Atherigona (Acritochaeta) yorki Deeming 1971

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A. & Deeming, John C., 2020, The Muscidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, descriptions of two new species, new records and updated list of species, Zootaxa 4869 (1), pp. 1-54 : 32

Atherigona (Acritochaeta) yorki Deeming 1971 ( Fig. 45 )

Atherigona (Acritochaeta) yorki Deeming, 1971: 147 .

Specimens examined. 1m, 3f, Asir, Abha, Madenate Al-Ameer Sultan, Hay Al-Sad , 25.ii–25.v.2002, Malaise trap, H . A . Dawah ( NMWC; CERS) ; 1m, same data but 19.vi.–9.vii.2013 ( CERS) ; 2m, Asir, Maraba, Al-Hudaithy Fruit Farm , 1–30.v.2004, Malaise trap, H . A . Dawah ( CERS) ; 1m, same data but 1–17.vi.2003 ( NMWC) .

Distribution. This species was previously recorded for Saudi Arabia by Dawah & Abdullah (2009). It was described from Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Sudan. In Arabian Peninsula it was recorded from Yemen (Ba-angood & Hubaishan 1985).

Biological remarks. Deeming (1971) reared this species from guinea corn shoots ( S. bicolor ), millet stems ( Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.), elephant grass ( Pennisetum purpureum Schumach ) shoots and maize. It has been recorded from millet as a parasitoid of pyralid moth caterpillars (i.e. Coniesta ignefusalis (Hampson) and Chilo zonellus (Swinhoe)) . Also this species has been reported as a pest of introduced high-yielding cultivars of sorghum, but not the variety “Baini” (Ba-angood & Hubaishan 1985).

Figures

FIGURE. 43–45. Muscidae species habitus: 43) Atherigona (Acritochaeta) orientalis Schiner, 1868, Male; 44) Inner surface of left surstylus (base omitted) of Atherigona (Acritochaeta) tedderi Deeming, 1979 showing the difference in shape and chaetotaxy from that of the holotype; 45) Atherigona (Acritochaeta) yorki Deeming, 1971, Male.