Thyridanthrax elegans elegans (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 : 506-507

Thyridanthrax elegans elegans (Wiedemann, 1820)

( Figs 10–15 )

Anthrax elegans Hoffmansegg in Wiedemann 1818: 17 . Nomen nudum.

Nemotelus inquinatus Pallas in Wiedemann 1818: 17 . Unavailable name; name proposed in synonymy and not made available before 1961.

Anthrax elegans Wiedemann in Meigen 1820: 155 . Type locality: Portugal and Russia [as “Südrussland”].

Anthrax varinevris Macquart 1846: 351 (223), pl. 9, fig. 14. Type locality: Palaearctic [specific locality not given].

Anthrax variegatus Jaennicke 1867: 69 . Type locality: Italy (Sicily).

Thyridanthrax dolgovskayae Zaitzev 1999: 898 . Type locality: Israel.

Distribution: PA: Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France (incl. Corsica), Greece (incl. Corfu, Lesbos), Georgia, Iran, Israel, Italy (incl. Sicily), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain (incl. Ibiza, Mallorca), Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia.

Egyptian localities: Coastal Strip: Alexandria (Nuzha and Ramleh), Mariout (Burg).

Material examined: EGY: 2 males and 2 females, Burg, 15.VII.1926 (H.C.E. and M.T.); 2 females, Nuzha, 25.VIII.1926 (H.C.E. and M.T.); 1 male, same data, 4.VIII.1926 ; 1 male and 2 females, same data, 21.VII.1926 [EFC].

Diagnosis: Body length: approximately 7 mm. Almost all frons and occiput black in ground color, face yellowish; frons and face at apex of facial cone with black hairs; frons and face covered with whitish-yellow scales; gena with white hairs; occiput densely covered with pure white scales, yellowish on middle behind vertex; scape and pedicel reddish-yellow with black hairs; flagellum dark brownish, conical, with width at upper third less than half its width at base; upper part of frons in male less than three times as wide as ocellar tubercle, that of female more than three times as wide as ocellar tubercle. Thorax black in ground color, only posterior half of scutellum brownish; tufts of white long scales present above hind coxa; scutum and scutellum covered with yellowish tomentum, becoming whitish on lateral and posterior margins of scutum and on base of scutellum; white transverse band of scaly-hairs present on scutum in front of wing bases; all thoracic setae golden-yellow or reddish-yellow. Legs with fore and mid femora more or less reddish-yellow, black only at bases; hind femora mostly black; tibiae yellowish in basal halves, blackish in apical halves; tarsi blackish; legs covered with white scales mixed with yellowish ones; all legs except fore tibiae with black setae. Wings with brown or yellowish-brown basicostal infuscation extending over basal half of surface, becoming paler at base and costal margin, with hyaline spots on crossveins (window panes); basal medial cell (bm) faintly infuscated yellowish with a brownish spot on distal end joined to brownish large spot on basal half of discal medial cell (dm) and that on middle of posterior cubital cell (cup); brownish spot on base of discal medial cell always reaching beyond base of r–m crossvein; third posterior cell (m2) and anterior cubital cell (cua1) narrowly infuscated at base; calypter yellowish-white; halter yellowish. Abdomen mostly dark brown in ground color; sides of 1 st tergite and anterior corners of 2 nd tergite with white hairs, mixed with black ones on posterior corners of latter; 2 nd tergite broad, covered with yellowish-white scales on anterior half, becoming more yellowish on sides, and with dark brown scales on posterior half forming transverse dark brown band; broad transverse band of whitish scales present on 3 rd tergite, and another more yellowish one may present on 4 th tergite, with narrow dark brown bands present on posterior margins of both; posterior margins of 6 th and entire 7 th tergite with whitish scales, rest with yellowish scales except some dark brown scales on anterior margins of 5 th and 6 th tergites; some black hairs present on 4 th and 5 th tergites especially on posterior margins and sides. Epiphallus large, spinulate dorsally at apical part, and curved dorsally at level of tip of aedeagus forming marked angle ( Figs. 12 – 14 ). Spermatheca ( Fig. 15 ) with the swelling in the duct separated from the terminal bulb by about the length of the pump, or slightly more. The swelling approximately has the same size as the terminal bulb.

Figures

FIGURES 10–15. Thyridanthrax elegans. 10. habitus; 11. Head, lateral; 12. hypopygium, lateral; 13. tip of epiphallus, dorsal; 14. tip of epiphallus, lateral; 15. spermatheca.