Ommatius (Pygommatius) albatus Martin

Scarbrough, Aubrey G. & Marascia, Claudio G., 2003, Revision of Ommatius Wiedemann (Diptera: Asilidae). IV. Pygommatius subgen. nov. with twenty-five Afrotropical species, Zootaxa 228 (1), pp. 1-94 : 18-20

Ommatius (Pygommatius) albatus Martin

Figs. 2 , 62­69

Ommatius albatus Martin, 1964: 312 . Holotype ♂, type locality Nosy Komba : Ampangorinana, Madagascar (NHMB). Not examined.

Ommatius albatus: Oldroyd, 1980: 347 (Afrotropical catalogue).

Redescription, male. Black. Length, body 10.4 mm; wing 7.5 mm. Head: White tomentose, mostly white setose. Face ventrally with dense white setae, slightly drooping, 2­3 long, thin bristles, 1 black; pencil­like bristles absent: FHWR 1.0:5.4­10:5.5. Proboscis with narrow base yellow. Antenna mostly black or white setose. Occiput with 5­7 black postocular bristles, longest bristle one­half to two­thirds distance toward ocellar tubercle.

Thorax: Mesonotum dense brown tomentose between dorsocentral rows, 2 lighter brown spots laterally, sides gray tomentose; bristles and most setae black, anterior dorsocentral setae subequal in length to pedicel and scape; 4 lateral and 4­5 dorsocentral bristles present; white setose between dorsocentrals posteriorly. Scutellum gray tomentose, scattered long, white setae and 2 black marginal bristles present. Pleuron black, gray tomentose, white setae and bristles present. Halter yellow.

Wing ( Fig. 2 ): Apical third to apical half posteriorly dense microtrichose. Cell r 4 unusually wide. Cell m 3 with apex perpendicular to wing axis, near r­m.

Leg: Fore coxa and narrow apex of middle coxa yellow, coxae otherwise black; gray tomentose; bristles and setae white to pale yellow, bristles thin. Femora mostly yellow, one­half to two­thirds black apically; ventral bristles absent, only thin, mostly white, setae present; apical half of hind femur with black posteroventral setae; HFWLR 1.0:6.7­ 1.0:6.8. Fore and middle tibiae pale yellow with lateral fringe of dense white setae. Hind tibia with apical half to two­thirds black, white setose anteriorly. Fore and middle tarsi with basal 4 tarsomeres mostly pale yellow, narrow apices brown, apical tarsomeres black; hind tarsus entirely black. Fore tarsus dorsally and laterally with white setae and 4 yellow bristles; lateral setae long, more dense than elsewhere, fringe­like.

Abdomen: Black. Brown tomentose dorsally, gray ventrally; setae mostly white, mostly brown on apical 3 tergites. Sternites 4 ­5 with several, erect, yellow bristles.

Terminalia ( Figs. 62­66 ): Ventral lamella with abundant setae. Epandrium with dorsal branch short, curved ventrally; median branch long, podiform; ventral branch much shorter, forked apically, claw­like laterally. Hypandrium with ‘beard’ of black setae, surface of setae scaly.

Female. Differs from male as follows: Length: Body 11: 0­12.5mm; wing 8.8­9.3 mm. Head: Face and frons yellow tomentose; mystax with sparse black and white setae, 3 thin, black bristles present. Antenna black setose. FHWR 1.0:5.8­1.0:6.0. Thorax: Most katatergal bristles black. Leg: Middle coxa mostly yellow, narrow base black; black and white vestiture present. Femora with apical third black; apical third of hind femur posteriorly with black bristles; HFWLR 1.0:6.0­1.0:6.1. Fore and middle tibiae and fore tarsus without lateral fringe of white setae, bristles black except 1 yellow on fore tarsus; hind tibia anteriorly with basal half white setose. Abdomen: Most tergites and sternites 7­8 mostly or entirely black setose, white elsewhere. Tergite 9 strongly emarginate anteriorly and posteriorly, strap­like mediodorsally. Sternites 4­5 without erect bristles. Terminalia ( Figs. 67­ 69 ): Three spermathecae present, apex pointed; duct prebasal and lateral. Apical margin of sternite 8 slightly concave medially.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. MADAGASCAR: 1 ♂, Tananarive , 11.iii.1950, Id. Oldroyd 1971 ( CASC); 2 ♂, 3 ♀, Madagascar N., Ambohitra 800m, Joffreville, 9­12.iv.1991, A. Freidberg and Fini Kaplan ( NMSA) .

Distribution. Forest species captured from March and April at 800 meters in elevation in Madagascar.

Remarks. In addition to the characters in the key, the male of O. albatus is further distinguished by the stout, erect bristles of sternites 4­5 and the female by the emarginate apical margin of sternite 8 ( Fig. 69 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1­10. Right wing of male Ommatius (Pygommatius) spp. 1. O. alatipes, sp. n..; 2. O. albatus Martin; 3. O. bingeri Oldroyd; 4. O. brevicornis Curran; 5. O. cingulatus Bromley; 6. O. comosus, sp. n..; 7. O. dasypogon Oldroyd; 8. O. digittatus Oldroyd; 9. O. fluvius sp. n..; 10. O. grossus, sp. n. Abbr. R4 =fourth radial vein, r4 = fourth radial cell, m1= first medial cell, m3=third medial cell, d = discal cell, r­m = radial­medial crossvein.

FIGURES 62­69. Male terminalia of Ommatius albatus Martin. 62a. Hypandrial bristle showing minute surface tubercles; 62­64. Lateral, dorsal and ventral views; 65. Gonostylus; 66. Aedeagus, lateral view. Female terminalia. 67. Spermatheca; 68. Genital fork; 69. Sternite 8, ventral view.