Euscelidia fastigium Martin, 1964

Dikow, Torsten, 2003, Revision of the genus Euscelidia Westwood, 1850 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae), African Invertebrates 44 (2), pp. 1-131 : 59

Euscelidia fastigium Martin, 1964

Fig. 16

Euscelidia fastigium Martin, 1964: 276 ; Oldroyd 1980: 356.

Diagnosis: The species is distinguished from congeners by the entirely pruinose sct, only four setae comprising the mystax, and its distribution on Madagascar.

Redescription: Head: Black; fc silver pruinose,fc gib indistinct, mystax white, 4 macrosetae; oc tr yellow pruinose dorsally; occ grey pruinose, few white setae; Antennae - scp and ped brown, setae dark brown; pped brown, white pruinose; apsel brown; Thorax: Brown; sct hump-backed, entirely covered with white and light brown pruinosity, macrosetae: yellow, 1 npl s, 1 spal s; very few setae on anepst directing anteriorly; sctl silver pruinose, ds sctl s and sctl s very short; Legs - yellow to brown; fem light brown, meta fem yellow proximally, clubbed; tib light brown to brown, yellow stripe anteriorly, not reaching tip on meta tib; emp long, longer than half of length of clw; Wings - microtrichia evenly scattered on remigium; ptero distinct, brown; cell d terminating in 3 veins; hlt yellow; Abdomen: brown; T white pruinose, T1 with white setae, remaining T with short white and brown setae, S white pruinose; ơ terminalia - ơơ specimens unknown.

Type material - The ^ holotype is labelled ‘ HOLOTYPE Euscelidia fastigium Chas. H. Martin (species name handwritten, red label) / MADAGASCAR Maj. [Majunga Province] Ambato-Boeni 23.VI.58 [23.vi.1958] F. Keiser (red label) / Euscelidia fastigium Martin (handwritten, yellow label with black submarginal border)’. The specimen is double mounted (minuten in triangular piece of cardboard), is in very good condition (right pro and left meso leg broken), and is deposited in the NHMB.

Type locality and distribution ( Fig. 16 ): Madagascar , Ambato Boeny, 16 28'S 46 42'E. Madagascar .

Remarks: The species is apparently known only from the single type specimen. I was able to investigate only three additional specimens of Euscelidia from Madagascar that are clearly not belonging to fastigium . The poor condition of the material and the lack of male specimens decided me against describing these specimens as a new species. The label data are as follows: 1^ Manjakatompo, 19 19'S 47 25'E, 1.xi.1948 (BMNH); 2?? Andringitra-Ambalavao, Plateau Soaindrana, 21 31'S 47 02'E, 14–17.i.1958 (NMSA).

Figures

Fig. 16. Distribution. Euscelidia anthrax, triangles; E. bequaerti, circles; E. bicolor, squares; E. bishariensis, stars; E. discors, pentagon; E. fastigium, hexagon.