Afrotethina aurisetulosa (Lamb, 1914)

Figs 13, 22, 25, 30.

Distribution: Afrotropical: Kenya, Madagascar, Mascarenes (La Réunion *, Mauritius *, Rodrigues *), Mozambique, Seychelles (Aldabra, Anonyme, Cosmoledo, Long, Mahé). Oriental: Chagos.

Material examined (all “A.H. Kirk-Spriggs & B.S. Muller, sweeping intertidal zone and coastal vegetation”, unless otherwise stated). La Réunion: 5♀, St.-Paul, beach, 20°58′15″S, 55°16′56″E, 0–5 m, 21.x.2015 , A.H. Kirk Spriggs, sweeping intertidal zone (2♀ deposited LMC); 1♀, St.-Pierre, Pointe de Pont, 21°20′51″S, 55°28′52″E, 0– 6 m, 13.xi.2015 , A.H. Kirk Spriggs, sweeping intertidal rocks and coral beach; 1♀, Pointe de Tremblet, 21°17′34″S, 55°48′21″E, 0–9 m, 9.xi.2015 , M.J. Ebejer, general sweeping; intertidal zone & sandy beach (deposited MJEC). Mauritius: 3♀, Black River, Le Morne Brabant, 20°27′32″S, 57°19′42″E, 1–3 m, 28.i.2018 ; 4♂, 3♀, Black River, Tamarin, 20°19′41″S, 57°22′33″E, 1–3 m, 28.i.2018 ; 2♂, 3♀, Flacq, Poste Lafayette, 20°07′02″S, 57°45′05″E, 1–3 m, 30.i.2018 ; 1♀, Flacq, Troud’Eau Douce, 20°14′20″S, 57°47′34″E, 1–3 m, 27.i.2018 ; 1♀, Grand Port, Grand Sable, 20°19′12″S, 57°46′12″E, 1–3 m, 27.i.2018 ; 6♂, 12♀, Pamplemousses, Le Goulet, 20°06′14″S, 57°31′02″E, 1–3 m, 30.i.2018 (1♂, 1♀ deposited LMC) ; 1♂, Pamplemousses, Tombeau Bay, 20°08′00″S, 57°29′54″E, 1–3 m, 30.i.2018 ; 1♀, Pamplemousses, Trou aux Biches, 20°02′36″S, 57°32′14″E, 1–3 m, 29–30.i.2018 ; 1♀, Rivière du Rempart, Bain Boeuf, 19°59′13″S, 57°36′12″E, 1–3 m, 30.i.2018 ; 2♀, Rivière du Rempart, Grand Gaube, 20°01′00″S, 57°40′55″E, 1–3 m, 29–30.i.2018 ; 1♀ (cf.), Savanne, Bel Ombre, 20°29′32″S, 57°22′42″E, 1–3 m, 26.i.2018 ; 2♀, Savanne, Riambel, 20°31′09″S, 57°30′25″E, 1–3 m, 26.i.2018 ; 6♂, 6♀, Savanne, Rivière des Galets, 20°30′04″S, 57°26′52″E, 1–3 m, 26.i.2018 (1♂ deposited LMC) . Rodrigues: 1♂, 2♀, Anse Ally, 19°41′42″S, 63°29′48″E, 1–3 m, 10.ii.2018 ; 2♂, 1♀, Anse Mourouk, 19°44′23″S, 63°27′53″E, 1–3 m, 10.ii.2018 ; 2♂, 4♀, Plaine Corail, 19°46′05″S, 63°22′36″E, 1–3 m, 9.ii.2018 (1♂, 1♀ deposited LMC) ; 2♂, 2♀, Rivière Banane, 19°40′37″S, 63°28′30″E, 1–3 m, 10.ii.2018 (1♂ deposited LMC) (all deposited BMSA, unless otherwise stated).

Comments: Originally described from Seychelles, this delicate, pale yellow beach fly was later recorded from the central-eastern coast of the Afrotropical Region, including Madagascar (Munari & Mathis 2010) and from the remote Chagos Islands to the east (Munari 2015). The species is recorded herein for the first time from the Mascarenes. Afrotethina aurisetulosa belongs to an endemic Afrotropical genus, which includes eight species of which A. martinezi Munari, 2005 is known so far exclusively from the southern Arabian Peninsula.