Trichardis apicalis Oldroyd, 1974

Londt, Jason G. H., 2008, A review of Afrotropical Trichardis Hermann, 1906, and the description of the first Oriental representative of the genus (Diptera: Asilidae: Laphriinae), African Invertebrates 49 (2), pp. 171-171 : 176-178

Trichardis apicalis Oldroyd, 1974

Figs 7, 8 , 58

Trichardis apicalis: Oldroyd 1974: 120 ; 1980: 355 (catalogue).

Redescription (based on ơ holotype in good condition):

Head: Uniformly brown-orange. Antenna uniformly brown-orange, yellowish setose; postpedicel not markedly clavate (L:D=3.2:1). Mystax uniformly yellowish on slightly and evenly convex face. Ocellar tubercle with 4 macrosetae. Proboscis brown-orange with dark red-brown distal half, palpi brown-orange.

Thorax: Brown-orange, dorsal parts slightly darker; mesonotal macrosetae orange, fine setae white or pale yellow. Postpronotum entirely pruinose, mesonotum apruinose except for narrow silver pruinose lateral and posterior margins. Scutellum apruinose. Anepisternum with yellow posterior macroseta; dorsal half pruinose, ventral half apruinose. Proepimeron dorsally pruinose, ventrally apruinose; katepisternum dorsally pruinose, ventrally apruinose; anepisternum posteriorly pruinose, anteriorly apruinose. Legs: Brown-orange except for terminal tarsomeres and distal parts of hind tibiae; pulvilli and empodium of similar length. Hind femur brown-orange, length:height ratio 3.5:1,

ventral tubercles poorly developed. Hind tibia lacking ventrodistal spur. Wing: 5.0× 2.1 mm. Costal vein strongly developed around most of wing margin, weak to absent along anal cell and alula. Membrane not extensively microtrichose—discal cell entirely lacking microtrichiae, cell r 5 with microtrichiae only in distal half.

Abdomen: Uniformly brown-orange, fine white setose. T2 orange, apruinose except for small areas of silver pruinescence on posterolateral corners.

ơ genitalia ( Figs 7, 8 ): Epandrium in lateral view slightly longer than basal part of gonocoxite (i.e. excluding distal projection of gonocoxite and gonostylus). Proctiger moderately dorsoventrally compressed. Hypandrium greatly reduced and simple in structure. Gonocoxite in ventral view without median projections distally and with a few moderately developed mediodistal setae; mediodistal projection stout with upturned and darkly sclerotised distal end. Gonostylus stout with upturned, slightly clavate distal end. Aedeagal prongs more or less straight, with small, slender tips.

Holotype (examined): MOZAMBIQUE: ơ ‘Holo- / type’ [circular, red edge], ‘Lourenço Marques. [Maputo, 25°57'S: 32°34'E] / Sept. – Dec., 1913. / H. A. Junod.’, ‘C. J. Wainwright / collection / B.M. 1948-488’, ‘ Trichardis / apicalis Oldr. / det. H. Oldroyd 1972 / Holotype’ [white] (BMNH).

Paratypes (examined): MOZAMBIQUE: 3 ơ 1^same data as holotype (BMNH); 1 ơ 1^same data as holotype but ‘Jan. – Mar., 1914’ (BMNH); 1 ơ ‘Para- / type’ [circular with yellow border], ‘Lourenço Marques / Sept.– Dec., 1913, / H.A. Junod’, ‘C. J. Wainwright / collection. / B.M. 1948–488’ (BMNH). SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ơ ‘South Africa, Natal Prov / Zululand. 4 mi S. Ndumu / Game Res. Camp (2632Cc) / Dec. 1, 1971; ME&BJ Irwin / dry scrub forest; 160 ft’ (NMSA); 7 ơ 1^1? ‘South Africa, Natal Prov / Zululand. 20 mi S. Ndumu / Game Res. Camp (2732Aa) / Nov. 29, 1971; ME&BJ Irwin / dry scrub forest; 320 ft’, ‘ Trichardis / apicalis Oldr / det. H. Oldroyd 1973 / Paratypes’ (NMSA); 3 ơ 3^‘ Ndumu Reserve [26°52'S: 32°15'E], / Ingwavuma District / Tongaland, S. Africa / B. & P. Stuckenberg / 1–10 December 1963 ’, ‘ Trichardis / apicalis Oldr / det. H. Oldroyd 1973 / Paratypes’ (NMSA); 2^‘ Para- / type’ [circular with yellow border], ‘Ndumu Reserve / Ingwavuma dist. / Zululand, Natal / South Africa / 1–10.xii.63’, ‘collectors / B. & P. Stuckenberg’ (BMNH).

Other material examined: BOTSWANA: 1^Ghanzi-Maun Rd, 2122AB, 19.xii.1984, Johnson; 1 ơ Palapye [22°33'S: 27°08'E], 4.iii.1934, Ogilvie ( BMNH) . MOZAMBIQUE: 1^Nampula [15°07'S: 39°15'E], 29.ii.1982, Feijen; 1 ơ Masiene [16°24'S: 39°54'E], xii.1923, Lawrence ( SAMC) ; 1 ơ Nyaka [16°40'S: 32°42'E], ii.1924, Lawrence ( SAMC) ; 1 ơ Mabote [22°02'S: 34°08'E], 27–30.iii.1964, Moore ( NMNH) ; 2 ơ Massangwa [?Massangera, 22°02'S: 34°08'E], 1–8.ii.1964, Moore ( NMNH) ; 1^Inhambane [23°51'S: 35°29'E], i.1924, Lawrence ( SAMC) ; 4 ơ 4^Chimonzo [24°58'S: 33°17'E], 21–27.ii.1964, Moore ( NMNH) ; 1? Lorenzo Marques [= Maputo, 25°57'S: 32°34'E], 1909, De Azevedo ( NMNH) ; 7 ơ 10^Chiqubo [?], 11–20.ii.1964, Moore ( NMNH) . NAMIBIA: 1 ơ 1^Waterberg Nat. Park Entrance, 20°32'S: 17°20'E, 20.iii.1984, Stuckenberg & Londt, Acacia thornveld; 1 ơ Etosha-Pan, Namutoni [18°48'S: 16°59'E], 23.i.1993, Koch ( ZMHB) . SOUTH AFRICA: 1^Messina Nat. Res., 22°24'54"S: 30°05'12"E, 487 m, 14.ii.2005, Londt & Dikow, dry woodland Sand R.; 1 ơ 2^Soutpansberge Soutpan , 2229CD, 23–24.ii.1980, Londt & Schoeman, bushveld vegetation; 1 ơ 37 km N Louis Trichardt , 2229DD, i.1975, Stuckenberg, arid bushveld; 1^Wyllies Poort , 10 km N Louis Trichardt, 2229DD, 22.ii.1980, Londt & Schoeman; 1^Lapalala Nat. Res., 23°52'52"S: 28°20'19"E, 1072 m, 16.ii.2005, Londt & Dikow, Acacia Combretum woodland; 4 ơ Mogol Nat. Res., Ellisras Dist. , 23°58'S: 27°45'E, 19–23.xi.1979, van Tonder, Kok, Prinsloo & Mansell ( SANC) ; 2 ơ Ndumu Game Reserve , 26°55'S: 32°19'E, 3.ii.1995, Koch ( ZMHB) ; 1 ơ Ndumu Game Reserve Rest Camp, 2632CD, 95 m, 15.ii.1978, Brothers, Malaise trap; 1^Ndumu Reserve, Ingwavuma Dist. [27°08'S: 31°59'E], 1–10.xii.1963, Stuckenberg; 1 ơ 32 km N Jozini , 2732AC, 229 m, 28.xi.1971, Irwin . ZIMBABWE: 2 ơ Lusulu [18°04'S: 27°50'E], 19.xi.1963, Phelps; 1^Hartley [18°08'S: 30°09'E], xii.1930, Cuthbertson ( BMNH) ; 1^Sawmills [19°35'S: 28°01'E], 10.ii.1923, Swinburn & Stevenson; 1 ơ 1^Sawmills, 26.xii.1923, Stevenson ( SAMC) ; 1^Sawmills , 14.xi.1924, Stevenson .

Distribution and biology: The species, a southern African endemic, has a fairly wide distribution ( Fig. 58 ), occurring in the northern parts of Namibia eastwards through Botswana, Zimbabwe, the northern parts of South Africa and Mozambique. Adults fly between November and March (Table 1). While little information is available concerning habitat, labels suggest that the species is found in dry to arid woodland dominated by Acacia trees.

Similar species: T. apicalis has an entirely pruinose postpronotal lobe and in this respect can be grouped with grisescens , ornata , picta , terminalis , testacea , turneri and zinidi . The species is, however, most similar to zinidi .

Figures

Fig 58. Distributions of southern African Trichardis species:· – T. apicalis Oldroyd, 1974, 9 – T. terminalis Oldroyd, 1974, • – T. turneri Oldroyd, 1974.

Figs 5–10. Trichardis species, male genitalia: (5, 6) lateral and ventral of T. abdelkuri sp. n., paratype, Jebel Saleh; (7, 8) lateral and ventral of T. apicalis Oldroyd, 1974, paratype, Ndumu Game Reserve; (9, 10) lateral and ventral of T. crassipala sp. n., paratype, Ouagadougou. Scale lines = 1 mm.