Ancylorhynchus humeralis ( Wiedemann, 1821 )

Londt, Jason G. H., 2011, A review of Afrotropical Ancylorhynchus Berthold, 1827 (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 52 (2), pp. 471-471 : 499-500

Ancylorhynchus humeralis ( Wiedemann, 1821)

Dasypogon humeralis: Wiedemann 1821: 225 ; 1828: 396.

Ancylorrhynchus humeralis: Kertész 1909: 101 (catalogue); Hull 1960: 217; Oldroyd 1974: 32. Ancylorhynchus humeralis: Oldroyd 1980: 360 (catalogue).

There are two specimens, the male with an identification/provenance label and the female without such a label. Wiedemann’s (1821) description states ‘ ♂. Prom. bon. sp.’ (= Cape of Good Hope), there being no indication that he studied a female. I consider the male specimen as having holotype status. These specimens, which appear not to have been studied since the description of the species, prove to be representatives of the genus Pegesimallus Loew, 1858 (subfamily Dasypogoninae ). This genus was reviewed by Londt (1980) and the type specimens key out perfectly to P. tapulus (Walker, 1849) , the male genitalia matching those illustrated for the species. P. tapulus , with a distribution that includes the Western Cape Province of South Africa and the western parts of the Eastern Cape Province, was also described from ‘C.B.S.’ (= Cape of Good Hope). Wiedemann’s (1821) humeralis clearly has precedence over Walker’s (1849) tapulus and so the latter name falls as a synonym of humeralis . Two taxonomic actions therefore need to be taken: (1) Dasypogon humeralis Wiedemann, 1821 is transferred to Pegesimallus Loew, 1858 , resulting in the new combination Pegesimallus humeralis ( Wiedemann, 1821) ; and (2) Pegesimallus tapulus (Walker, 1849) is synonymised with P. humeralis becoming a new junior synonym of the latter.

Pegesimallus and Ancylorhynchus belong to totally different subfamilies and it is surprising that nobody has detected this over the many years that these taxa have been in existence. The keys to Afrotropical Ancylorhynchus species produced by Oldroyd (1970, 1974) were obviously based on published descriptions rather than any personal experience of the taxa.

Holotype (examined): ♂ SOUTH AFRICA: ‘ ♂ ’, ‘Mus. / Westerm.’, ‘ D. humeralis / Wied. / Cape Good Hope / Decb. [xii] 1817’ ( UZMD).

Other material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: ‘ ♀ ’, ‘Mus. / Westerm.’ ( UZMD) .