Anastoechus macrophthalmus Bezzi, 1921

Greathead, David J. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2004, New species of Bombylioidea in Mario Bezzi’s Unpublished Hungarian Museum Manuscript, Zootaxa 773, pp. 1-56 : 20

Anastoechus macrophthalmus Bezzi, 1921

20. Anastoechus macrophthalmus 1ɗ South Africa (Eastern Cape): Willowmore, 25.xi.1906 (H. Brauns). MS page 13.

Bezzi, 1921a: 47, 52 – key and diagnosis; 1ɗ, South Africa (Western Cape): Hex River, xii.1884 (L. Péringuey) (SAMC).

Bezzi, 1922: 74 – mentioned its presence in his (1921a) key and in his anticipated Hungarian paper; specimens of both sexes ex Willowmore, xi and ii (in HNHM and Bezzi’s collection). MSNM has two syntypes from Willowmore: 1ɗ, xi.1912 (Dr Brauns); 1Ψ, 28.ii.1915 (Dr Brauns). These specimens also bear small brown labels ‘42 Bezzi’ and ‘44 Bez’ respectively. The Brauns collection in NMSA has 3ɗɗ and 3ΨΨ collected on 25.xi.1912, 1ɗ also has a ’42 Bezzi’ label and 1Ψ collected on 15.xii.1919 with a ‘Bezzi 44’ label. These specimens are considered to be duplicates retained by Dr Brauns and if this is so are not syntypes.

Hesse, 1938: 361 – description from the Hex River specimen and many others in SAMC and BMNH.

Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999: 86 – listed the holotype (destroyed) in HNHM.

Types: Bezzi (1921a) stated that the “ Type ” was in the Hungarian Museum. This is enough to consider it as the holotype. The other specimens listed by Bezzi (1921a, 1922) are paratypes. The holotype was destroyed in the 1956 uprising.

Remarks: Bezzi (1921a) diagnosed A. macrophthalmus by giving comments on a few characters that distinguished it from A. erinaceus Bezzi (thus effectively validating the name). It is a common and widespread species in the karoo biomes of South Africa.