Daspletis hermanni ( Ricardo, 1925 ) Londt, 1983

Londt, Jason G. H., 1983, The Genus Daspletis Loew, 1858 And The Description Of Two New Genera, Anasillomos And Remotomyia (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 46 (2), pp. 283-308 : 288-289

Daspletis hermanni ( Ricardo, 1925) comb. nov. Figs 6-10

Microstylum hermanni Ricardo, 1925: 249

Daspletis salicior Oldroyd, 1974 ,: 37. Syn. nov.

Redescription: Based on syntypes of hermanni, types of salicior and other material as listed below.

Head: Antenna ( Fig. 6 ): scape and pedicel dark brown with white bristles and setae; first fiagellomere yellow-brown, quite slender. Face yellow-brown, fine gold pruinose, profile as in Fig. 7. Mystax limited to facial protuberance, compoed of long yellow-white bristles and short white setae. Vertex dark red-brown, gold pruinose, equipped with yellow bristles and setae. Ocellarium similar to hirtus. Occiput dark redbrown, silver pruinose, equipped with white bristles and setae; dorso-central part with shortish bristles only (ie. no long sinuous bristles as in hirtus etc.) Proboscis dark redbrown, reddish ventrally and with a number of long white setae. Palp dark brown with yellow-white setae.

Thorax: Pleura dark red-brown, gold pruinose, with pale yellow-white bristles and white setae. Katatergite with about 12 long whitish bristles and a few white setae. Antepronotum with whitish bristles and setae. Anatergite with a cluster of fine white setae laterally. Mesonotum dark brown, gold pruinose. Postpronotal lobes brownorange with ca. 10 shortish pale yellow-white bristles and setas; ca. 9 yellow-white notopleural bristles (4 anteriorly, 5 posteriorly), ca. 4 supra-alars, ca. 3-4 postalars, all pale yellow-white. Dorsocentral bristles pale yellow-white, extending to anterior of mesonotum. Posterior part of mesonotum with a few fine white setae medially between dorsocentrals. Scutellum with 6 long yellow-white bristles marginally; disc with a few fine small white setas. Halters yellow-brown. Legs: Brown-orange, following parts dark redbrown - coxae, outer dorsal parts of fore and mid femur, ventral half of hind femur. Bristles and sctae whitish, not particularly abundant or well developed. Claws dark brown with proximal halves orange. Wings: 12,5-16,0 mm long; 3,7— 5,2 mm wide. Membrane almost colourless in ♀, brown stained in ♂ (particularly along veins}. Venation dark brown. Cell r5, may be closed with a short stalk, closed on wing margin or narrowly open (d specimens tend towards open condition while 9 specimens tend towards closed condition). Cell m; always closed and stalked, cup narrowly open or closed on wing margin.

Abdomen: Terga and sterna dark brown, antecostae may be brown-yellow. Marginal bristles (yellow) present only on tg 1 other terga and sterna with fine shortish white setae only (longer anteroventrally). ♀ with setae on segments 4-7 anteriorly directed. ♂ genitalia as in Figs 8- 10 .

Variation: Sexual dimorphism limited almost entirely to wing coloration.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Province: 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (Lectotype ♂ and paralectotype), Willowrnore , 25.x.1916, Dr Brauns ( BMNH) ; 2 ♂ 6 ♀ (including ♂ holotype, 2 ♀ paratypes of D. salicior), Willowmore , 20.x.1921 I, Dr Brauns ( NM) ; 1 ♂ Hopetown, Nelspoort , 19. ix.1940, G. van Son ( NM) .

Previously recorded material: Ricardo (1925) did not designate a holotype but merely dealt with her specimens as syntypes. I hereby designate one of the males in the BMNH as lectotype and the other ♂ and ♀ paralectotypes. Ricardo also records 2 ♀, from Kimberley and from Cape Colony. These specimens are not in the BMNH but probably in the South African Museum (Cape Town). Oldroyd’s (1974) types of salicior included a ♀ from Twee Rivieren which definitely belongs to D. hirtus.

Remarks: Preliminary' work on the genus Microstylum, undertaken at the BMNH, revealed that M. hermanní Ricardo was the only described species of. Microstylum to possess a facial protuberance occupying more than half the distance between antennal bases and lower facial margin. and dorsocentral bristles anterior of the trans» verse suture. It has subsequently been noted that the postmetacoxal membrane in hermanni is covered with long setae like other Daspletis species and unlike most species of Microstylum. These features were possessed by all described Daspletis species and so, at least until more detailed work has been done on Microstylum, I suggest hermanni should be considered a valid species of Daspletis even though it is the only species displaying sexual dimorphism in wing coloration (a situation not uncommon in Microstylum).

Oldroyd's specimens of D.salicior from Willowmore are identical to others he identified as M. hermanni , a situation difficult to understand. His drawing of the male holotype genitalia of salicior (see his Fig. 25 ) shows the fused gonocoxitcs as rather short and with a sharply pointed subapical process. A rer-examination of the specimen shows that Oldroyd had not dissected it and that the fused gonocoxites were broken at the time the drawing was made.

Despite the intensive collecting done by Brauns this species was collected only in September and October ( Table 1 ).

Figures

Figs 6-10. Daspletis hermanni (Ricardo). 6- 7. Hopetown male. 6. Antenna, lateral aspect. 7. Head. 8-10. Lectotype male genitalia. 8. Lateral. 9. Ventral. 10. Dorsal.

Figs 1-5. Anasillomas chıysopos spec. nov. paratype male. 1. Antenna, lateral aspect. 2. Head and part of thorax. 3-5. Genitalia. 3. Lateral. 4. Ventral. 5. Dorsal.