Suragina pilitarsis ( Lindner, 1925 )

Muller, Burgert S., Swart, Vaughn R. & Snyman, Louwrens P., 2024, Revision of Afrotropical Suragina Walker, 1859 (Diptera, Athericidae), African Invertebrates 65 (2), pp. 247-327 : 247-327

Suragina pilitarsis ( Lindner, 1925)

Atherix pilitarsis Lindner, 1925: 22.

Suragina pilitarsis : Stuckenberg 1980: 313.

Type material not examined.

See remarks, no additional material available.

Remarks.

Suragina pilitarsis ( Lindner, 1925) was regarded as “ unplaced and doubtful ” by Yang et al. (2016: 446), however, without justification. Based on Lindner’s description of characters, especially the characteristic velvety-black upper frons, slim body and elongated legs in combination with the overall colour characteristics, the species described is clearly a Suragina . The type material of S. pilitarsis was recorded as being in “ Hamburger Museum ”. The only additional data associated with it is “ Gaboon, leg. Soyaux 1881 ”. Unfortunately, the museum was destroyed during World War II, and after communication with the staff at Museum der Natur Hamburg, the type is now recorded as destroyed. No additional material of S. pilitarsis is known, and the original description in German is not sufficient to distinguish the species from other Afrotropical species based on the text alone and subsequently the species is excluded from the identification key in this paper. Additional material will need to be collected from the country, but without a definitive type locality this could prove difficult.