Bengalia depressa Walker, 1858

Rognes, Knut, 2012, 3553, Zootaxa 3553, pp. 1-79 : 23-33

3. Bengalia depressa Walker, 1858

Figs. 43–74.

Bengalia depressa Walker, 1858: 211 . Lectotype female (BMNH, examined), by present designation. Type locality: South Africa, Port Natal. For details, see below under Type material.

Ochromyia limbata Bigot, 1888: 609 . Holotype male (as “ ♀ ”) (OUMNH, examined), by monotypy. Type locality: South Africa: Port Natal. For details, see below under Type material.

Bengalia depressa: Brauer & Bergenstamm 1891: 420 (as “ depressa Wlk. Port Natal. ” under “ Bengalia R.D.”).

Bengalia depressa: Villeneuve 1913a: 153 . Male described without mention of localities. A female Villeneuve thought belonged to the same species probably belongs to B. tibiaria Villeneuve, 1926 . More on this under that species, below.

Bengalia unicalcarata Villeneuve, 1913c: 348 . Lectotype male (MRAC, examined), by present designation. Type locality: Democratic Republic of Congo (Sankisia). All the labels are shown in Fig. 48. See below under Type material for details on the specimens on which Villeneuve based the name.

Bengalia unicalcarata: Villeneuve 1914: 254 . Reported from “ Nyasaland; Ouganda; Abyssinie; Congo Belge … Somaliland”, based on material in “Imperial Bureau of Entomology” (cf. Villeneuve’s introduction to the paper on p. 253; now = BMNH).

Bengalia (Ochromyia) africana Malloch, 1927: 407 . Holotype female (BMNH, examined), by original designation. Type locality: Kenya (“ S. Masai Reserve ”). Syn. nov.

Note. Described from a single female, designated as “ Type ”, in BMNH. The synonymy is discussed below, under Type material .

Bengalia (Ochromyia) depressa: Malloch 1927: 410 . Reported from “Embu, B.E.A.” [= Embu, Kenya] and “Winklespruit” (in South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal province).

Bengalia africana: Zumpt 1956: 168 . Zumpt repeats Malloch’s description in extenso, and adds a few comments. Unknown to Zumpt.

Bengalia depressa: Zumpt 1956: 174 . Reported from Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe (as “South Rhodesia ”).

Bengalia depressa: Rickenbach 1967: 47 . Central African Republic.

Bengalia africana: Pont 1980: 791 . Catalogue entry.

Bengalia depressa: Pont 1980: 791 . Catalogue entry.

Bengalia africana: Lehrer 2005: 18 . Listed among species “designées, sans base scientifique, comme espèces valides. C’est le cas de Musca varicolor Fabricius (sexe inconnu), Calliphora floccosa Wulp 1884 (♀), Bengalia africana Malloch (♀), Bengalia aliena Malloch (♀) etc.”.

Afridigalia walkeriana Lehrer, 2005: 75 . Holotype male (BMNH, not examined), by original designation. Type locality: South Africa, “Natal, Malvern”. Additional records (paratypes) from Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania.

Note. I have discussed Lehrer’s unnecessary introduction of this name in my review of his book “ Bengaliidae du Monde. Insecta Diptera ” ( Rognes 2006). See also discussion in the last two paragraphs of the section on Type material, entry for B. unicalcarata , below.

Bengalia depressa: Kurahashi & Kirk-Spriggs 2006: 109 . Zimbabwe. Examined.

Diagnosis. Male. Length: 10–13mm (n=4). Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 0.28–0.29 (mean 0.29, n=3). A species easily recognisable in the male sex by the shape of the ST5 flap.

Anepimeron with mostly black setulae, though usually with some yellow setulae ventrally and posteroventrally. Fore tibia with one or two weak spine-like setae on ventral surface of proximal fourth, strongest about three quarters of tibial width. Fringe on lower half of hind tibiae weak, consisting of about 10 widely set long thin setae on av surface, hardly affecting v surface, not reaching pv surface.

ST5 flap with a broad evenly rounded concavity affecting most of the hind edge; each posterolateral corner rounded at tip, the base of the ST5 flap much narrower than the width distally.

Cercal prongs slightly irregular in dorsal view. Inner edge of surstylus very slightly curved. Process of bacilliform sclerite small and pointed.

In distiphallus distal finger a short, stout and straight peg pointing horizontally, in lateral view, and mediodistally, in dorsal view, from its origin; hidden in lateral view by the vertical sclerotisation passing between the lateral edge of the upper lip and the anterior edge of the antler. Upper lip almost flat when viewed from front, only a slight shallow concavity below; in dorsal view, shaped like the rim of a human upper lip seen from front (rotate Fig. 54 90 ° counter-clockwise to see the Cupid’s bow), with two broad shallow concavities laterally and a very slight concavity in middle (may be absent).

Female: Length: 10–11mm (n=4). Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 0.28–0.33 (mean 0.31, n=4). Frontal vitta with numerous setulae. ST2 without pair of long and strong black median marginal setae, but weak black setae present along posterior third of lateral margin. ST3 and ST4 with strong median marginals and with shorter black setae along the sides. Extensive membrane between the lateral margins of the ventral parts of the tergites and the lateral margins of the sternites. T5 with short rather strong and erect setae on lateral and ventral side, and an area of weak sclerotisation behind the marginal setae with a semicircular anterior delimitation ( Figs. 68, 70). T6 sclerotisations reduced to area around spiracles 6 and 7, although narrow bands extend medially to support the marginal setae; row of marginal setae interrupted middorsally. T7 a pair of narrow rods; row of marginal setae interrupted at middle, 10–15 small discal setulae middorsally. T8 sclerites a little broader the T7 sclerites. ST6 narrow proximally, forming a kind of pronounced “handle”; broad distally, with numerous setae. ST7 a broad shield-like sclerite covering the ventral half of the ovipositor circumference; proximally with a narrow, oval unsclerotised zone reaching backward to middle. ST8 with diverging parts proximally, distally a single upturned vertical part with numerous setae. Tip of ovipositor with “soft” setae only. Spermathecae elongate oval. [One female dissected.]

Villeneuve (1913a: 153, lines 9–13) appears to have seen a female with a sting-like ovipositor tip like in B. gaillardi , but with oval and “unarmed” abdominal sternites. He seems to have regarded it (erroneously) as the female of B. depressa . In later papers he never mentions the ovipositor tip feature again. Females with this combination of features are B. tibiaria . More on this under that species, below.

Discussion. Lehrer treated Bengalia depressa , “la connue espèce fictive” ( Lehrer 2005: 17–18) as an unrecognisable name, being based on female(s), which he considered unidentifiable. For this reason he redescribed the species on the basis of males under his own name Afridigalia walkeriana , even though the majority of the paratypes of his A. walkeriana had been examined and identified by various experts as B. depressa or one of its synonyms listed above. In the process he overlooked the existence of available names based on males ( limbata Bigot , unicalcarata Villeneuve ), see above for details. He also overlooked Villeneuve’s (1914) description of the absence of strong marginal setae on the ST2 of the female of B. depressa (as B. unicalcarata ) which was also recognised as a distinguishing character by Zumpt (1956). All the females I have seen of B. depressa show this feature. Thus it can hardly be said that the identity of B. depressa “cannot be determined from its existing name bearing type” (Article 75.5 of ICZN 1999). Therefore I think it unnecessary to set aside the existing name-bearing type and to designate a male neotype for Bengalia depressa in order to fix the interpretation of the name as currently understood. Bengalia depressa has been understood in its current sense for about a hundred years, and there has never been any doubt about its identity. If this is unsatisfactory, then an alternative approach would be to ask the Commission to have the male holotype of Afridigalia walkeriana Lehrer from South Africa (Natal, Malvern) designated as neotype of Bengalia depressa Walker. Lehrer has provided unmistakable drawings of the male genitalia of this species. The paratype of A. walkeriana from Port Natal, the type locality of B. depressa , is also a good candidate. Both specimens are in BMNH.

In B. africana the anepimeron is clothed with black setulae only, and none of these are strong and seta-like, as in B. aliena . The T4 marginals are short and rather widely separated ( Figs. 68–70, magenta arrows). A weakly sclerotised membrane (“notch”) is present in the hind margin of T5 ( Figs. 68, 70, 74). T5 is without medial discals, only decumbent ground setulae are present dorsally; on the lateral and ventral side of T5 all ground setulae are short and erect ( Figs. 68, 70). ST2 lacks median marginal setae. ST3–4 are of the oval elongate type, with a pair of strong median marginals distally ( Fig. 74). The ovipositor tip is of the usual type without “stiff” setae ( Figs. 70, 74). Because the specimen is staged and unlikely to survive an attempt at breaking loose the abdomen, I have not dissected the female ovipositor.

I assume that the lack of discal setae on T 5 in the female holotype of B. africana is a very rare individual aberration, since no male specimens have been found with black setulae on the anepimeron in combination with lack of T5 discal setae in the 85 years that B. africana has been known. I also think it most likely that it is the female of a very common species. A similar very rare lack of discals on the T5 is displayed by a male specimen of B. peuhi from Malawi (Marimba, Davey leg., in BMNH) (see above). This specimen is undoubtedly B. peuhi on account of the shape of the ST5 flap, the presence of only pale setulae on the anepimeron, the row of strong short stubby pv setae on the whole length of the mid femur, a bundle of strong v spine-like setae on the fore tibia and a bacilliform sclerite process exactly as in normal specimens. B. africanoides , B. bantuphalla , B. depressa and B. roubaudi have an anepimeron with a majority of black setulae. The rather widely spaced T4 median marginals of B. africana rule out B. bantuphalla as its male counterpart. Both B. depressa and B. floccosa have a weakly sclerotised membranous area or notch in the hind margin of T5 behind the marginal setae, resembling the corresponding area in the holotype of B. africana . The short erect ground vestiture on the lateral and ventral side of T5 is a feature also shared with both B. depressa and B. floccosa females, but B. floccosa has too few black setulae on the anepimeron, and strong median marginals on ST2, so this species can be left out of consideration. I think the almost exact correspondence between the T5 ground vestiture in B. africana and B. depressa and the similar distribution of black anepimeral setulae makes the conclusion that B. africana is a junior synonym of B. depressa almost inescapable. I have therefore placed B. africana in synonymy with B. depressa .

Biology. Capture dates for material I have examined are from all months of the year except April and June. Lehrer (2005) reports material captured also from April, June and July. No details about life cycle are known.

Distribution. * Central African Republic, * Cameroon, * Democratic Republic of Congo, * Ethiopia, * Kenya, * Malawi, * Mozambique, Somalia, * South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and * Zimbabwe.

Material examined. Type material. Bengalia depressa Walker, 1858: 211 . Lectotype female, in BMNH, labelled (1) Holo- / type [printed on circular label with red rim]; (2) P. Nat. [handwritten]; (3) depressa Wlk [handwritten on bluish label]; (4) Port Natal / S. Africa. / Ex coll. / Saunders / 68.4. [handwritten]; (5) HOLOTYPE ♀ / Bengalia / depressa Walker / 1858, Trans.ent. / Soc.Lond. (2)4:211 [handwritten by A.C.Pont on rectangular white label with a red rim] (6) LECTOTYPE (f) / Bengalia depressa / Walker, 1858: 211 / K. Rognes des. 2012 [printed on red label].

Walker described B. depressa on the basis of an unstated number of females from “Port Natal” in South Africa. In BMNH there is only a single female that originates from Saunders’ collection and which is now labelled as a holotype. Crosskey (1974) discussed the problem of the status of a single extant type from a type series of unknown size. Walker gives ranges both for the length of the body (“4 ½–5 lines”) and for the wings (“8–9 lines”) for his B. depressa . A similar range notation, as opposed to single measurement numbers, is given only for one other nominal species in Walker’s (1858) paper, i.e., for Ropalomera tibialis listed on pp. 222–223, where he explicitly based the description on both male and female specimens. Crosskey (1974: 272, 278), discussing a similar case involving Tachina comosa Walker, 1853 , used this kind of information as evidence “that there was more than one original specimen” and designated the only known specimen of Tachina comosa as lectotype, as opposed to considering it to be the holotype. I agree with this reasoning and have therefore labelled and here designate the “ holotype ”of B. depressa Walker in BMNH as lectotype (see also Recommendation 73F of ICZN 1999).

Villeneuve was informed by Austen ( Villeneuve 1913c: 348), who had examined “le type de Bengalia depressa Walk. conservé à Londres”, that it was the same as “la curieuse ♀ africaine qui présente la herse d’aiguillons ventraux”, i.e., B. gaillardi Surcouf & Guyon, 1912 . The latter species is easily recognisable in the female sex because of the very strong spine-like setae on the margin of ST2, and sides and hind margins of the ST3–5, and also because of the presence of a projecting and spinous ovipositor tip, both carefully described by Villeneuve (1913a: 153) (cf. Figs. 111, 113–117).

However, Austen was in error. According to Villeneuve (1914: 255, in a foot-note), Surcouf himself had subsequently examined the female type of B. depressa Walker in London and made it clear that it did not belong to B. gaillardi , since it in fact lacked the typical spines of the abdominal sternites of that taxon, but belonged to one of the two nominal species B. unicalcarata or B. floccosa . Note in passing that Villeneuve (1914: 253) identified B. gaillardi with the nominal species he cited as “ Bengalia spurca Br. et Berg. type ”. Note also that Villeneuve in this manner introduced the name spurca as a valid name, since spurca Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1891: 420 is a nomen nudum, cf. below under B. gaillardi .

I can confirm the observation that the female lectotype of Bengalia depressa Walker indeed lacks the strong spine-like setae on the margin of ST2 and the sides and hind margins of ST3–5. These sternites are like the ones figured in Fig. 60. Note also that they lack a pair of strong marginal setae on ST2, but have stronger apical setae than those neighbouring them on the ST3–4, exactly as described for B. unicalcarata by Villeneuve (1914: 254–255).

Ochromyia limbata Bigot, 1888: 609 . Holotype male [as “ ♀ ”], in OUMNH, by monotypy. The holotype is standing under a drawer label reading “ O. Limbata . ♀. / Port-Natal. J. Bigot. ” [Bigot’s handwriting on a white label with three thin black lines and a black frame.] The specimen is pinned through the thorax by a heavily corroded thick pin, secured with glue, staged on a piece of expanded polyethylene and labelled (1) Holo- / type [printed on white circular label with red rim]; (2) O. limbata / EX COLL. BIGOT [first line handwritten, second line printed on white label; (3) Oxford University / Museum of Natural / History (OUMNH). Beside the specimen is a label by Dear reading “ Holotype ♂ / limbata Big. [handwritten] / det. / J.P.Dear 1977”. According to Verrall’s list of the contents of the Bigot collection, the holotype, marked as a female, was lent out to Brauer in 1898.

Bigot described O. limbata from a single specimen (“ 1 spécimen ”) from “Port Natal” believed by him to be a female. The holotype listed above is obviously the specimen before Bigot when he described O. limbata . Bigot did not use the word type, or an equivalent term, so it is a holotype by monotypy. The specimen is a male with a pair of discal setae on the T5 and clearly belongs to the taxon understood now as Bengalia depressa , as witnessed by the shape of the ST5 flap, the sparse fringe on the hind tibia, one short and one even shorter spine-like seta ventrally on the fore tibia, and the large majority of the anepimeral setulae being black. Bigot is not the first to mis-sex Bengalia males as females (cf. Rognes 2009). The holotype is in good condition, and all legs are intact.

Bengalia unicalcarata Villeneuve, 1913c: 348 . Lectotype male, in MRAC, labelled: (1) Sankisia / about / 22 – IX – 1911 [handwritten]; (2) COLL. MUS. CONGO / Sankisia 22 · IX · 1911 / (J. Bequaert) [handwritten except first line which is printed]; (3) limbata / sec.typ. Bigot / = depressa BB / sec. typ [Villeneuve’s handwriting]; (4) Bengalia / unicalcarata / Typ. Villen. [Villeneuve’s handwriting]; (5) TYPUS / B. unical- / carata Vill. [first line printed, other lines handwritten on dark orange label with black rim]; R. DET. / 5575 / C. [printed except letter in third line which is handwritten]; (7) Bengalia ♂ / depressa Walk. / det. Zumpt 60 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (8) Afridigalia ♂ / walkeriana Lehrer n.sp. / Det. Dr. A.Z. LEHRER / 2004 [printed]; (9) LECTOTYPE (m) / Bengalia unicalcarata / Villeneuve, 1913: 348 / K. Rognes des. 2012 [printed on red label] ( Fig. 48). The genitalia have been removed from the tip of the abdomen (by Zumpt?). The ST5 flap and epandrium with cerci and surstyli are glued to a card above the labels. The left fore tibia has a single short spine-like seta on the ventral third ( Fig. 45). The right fore leg is missing. Paralectotypes. BMNH (5 males, 1 female, all provided with my red paralectotype label, labelled as follows): 1 male labelled (1) Mlanje [handwritten] / Nyasaland [printed] / 16.I.1913 [printed except last digit] / S.A.Neave [printed]; (2) = limbata / (sec.typ.) Bigot / = depressa (Walk.) B.B. [handwritten by Villeneuve on blue label]; (3) Bengalia / Dr. Villeneuve det. / unicalcarata / Villen. [handwritten by Villeneuve on blue label, except line 2 which is printed]; (4) Det. Dr. Villeneuve. / Pres. by / Impl.Bur.Ent. / 1919—108 [printed] 1 female labelled (1) Bengalia / unicalcarata. Villen. / DET. BY / DR. J. VILLENEUVE [first two lines in fine handwriting by?; last two lines printed]; (2) Mlanje [handwritten] / Nyasaland [printed] / 13.I.1913 [printed except last digit] / S.A.Neave [printed]; (3) Det. Dr. Villeneuve. / Pres. by / Impl.Bur.Ent. / 1919—108 [printed]. Abdomen lost 1 male labelled (1) Mt. Mlanje, / Nyasaland, / 19.XI.1912 / S.A.Neave [all printed except for third line, where the day, month and last digit are handwritten]; (2) Pres. by / Com.Inst.Ent / B.M.1950–323 [printed]. 1 male labelled (1) Mlanje [handwritten] / Nyasaland [printed] / 14.II.1913 [printed except last digit] / S.A.Neave [printed]; (2) Pres. by / Com.Inst.Ent / B.M.1950–323 [printed]. 1 male labelled (1) Mt. Mlanje, / Nyasaland, / 26.XI.1912 / S.A.Neave [all printed except for third line, where the day, month and last digit are handwritten]; (2) Pres. by / Com.Inst.Ent / B.M.1950–323 [printed]; (3) Bengalia / depressa /Walk. [folded label handwritten by Villeneuve]. 1 male [staged] labelled (1) Mt. Mlanje, / Nyasaland, / 23.XI.1912 / S.A.Neave [all printed except for third line, where the day, month and last digit are handwritten]; (2) Pres. by / Com.Inst.Ent / B.M.1950–323 [printed].

Villeneuve (1913c: 348) gave this name to male and female specimens he had earlier ( Villeneuve 1913a: 153) identified as “ Bengalia depressa Walk. ”. He described a female, which he found close to B. gaillardi in appearance and colour, but which lacked the strong armature of the abdominal sternites of the females of the latter species. In a footnote on the same page he described a male he believed to be of the same species as having only a single isolated spinous seta ventrally on the upper third of the fore tibia, and long, sparse and irregularly arranged setae on the hind tibia (“[l]e ♂ de cette ♀ n’a qu’une épine tout à fait isolée au 1/3 supérieure des tibias antérieure; … ses tibias postérieures ont, …, de long poils sétiformes peu serrés et rangées irrégulièrement.”). However, after correspondence with “M. Austen du British Museum” he was informed [erroneously] that the female type of Bengalia depressa Walker, 1858 in BMNH was the same as Bengalia gaillardi Surcouf & Guyon, 1912 (the species with strong armature on abdominal sternites in the female), the latter thus falling into synonymy with the former ( Villeneuve, 1913c: 348). For this reason Villeneuve (1913c: 348) thought his specimens represented a new species, which he named Bengalia unicalcarata , the specific name referring to the presence of a single spine-like seta on the ventral side of the fore tibia.

Malloch (1927: 410) was later informed by F. W. Edwards at BMNH that in his opinion “ unicalcarata, Villeneuve , is identical with depressa, Walker , …” and Malloch accepted that synonymy. Austen had made a mistake. More on this subject above, under Bengalia depressa Walker.

Villeneuve (1913c) did not indicate how many specimens he had before him. Villeneuve (1913a) reported to have examined both sexes, thus at least two specimens. In the original publication Villeneuve (1913c) declared “Je l’ai reçue aussi du Cap [ South Africa]”, but, again, the number of specimens from that locality was not stated. Further, the use of the word “aussi” here, and the fact that the specimens on which he based his unicalcarata were at first identified and published as depressa , make it very likely that he did not list all the material he had before him in the publication where he created the name unicalcarata ( Villeneuve 1913c) . Therefore I think I am justified in looking elsewhere to decide which specimens constituted the type series.

Villeneuve (1914: 254) listed material he identified as Bengalia unicalcarata from “ Nyasaland; Ouganda; Abyssinie; Congo belge ”. The material he studied for this paper was sent to him from “l’Imperial Bureau of Entomology du British Museum” (now BMNH). In the BMNH collection under B. depressa are 7 males and 3 females from “ Nyasaland ” [ Malawi], 6 males and 3 females having been collected on various dates in 1912 and 1913 by S.A. Neave on Mt. Mlanje in “ Nyasaland ”, a single male (the seventh) having been collected by J.B. Davey at Marimba, Undarabo, in 1910, also in Malawi. The latter specimen belongs to B. peuhi Villeneuve (see above under that species, under Other material, BMNH). With some hesitation I have decided not to accept this as a syntype of B. unicalcarata . Since Villeneuve’s 1913c paper was communicated at a meeting of the Société entomologique de France on 23 July 1913. I consider all the S.A. Neave material captured before 14.II.1913 (5 males and 1 female) as syntypes of Bengalia unicalcarata Villeneuve, 1913 and have labelled them and here designate them as paralectotypes (listed as such above). The remaining specimens in BMNH (1 male and 2 females with capture dates on 22.VIII.1913 or later) are not syntypes. They have been listed under Other material, below.

There is also a male syntype in MRAC, and I have selected this male from the Democratic Republic of Congo in MRAC as lectotype to fix the interpretation of the name. I have labelled it accordingly (fig. 48). According to the labels, it was at first identified by Villeneuve as B. depressa , or, to be more exact, as “limbata sec. typ Bigot / = depressa BB. sec.typ” (cf. label 3), then as B. unicalcarata (cf. label 4). It has a single strong seta on the fore tibia, thus satisfying the descriptions in Villeneuve (1913a, 1913c) and it was captured in “ Congo belge ”. All of this is consistent with the assumption that the specimen is a syntype. The only problem is that the locality “ Congo belge ” is listed in Villeneuve’s paper from 1914, which, according to the introduction to the paper (p. 253), was based on material sent to him from the“Imperial Bureau of Entomology” (later incorporated into BMNH). So the depository of the lectotype would have been expected to be BMNH, not MRAC. However, he may of course have included other than BMNH material in this paper, for practical reasons.

Zumpt (in letter to Basilewsky at MRAC, dated 3 January 1961) stated that he had “just studied the … types of Bengalia described by Villeneuve. B. unicalcarata is identical with B. depressa , …”. Zumpt appears to have studied precisely the specimen I have designated as lectotype. It carries Zumpt’s identification label from 1960, a date consistent with the date of his letter to Basilewsky .

Lehrer (2005) listed this syntype (now designated as lectotype) among material he had assigned to his species “ Afridigalia walkeriana ”, but did not discuss the status of the specimen as a syntype of Villeneuve’s B. unicalcarata . From Lehrer’s viewpoint B. unicalcarata would have been suitable as a name for this species, (1) since it is based on a male, and (2) since he treated B. depressa , “la connue espèce fictive” ( Lehrer 2005: 17–18), as an unrecognisable name, being based on female(s), and (3) since he did not know about the holotype (male, not female) of B. limbata in OUMNH. It is unfortunate that he nevertheless found it opportune to create his own name, doomed from its inception.

According to Lehrer’s list there is another specimen from Democratic Republic of Congo in MRAC, i.e., a male from Kibimbi, leg. Bequaert, which also has been identified by Villeneuve. It was identified as “ Bengalia limbata Bigot sec. Typ., Dr. Villeneuve det.” and it does not carry any labels indicating that it is a syntype of unicalcarata ; i.e., there is no determination label indicating that it earlier had been identified as depressa , and no determination label as unicalcarata (according to Lehrer’s citation of the label texts). This specimen is consequently not a syntype of B. unicalcarata .

Bengalia africana Malloch, 1927 . Holotype female in BMNH labelled (1) Holo- / type [printed on circular label with red rim]; (2) Kenya Colony. / S. Masai Reserve / 11.v.1913 / T.J. Anderson. [printed, except lines 2 and 3 which are handwritten]; (3) Pres. by / Imp.Bur.Ent. / Brit.Mus. / 1928—170. [printed]; (4) Bengalia / africana / Type / Det. JRMalloch [handwritten, except two last lines which are printed]. The specimen lacks the fore leg, the mid leg and the tibia and tarsus of the hind leg on the right side. On the left side there are intact fore and mid legs, but the hind leg lacks the tarsus. The specimen is glued to and impaled dorsally on the left side of thorax on the triangular point of a narrow celluloid plate; the left side of the thorax being destroyed for this reason. There are 4 post dc on the right side. The first post dc is lost, but the basal socket is visible. The second post dc is present, but displaced from its basal socket, which is in its normal position. The third and fourth are present and of normal robust size. All the four are placed at regular short intervals.

Other material. BMNH: Malawi: 1 male labelled (1) Mt. Mlanje, / Nyasaland, / 29.IX.1913 / S.A.Neave [all printed except for third line, where the day and month are handwritten]; (2) Pres. by / Com.Inst.Ent / B.M.1950–323 [printed]; (3) Afridigalia ♂ / walkeriana Lehrer / Det. Dr. A. Z. Lehrer / 2004 [printed] The specimen has the ST5 flap and partly the genitalia exposed. It was published by Lehrer (2005: 77). 1 female labelled (1) Mt. Mlanje, / Nyasaland, / 22.VIII.1913 / S.A.Neave [all printed except for third line, where the day and month are handwritten]; (2) Pres. by / Com.Inst.Ent / B.M.1950–323 [printed]. 1 female labelled (1) Mt. Mlanje, / Nyasaland, / 16.IX.1913 / S.A.Neave [all printed except for third line, where the day and month are handwritten]; (2) Pres. by / Com.Inst.Ent / B.M.1950–323 [printed]. BMSA: South Africa: 1 male labelled (1) 24 30 CD /. 5/20.U11.77 / DEPT. OF ENTOMOLOGY / UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA [printed in white label, except first two lines which are handwritten]; (2) Ex. Dept. Entomology / University of Pretoria Coll. / Donated 2009 [printed on yellow label]; (3) Entomology Dept. / National Museum / P.O. Box 266 / Bloemfontein 9300 / South Africa [printed on blue label]; (4) BMSA (D) / 18169 [printed on white label, face down]; (5) KR’s determination label. CNC: Kenya: 2 males labelled (1) Upper Imenti For. / Meru Dist. E. KENYA / July 1973 / E. Balyetagara; (2) KR’s determination label. IRD (5 males): Cameroon: 1 male labelled (1) CAMEROUN / Dfoumselek / 8.10.64 / A. RICKENBACH ORSTOM [printed, lines 2 and 3 handwritten]; (2) KR’s determination label. Greasy specimen. ST5 flap visible. Measurements: Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 35 / 120, length: 13mm. 1 male labelled (1) CAMEROUN / Mboké (Nyong et / Mfoumou 18.11.70 / A. RICKENBACH ORSTOM [printed, lines 2 and 3 handwritten]; (3) KR’s determination label. Greasy specimen. ST5 flap visible. Abdominal tip open, genitalia removed. Left wing absent, present on microscope slide under coverglass. Identifiable on hind tibial vestiture. Measurements: Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 34 / 120, length: 11mm. 1 male labelled (1) CAMEROUN / Ekabita (Obala) / 25.6.66 / A. RICKENBACH ORSTOM [printed except lines 2 and 3]; (2) KR’s determination label. The specimen has been dissected by KR. Dried abdominal tergites T1–5 glued to card above labels. ST1–2, ST3–5 and genitalia in glycerol in glass microvial above label no. 2. (No depression at middle in upper lip in dorsal view.) Measurements: Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 34 / 120, length: not available. Central African Republic: 1 male labelled (1) REP. CENTRAFICAINE / Bewiti (Bouar) / 15.2.62 / P. Finelle [printed label, except line 2, 3 and 4, latter handwritten over A. RICKENBACH ORSTOM printed text]; (2) 257 (3) KR’s determination label [printed]. Abdominal tip open, genitalia (ST5 flap, etc.) removed. Dark specimen. Identifiable on hind tibial vestiture. Published by Rickenbach (1967: 47). Measurements: Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 35.5 / 120, length: 10mm. Mozambique: 1 male labelled (1) Maputo / Mozambique / 13.x.50 [handwritten]; (2) Bengalia / depressa / Walk. / det. Zumpt 50 [handwritten]; (3) KR’s determination label [printed]. Good condition. Fore tibia with 1 v spinous seta. ST5 flap clearly visible. Measurements: Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 35 / 120, length: 11mm. MNHN: Kenya: 2 males labelled (1) KENYA, MARSABIT N.P. / FORÊT SOKORTE DIKA 1500M / 12-13-XII-1972 / MICHEL BOULARD LEG. [printed on blue label]; (2) My determination label. Cameroon: 1 female labelled (1) CAMEROUN / Baigom / rég. Bamoun [printed]; (2) B. gaillardi [handwritten in pencil]; (3) My determination label as B. depressa . Ethiopia: 1 female labelled (1) Abyssinie / R. Ganalé. 1400 / 14.7.1907 / H. Latham [handwritten]; (2) Bengalia / depressa / Wal [folded old label handwritten in ink; there is also some handwritten unintelligible text in pencil across right half]; (3) B. depressa [recent label, in pencil]; (4) My determination label. NMNW: Zimbabwe: 1 male from Nyanga National Park; see Kurahashi & Kirk-Spriggs (2006: 109) for full details. Given my determination label. NMSA: Mozambique: 1 male labelled (1) MAPUTO [14°50'S 40°43'E] MOZAMBIQUE / leg. DIAS. / IX.50 [handwritten]; (2) Bengalia ♂ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 50 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 17835 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. 1 female labelled (1) MAPUTO [14°50'S 40°43'E] MOZAMBIQUE / leg. DIAS. / IX.50 [handwritten]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walk. det. Zumpt 50 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 57930 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. South Africa: Eastern Cape: 1 female labelled (1) Pt St John’s [= Port St. John’s 31°37' S, 29°33' E] / Cape / leg. Paterson [three printed lines on upper side of label] / Forest / 19.II.54 [handwritten on underside of label]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walk. / det. Zumpt 54 [Zumpt’s handwriting]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 17848 [white label with printed text facing down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. The head, left fore tibia and right mid leg are glued to card on pin above labels. 1 female labelled (1) Port St. Johns / South Africa / B. & P. Stuckenberg / 20-25 Nov. 1961 [printed]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 50 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 57934 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. KwaZulu-Natal: 1 male labelled (1) AMAMZINTOTI [sic = Amanzimtoti, 30°05'S 30°53'E] / NATAL / I. 1951; (2) Bengalia ♂ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 51 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 17845 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. 1 male labelled (1) Scottburgh [30°17'S 30°45'E] / Natal, S. Africa / B. & P. Stuckenberg / 15.XI.63 [printed, except first and last line which are handwritten]; (2) Bengalia ♂ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 69 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 57935 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. 1 female labelled (1) Scottburgh [30°17'S, 30°45'E] / Natal, S. Africa / B. & P. Stuckenberg / 15.xi.63 [printed, but first and last line handwritten]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 69 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 57936 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. 1 male labelled (1) Warner Beach / Natal / 20.I.1951; (2) Bengalia ♂ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 51 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA- DIP / 57938 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. 1 female labelled (1) Warner Beach / Natal [handwritten]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walk. / det. Zumpt 53 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 57937 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. 1 female labelled (1) Hluhluwe / Zululand / leg. Zumpt / 18.1.50 [printed]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walk. / det. Zumpt 50 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 17847 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. 1 female labelled (1) Montebello region / Ndwedwe District / Natal, S. Africa / B. & P. Stuckenberg / 1 October 1961 [white printed label]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 62 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 17749 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. 1 female labelled (1) Pinetown [printed] / 18.1.09 [handwritten] / G.F.LEIGH [printed]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walk. / det. Zumpt 50 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 57931 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. The specimen has been dissected by KR. ST1–5 and ovipositor in glycerol in glass microvial on pin between labels (4) and (5). The uterus and three spermathecae are kept in glycerol in second vial on separate pin labelled with specimen number 57931. Mpumalanga: 1 female labelled (1) MT CARMEL NW SIDE / 25°22'S, 30°44'E / 2530BC TRANSVAAL 1100M / 6 NOV. 70 STUCKENBERG / GRASSY HILLSIDE [printed]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 79 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 17794 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. Zimbabwe: 1 female labelled (1) Laurenceville / Vumba 1.3.63 / DMCookson [handwritten]; (2) Bengalia ♀ / depressa Walker / det. Zumpt 64 [handwritten by Zumpt]; (3) NMSA-DIP / 17737 [printed, face down]; (4) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (5) KR’s determination label. OUMNH: 15 specimens (7 males and 8 females) from the Bigot collection under B. depressa , as re-identified by Villeneuve and now placed under a single blue drawer label handwritten by Villeneuve reading “ Bengalia / limbata Bigot. / D r Villeneuve det. [this line printed] / sec. Typ. / Syn: / unicalcarata Villen. ”. At the end of the row of specimens is a label reading “All the above / = B. depressa Wlk. ” in J.P. Dear’s hand. I have not given any of these specimens my determination label, because specimens are on thin pins and difficult to handle. Note. Of these 15 specimens, 13 (7 males and 6 females) have the following two labels: (1) Ph. depressa [handwritten, “Ph.” = “ Phumosia ”] / EX. COLL. BIG. [printed]; (2) Oxford University / Museum of Natural / History ( OUMNH). The latter has the text facing down. These 13 specimens are without locality label. One of the males (spec. 11) has an additional label between the usual two labels: (2) “C’est l’espéce / africaine Beng. limbata / ♂ Bigot / (det. Villeneuve)” [folded label in Villeneuve’s hand]. One male (spec.2) has been dissected by KR. The dried abdominal tergites T1–5 are glued to card above labels. ST1–5 and genitalia in glycerol in glass microvial above label no. 3. The right fore tibia is absent. There is one strong plus a few very short spines on left fore tibia ( Fig. 44). The remaining 2 specimens (both females) have the following two labels: (1) Circular magenta label with “S.Africa” handwritten on underside; (2) Oxford University / Museum of Natural / History ( OUMNH). Thus these two are lacking a “ Ph. depressa / EX. COLL. BIGOT” label.

To sum up the specimens in OUMNH bearing both a “ Ph. depressa ” and an “EX.COLL.BIGOT” label: 4 males and 2 females listed above under B. peuhi , 7 males and 6 females listed in the present section under B. depressa , and an unlisted single female specimen belonging to the B. spinifemorata species-group. Together these specimens are making up a total of 20 specimens. In addition there is an unlisted single male specimen, also belonging to the B. spinifemorata species-group, which carries a label reading “ B. depressa [handwritten] / EX.COLL.BIG. [printed]”, making a total of 21 specimens labelled with “depressa” in some combination with “Ph.” or “B.”. In Verrall’s list of the contents of the Bigot collection are mentioned 1 female under “ Bengalia depressa Walk.Big. ” and 7 males and 11 females under “ Phumosia depressa Walk. ”, i.e., 19 specimens. [The male and female B. spinifemorata species-group specimens stand under blue Villeneuve determination labels as Bengalia spinifemorata “Cotyp. ” and both carry determination labels by J.P. Dear from 1977.]