Anypodetus nigrifacies Ricardo, 1925

Dikow, Torsten & Dubus, Meliah, 2023, A review of the assassin-fly genus Anypodetus Hermann, 1907 with the description of a new species (Insecta, Diptera, Asilidae), African Invertebrates 64 (2), pp. 165-206 : 165

Anypodetus nigrifacies Ricardo, 1925

Figs 42-45 , 52

Taxon depository.

ZooBank: https://zoobank.org/AB815003-5E96-4C41-9481-8CB39BF56AE4;

GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/1664909;

Plazi TreatmentBank ( Londt 2000): https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B39D2F-F048-9D42-FF7D-F9E6D9B84607.

Diagnosis.

The species is distinguished from congeners by the uniformly brown stained wings with the wings being densely covered by microtrichia, and by the overall brown coloration.

Type locality.

Mozambique: Maputo: Lourenço-Marqués (= Maputo) (25°57'00"S, 032°34'00"E, -25.95, 32.56667).

Material examined.

Mozambique - Gaza • 1♂ Chigubo ; 22°49'55"S, 033°31'10"E; 11 Feb. 1964; Moore, A. leg.; USNMENT01140569, USNM .

Mozambique - Maputo • 1♀ Lourenço-Marqués (= Maputo); 25°57'00"S, 032°34'00"E; 12 Dec. 1906; McMillan, J.D. leg.; NHMUK013445837, Paralectotype, NHMUK • 1♀ same locality 15 Dec. 1906; McMillan, J.D. leg.; NHMUK013445835, Paralectotype, NHMUK • 1♂ same locality 18 Dec. 1906; McMillan, J.D. leg.; NHMUK013445836, Lectotype, NHMUK • 1♀ Maputo; 25°58'00"S, 032°34'00"E; 15 Mar. 1980; Feijen, H. leg.; NMSA-DIP-009024, NMSA • 1♂ Moamba ; 25°36'14"S, 032°14'35"E; 09-12 Mar. 1964; Moore, A. leg.; USNMENT01831272, USNM .

South Africa - KwaZulu-Natal • 1♀ Mkuzi Game Reserve ; 27°38'20"S, 032°09'30"E; Jan. 1949; Munro, H. leg.;, SANC • 1♀ Mkuzi Game Reserve ; 27°35'44"S, 032°13'09"E; 100 m a.s.l.; 01 Feb. 1988; Londt, Jason leg.; main camp + caravan park area; NAMS-DIP-009015, NMSA • 1♀ same data; NMSA-DIP-097038, NMSA • 1♀ same data; NMSA-DIP-097039, NMSA • 1♂ same data; NMSA-DIP-097040, NMSA • 1♂ same data; NMSA-DIP-097041, NMSA • 1♂ same data; NMSA-DIP-097042, NMSA • 1♂ same data; NMSA-DIP-097043, NMSA • 1♂ same data; NMSA-DIP-097044, NMSA • 1♀ Ndumu Game Reserve ; 26°52'00"S, 032°15'00"E; 28 Nov. 1961; Oatley, T. leg.; NMSA-DIP-009013, NMSA • 1♀ Ndumu Game Reserve ; 26°52'00"S, 032°15'00"E; 26 Oct. 1972; Irwin, M.E. leg.; NMSA-DIP-009008, NMSA • 1♀ same data; NMSA-DIP-097046, NMSA • 1♀ Ndumu Game Reserve ; 26°52'00"S, 032°15'00"E; 15 Feb. 1978; Brothers, D., Bampton leg.; Malaise trap; NAMS-DIP-009009, NMSA • 1♀ Ndumu Game Reserve ; 26°52'00"S, 032°15'00"E; 15 Feb. 1978; Brothers, D., Bampton leg.; Malaise trap; NAMS-DIP-097045, NMSA • 1♂ Ndumu Game Reserve , rest camp; 26°52'00"S, 032°15'00"E; 95 m a.s.l.; 23-29 Nov. 1977; Brothers, D., Guillarmond, J. leg.; Malaise trap; NAMS-DIP-009005, NMSA • 1♀ Ndumu Reserve ; 26°52'00"S, 032°15'00"E; 01-10 Dec. 1963; Stuckenberg, Brian, Stuckenberg, P. leg.; NMSA-DIP-009006, NMSA .

Distribution, biodiversity hotspots, seasonal imago flight activity, and biology.

Known only from eastern-most South Africa and southern Mozambique (Fig. 52 ). A rarely observed and collected species known from 22 specimens from 11 collecting events between 1906-1988 (Table 2 ). The species occurs in but is not endemic to the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot (a single collecting event is outside of the hotspot). Adult flies are active from late spring to late summer (October-March) (Table 3 ). Nothing is known of the biology.

Remarks.

Ricardo (1925: 244) described this species on 'Types (male and female) and another male and female, all from Lorenzo Marques, Portuguese E. Africa (F.D. McMillan), in Brit. Mus Coll.' In doing so she did not designate a holotype so all her listed specimens must be considered syntypes. The three NHMUK specimens of A. nigrifacies were labeled as Syntypes by J. Chainey in 1984. It is unknown where the 4th specimen is deposited. Londt (2000: 134) designated 'the male as lectotype and the female as paralectotype’ but none of the specimens are labeled as such and there are more than two specimens. We hereby designate the male from Lorenzo Marques (= Maputo) as Lectotype (NHMUK013445836) in order to stabilize the species concept and the two female specimens from the same locality as Paralectotypes (NHMUK013445835 and NHMUK013445837).

Figures

Figure 52. Map of southern Africa with elevational relief and biodiversity hotspots (sensu Conservation International in gray) and distribution of A. fasciatus, A. fascipennis, A. macroceros, A. nigrifacies, and A. phalaros (SimpleMappr https: // www. simplemappr. net / map / 20267). Distribution and occurrence data available in Google Earth KML file https: // www. simplemappr. net / map / 20267. kml.

Figures 42 - 45. A. nigrifacies 42 ♀ paralectotype (NHMUK 013445835), lateral 43 same, dorsal 44 ♂ lectotype (NHMUK 013445836), lateral 45 same, dorsal. Photographs by NHMUK staff, copyright Natural History Museum London.