Saropogon astakhovi, Sakhvon, 2020

Sakhvon, Vital V., 2020, Review of the genus Saropogon Loew, 1847 (Diptera: Asilidae) from Russia Transcaucasia and Central Asia, with description of three new species, Zootaxa 4860 (4), pp. 577-591 : 584-586

Saropogon astakhovi sp. nov.

Figs 10–17 , 27

Diagnosis. Male. ( Figs 10–12 ). Body length 14.0 mm. Mystacal macrosetae white; upper margin of mystax reaches middle of eye ( Fig. 10 ). Orbital setae white; ocellar setae mainly white; postocular setae and macrosetae white. Thorax black. In lateral view, scutum with wide stripe of silvery tomentum from anterior margin to scutellum. Scutum with short black setae ( Fig. 11 ). Notum with 2–3 dorsocentral dark brown setae, 3–4 notopleural, 3 supraalar, 2 long and 2 short postalar setae yellow. Scutellum with 6 dark brown apical macrosetae and few brown setae. Wings clear. Fore and mid femora reddish brown, with dark brown base and dark brown stripe dorsally. Hind femur black with reddish brown at apex. Fore and mid tibiae reddish yellow. Hind tibia dark brown, reddish at base. Fore and mid tarsi reddish yellow, hind tarsus brown. Tergites shiny black with dark brown setae. Tergites I–IV in dorsal view covered by silvery tomentum, with dark brown stripe posteriorly. Hypopygium dark brown; hypandrium and epandrium reddish yellow; epandrium with dark brown setae ( Fig. 12 ).

Description. Male. Head black. Face convex, reddish yellow with silvery tomentum. Mystax, in lateral view, with dense white macrosetae, longer then 2/3 of proboscis length; upper margin of mystax reaches middle of eye. Distance from upper margin of mystax to antennal sockets less than length of scape and pedicel combined. Frons with silvery tomentum. First segment of palpus black, second dark brown. Palpus with brown setae. Scape and pedicel reddish yellow with black setae and macrosetae, postpedicel brown. Length of scape and pedicel combined longer than 2/3 length of postpedicel. Style wide and beveled with seta-like sensory element; equal to 1/3 of scape in length. Orbital setae white. Ocellar setae white, some of them brown, equal to or longer than length of scape. Postocular setae and macrosetae white. Lower occipital setae mainly yellow, but some of anterior ones black. Proboscis reddish brown with yellow setae ( Fig. 10 ).

Thorax black. Paramedian stripes in presutural area of scutum silvery tomentose. Scutum, in lateral view, with wide stripe of silvery tomentum from anterior margin to scutellum. Scutum with short black setae. Pleuron with bronze tomentum, without setae; anepisternum shiny in center, silvery tomentose dorsally and bronze tomentose anteriorly and posteriorly; katepisternum bronze tomentose on margin and shiny in center. Postpronotal lobe reddish yellow, silvery tomentose, with a few yellow setae. Postalar callus reddish, silvery tomentose. 2–3 dorsocentral setae dark brown and don’t reaching transverse suture, and 3–4 notopleural, 3 supraalar, 2 long and 2 short postalar setae yellow. Scutellum with 6 dark brown apical macrosetae and few brown setae. Scutellar disk with silvery tomentum and few brown setae ( Figs 10–11 ).

Wings clear, veins yellow ( Fig. 11 ).

Legs. Coxae black with bronze tomentum and dark brown setae. Trochanters black with bronze tomentum. Fore and mid femora reddish brown, with dark brown base and dark brown stripe dorsally, occupying 2/3 of femur length. Hind femur black for 2/3 of its length with reddish brown apex. Hind tibia dark brown, reddish at base. Fore and mid tarsi reddish yellow with brown setae and dark brown macrosetae. Hind tarsus brown with dark brown setae and macrosetae. Femora with dark brown (hind femur with black) setae from base to middle, yellow setae at apex. Mid femur with single black macroseta at apex. Fore and mid tibiae reddish yellow with yellowish setae and dark brown (especially at apex) and golden macrosetae. Hind tibia with dark golden setae and dark brown macrosetae. Spine on fore tibia black. Claws dark brown and reddish yellow at base. Pulvillus well developed, reddish yellow, longer than 2/3 of claw length ( Figs 10–12 ).

Abdomen. Tergites shiny black with dark brown setae. Tergites I–IV in dorsal view with dark brown stripe posteriorly, covered by silvery tomentum; tergites I–V with silvery tomentum posterolaterally ( Fig. 12 ).

Hypopygium dark brown, rotated 90 o to the right. Hypandrium reddish yellow; epandrium reddish yellow with dark brown setae. Cerci with golden setae. Epandrium divided in the middle into two halves. Gonostylus wide and slightly curved, narrowed from base to apex. Aedeagus medium-sized, subapically with a clear spike on each side ( Fig. 12–17 ).

Body length 14.0 mm.

Female. Unknown.

Specimens examined. Holotype, ♂: Armenia, Kotayk Reg., Jrvezh , [40 o 11’2’’N 44 o 37’26’’E], 21.VI.1955, V. Zajcev, ♂ ( BSU).

Distribution. Armenia.

Etymology. This species was named after the Russian asilidologist, Dr. Dmitriy Astakhov (1987–2019).

Figures

FIGURE 27. Distribution of Saropogon species in Russia, Transcaucasia and Central Asia (based on the available material and Abbassian-Lintzen 1964, Richter 1968, Mohammadi et al. 2017).

FIGURES 10–12. Saropogon astakhovi, sp. nov., holotype. 10. Head, frontal view. 11. Head and thorax, dorsal view. 12. Habitus, lateral view.

FIGURES 13–17. Saropogon astakhovi, sp. nov., holotype. 13. Epandrium, dorsal view. 14. Epandrium, ventral view. 15. Gonopod, lateral internal surface. 16. Gonopod, lateral external surface. 17. Aedeagus, lateral view.