Thyridanthrax polyphemus (Wiedemann, 1820)

El-Hawagry, Magdi S., Abdel-Dayem, Mahmoud S. & Al Dhafer, Hathal M., 2019, On the taxonomy of the genus Thyridanthrax Osten Sacken in Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Zootaxa 4701 (6), pp. 501-519 : 516-517

Thyridanthrax polyphemus (Wiedemann, 1820) [New record from Egypt]

( Figs 43–48 )

Anthrax polyphemus Hoffmansegg in Wiedemann 1819: 9 . Nomen nudum.

Anthrax polyphemus Wiedemann in Meigen 1820: 168 . Type locality: Portugal.

Thyridanthrax polyphemus var. pumilio Austen 1937: 149 . Type locality: Israel.

Distribution: PA: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, France, Greece, Georgia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Palestine ( West Bank), Portugal, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia.

Egyptian localities: Sinai: Wadi El-Arbaein, Wadi El-Rabba, Wadi Garagneyia .

Material examined: EGY: 1 male, Wadi El-Arbaein (S. Sinai), VIII–IX.1940 (H.C.E. & Sh.M.) ; 1 male and 1 female, Wadi El-Rabba , 21–24.IV.1940 (H.C.E.) ; 1 female, same locality, 13–19.IV.1940 (H.C.E.) ; 1 male, same locality, 26.IV.1940 (H.C.E.) ; Wadi Garagnyia (S. Sinai), VI–VIII.1942 (H.C.E.) [EFC] .

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Diagnosis: Body length: approximately 18 mm. Head reddish-brown or yellowish-red in ground color, only vertex and occiput especially behind eye margins black; upper part of frons in male approximately three times as wide as ocellar tubercle, those of female approximately four or more times as wide as ocellar tubercle; frons and face with long (longer than scape) glossy black hairs, becoming denser on middle of frons and on apex of facial cone; golden yellow scaly-hairs cover frons and face, becoming whitish on genae and sides of face, mixed on face with short whitish-yellow hairs; scape and pedicel reddish or brownish-yellow, with pedicel slightly darker, glossy black haired, with those on scape longer, forming tufts on inner margins; flagellum dark brown. Thorax black in ground color, only postpronotal lobes, postalar calli, and scutellum brownish; collar and upper half of mesopleuron golden ochre yellow hairy; prosternum and lower half of pleuron creamy white, and a tuft of almost pure white hairs present in front of wing base; scutum and scutellum covered with ochre yellow scaly-hairs, becoming creamy white on lateral and basal margins of scutellum, with some scattered black hairs on middle of scutum and apical part of scutellum; all setae of scutum and scutellum golden yellowish. Wings brown infuscated, pale brownish or yellowish-brown at base and costal margin, with hyaline spots on crossveins (window panes); cell r 5 narrowed at wing margin, contact of cell cua1 (anterior cubital cell) with cell dm (discal medial cell) much shorter than basal vein of former; r–m crossvein always slightly distal to middle of discal medial cell; calypter bright yellowish-brown. Abdomen reddish-brown in ground color, more or less black at middle of tergites; 1 st and sides of 2 nd tergites with long creamy-white hairs, becoming shorter and mixed with scaly-hairs of same color on rest of 2 nd tergite; 3 rd, 4 th, and 6 th tergites densely covered with white scaly-hairs forming white transverse bands; 2 nd– 4 th tergites covered with short brownish-yellow scaly-hairs especially on middle and posterior margins, mixed with black hairs on posterior margins; 5 th tergite entirely covered with brownish-yellow scaly-hairs mixed with black hairs; 7 th tergite with short yellowish-white scaly-hairs, mixed with long creamy white scales and hairs on posterior margin. gonocoxites with numerous long hairs ventrally on apical half; epiphallus straight, bluntly rounded at apex, not spinulate ( Figs. 45–47 ). Spermatheca ( Fig. 48 ) with the duct between the bulb and swelling short and gradually dilates towards the swelling; swelling separated from the terminal bulb by about the length of the pump and approximately located at the middle between the bulb and the pump.

Figures

FIGURES 43–48. Thyridanthrax polyphemus. 43. habitus; 44. Head, lateral; 45. hypopygium, lateral; 46. tip of epiphallus, lateral; 47. tip of epiphallus, dorsal; 48. spermatheca.