Damalis vitripennis Osten Sacken

Young, Charles L. & Hradský, Milan M., 2008, Robber flies (Diptera: Asilidae) of South Korea. Parts VI – VIII. South Korean species of the Subfamilies Dasypogoninae, Dioctriinae and Trigonomiminae, Zootaxa 1876, pp. 1-18 : 14-15

Damalis vitripennis Osten Sacken

( Figs 23–25 )

Damalis vitripennis Osten Sacken, 1882: 106 . Xenomyza vitripennis Oldroyd, 1972: 261 .

Small sized dark flies, 9.0–10.5 mm. Damalis vitripennis is distinguished from Damalis andron by the hind femur, and clear wings (see key above). Both Frey (1934) and Oldroyd (1975) noted a “hyaline” or “brownish tint” to the wings in their descriptions, but our South Korean specimens consistently have clear wings.

Adult. Male.

Head. Face gold micropubescent, dark laterally, concave medially. Mystax with 4 yellow bristles. Antennal segments 1, 2 black with black hair, set deeply in pits; arista black at base, distally yellow, apex white. Genae with gold micropubescence. Vertex black with sparse gold micropubescence and sparse fine yellow hair. Thorax black with bright gold micropubescence and yellow and white hair. Pleura covered in bright gold micropubescence and white hair. Scutum black micropubescent with black acrostical hair, broad median stripe surrounded by anterior black and posterior gold micropubescence. Postpronotum dull yellow. Postalar callus with patch of fine yellow hair laterally. Long, sparse, yellow, acrostical hair present posteriorly. Scutellum dull yellow/black with sparse, fine, gold micropubescence and fine, sparse, white hair; margin with sparse, fine, yellow hair. Legs dark yellow, black at joints; black and white hair and bristles present. Hind femur ventrally with 2 rows of medioapical, stout, black spines. Hind coxa with long black bristles. Wings clear, veins brownish. Abdomen: Strongly clavate (club-shaped), yellow; tergites with black apical bands and white and black hair and fine micropubescence (giving abdomen overall a bright sheen when light is reflected). Tergite 1 entirely yellow with white hair. Tergites 2–8 yellow with broad, black, apical bands. Male genitalia ( Figs 23– 25 ) dark yellow. Epandria undivided and lobes widely separated, as in Damalis andron ( Fig. 20 ). Gonopod ( Fig. 25 ) elongated, slender. Aedeagus broad, prominent, opened at apex, as in Damalis andron ( Fig. 21 ).

Female. Similar to males. Tergite 2 entirely yellow. Tergites with apical black bands narrower. Tergite 8 entirely yellow with long black hair. Dorsal cercus tapered, narrow with long stiff white hair. Material examined. Chollabuk Province. 1 ɗ: 6/VIII/1999, Taedunsan Mt. N. P., 127°20’00”E, 36°05’00”N. 2 ɗɗ, 3 ΨΨ: 5/VIII/1999, Puan-gun, Pyongsanbando N. P., 35°16’36”N, 127°33’50”E. Kangwon Province. 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ: 31/VII–16/VIII/2003, Chuncheon Nam-Myon, Magon-Li, Hongcheon River, 37° 43’ 78”N, 127° 34’ 58”E.

Field notes. Damalis vitripennis forages from the tips of tall greases and weeds where it hangs in a downward position. No recorded prey. See also the table on prey and seasonality.

Figures

FIGURE 23 – 25. Damalis vitripennis, male genitalia. 23, lateral; 24, ventral; 25, gonopod, ventral.

FIGURE 17 – 22. Damalis andron, male genitalia. 17, lateral; 18, ventral; 19, gonopod, ventral; 20, epandrium, dorsal; 21, aedeagus, dorsal; 22, head, anterior.