Saropogon tajikistanensis, 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 : 581-584

Saropogon tajikistanensis sp. nov.

Figs 6–9 , 27

Diagnosis. Female. ( Figs 6–9 ). Body length 14.0–15.0 mm. Face and frons with golden tomentum. Mystax yellow; upper margin of mystax reaches middle of eye. ( Fig. 7 ). Orbital setae mainly black; ocellar setae mainly yellow; postocular setae black, macrosetae yellow. Thorax black, postpronotal lobe clearly reddish yellow. Scutum, in lateral view, with wide stripe of silvery tomentum from anterior to scutellum. Scutum with short black setae; 2–6 dorsocentral setae black. 2–4 notopleural, 2 supra- and 2 postalar setae black, some of them yellow. Scutellum with 2 long and 2 short black apical macrosetae ( Fig. 8 ). Wings are darkened anteroproximally. Fore and mid femora reddish brown, with dark brown base and dark brown stripe dorsally. Fore and mid tibiae reddish brown. Hind femur dark brown, reddish brown at apex. Hind tibia dark brown only at base. All tarsomeres reddish ( Fig. 6 ). Tergites shiny black with short black setae ( Fig. 9 ); tergites II–III reddish brown, with stripe of silvery tomentum posterolaterally. Sternites and last tergite with dense short yellow setae.

Description. Female. Head dark brown. Face and frons with golden tomentum. Mystaх yellow, longer than 2/3 of proboscis length. Upper margin of mystax reaches middle of eye. Distance from upper margin of mystax to antennal sockets equal to or longer than length of scape and pedicel combined. Orbital setae mostly black, some yellow. Palpus black with black setae. 5–7 ocellar setae yellow, some of them brownish, equal to length of scape and pedicel combined. Postocular setae short and black, macrosetae yellow. Lower occipital setae mainly yellow, but some black anteriorly.Antenna reddish brown, but postpedicel dark brown apically. Length of scape and pedicel combined equal to or longer than half of length of postpedicel. Style wide and beveled with seta-like sensory element; equal to 1/3 of scape in length. Scape and pedicel with black setae and macrosetae. Proboscis black with a few long yellow setae at base and short white setae at apex ( Fig. 7 ).

Thorax black. Golden tomentum on presutular area of scutum and silvery tomentum on postsutural area form stripes and spots in dorsal view and a with wide stripe of silvery tomentum extending from the anterior margin to scutellum in lateral view. Pleuron shiny, with golden tomentum anterodorsally; setae lacking. Postpronotal lobe clearly reddish yellow, with 1–3 yellow setae. Scutum with short black setae. 2–6 dorsocentral setae black which don’t reach transverse suture; 2–4 notopleural, 2 supra- and 2 postalar setae black, some of them yellow. Scutellum silvery tomentose with 2 long and 2 short black apical macrosetae ( Fig. 8 ).

Wings are darkened anteroproximally due to dense yellowish microtrichia along veins; veins brownish ( Fig. 9 ).

Legs. Coxae black with bronze tomentum. Fore coxa with dense long yellow setae. Trochanters black. Fore and mid femora reddish brown with dark brown base and dark brown stripe dorsally. Hind femur dark brownish on 2/3 of length and reddish brown at apex. Fore and mid tibiae reddish brown, hind tibia dark brownish only at base. Femora and tibiae with short black setae, which at apex of tibiae and on tarsi are replaced with yellow setae. Fore, mid and hind tibiae with black macrosetae. All tarsomeres reddish with dense yellow setae and black macrosetae at apex. Spine on fore tibia black. Claws dark brown. Pulvillus well developed, reddish yellow, longer than 2/3 of claw length ( Fig. 6 ).

Abdomen. Tergites shiny black with short black setae; tergites II–III reddish brown with stripe of silvery tomentum posterolaterally. Sternites and last tergite with dense short yellow setae. Acanthophorite spines dark brown ( Fig. 9 ).

Body length range 14–15 (holotype 15) mm.

Male. Unknown.

Specimens examined. Holotype, ♀: Tajikistan. Nurobod Distr. , Tabakchi Range (h= 1000 m), Darband, [38 º 52’04’’N 69 º 57’37’’E], 29.V.2004, O. Pak ( BSU) . Paratypes: Tajikistan , Varzob Distr., Varzob Riv. [38 º 46’25’’N 68 º 49’04’’E] , 8.VI .1939 , A. Vainshtein, sex unidentified (specimen damaged, without abdomen and some legs) (IBSS). Vakhsh Range (h= 1200 m), Pushta-Mazot , [37 º 40’36’’N 68 º 53’51’’E], 25.VI .1957 , I. Lopatin, sex unidentified (specimen damaged, without abdomen) (IBSS).

Distribution. Tajikistan.

Etymology. The specific name refers to Tajikistan, where this species occurs.

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 1–6. Saropogon, habitus, lateral view. 1. S. alternatus, male. 2. S. dasynotus, male. 3. S. geniculatus, female. 4. S. megriensis, male. 5. S. pittoproctus, female. 6. S. tajikistanensis, sp. nov., female, holotype.

FIGURES 7–9. Saropogon tajikistanensis, sp. nov., holotype. 7. Head, frontal view. 8. Head and thorax, dorsal view. 9. Habitus, dorsal view.