postgonite narrow, distally pointed and gently bent anteriorly. Intermedium well developed. Ejaculatory apodeme present, small. Basal processes of basiphallus present. Epiphallus very short and membranous, arising dorsally in distal position (i.e., close to junction between basiphallus and distiphallus) (as in Fig. 6g View Fig ). Ventral wall of distiphallus concave. Lateroventral region of distiphallus sclerotized. Medioventral ridge of distiphallus not developed. Extension of dorsal sclerite of distiphallus well developed (as in Fig. 6g View Fig ).

Female differs from male as follows:

Head: Frons 1.20–1.33 times as wide as compound eye in dorsal view. Two or 3 upper reclinate orbital setae, 2–3 strong proclinate orbital setae and 2 lateroclinate orbital setae. Outer vertical seta well developed, lateroclinate. Thorax: Fore claws 0.7–0.9 times as long as fifth tarsomere.

Egg ( Fig. 8a–d View Fig ): Length: 217–232 μm; width: 117– 132 μm. Shape: plano-convex. Microsculpture of thick, dorsal chorion: smooth with a barely visible polygonal microsculpture; one subcircular aeropilar area is present on anterior edge of egg. Colour: dorsal side and lateral margins blackish brown, mid-ventral, flat side whitish to pale yellow.

Distribution. Afrotropical: South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape), Zimbabwe.

Agaedioxenis kirkspriggsi Cerretti , O’ Hara and Stireman,