Afroestricus victus, Scarbrough Table Of Contents, 2005

Scarbrough Table Of Contents, Aubrey G., 2005, Afroestricus, a new Afrotropical Ommatine (Diptera: Asilidae) genus with twenty species and two species groups, Zootaxa 1041 (1), pp. 1-76 : 63-65

Afroestricus victus , sp. n.

Figs. 167–176 , 196

Male. Black. Body 8.4–9.8 mm; wing 6.7–7.1 mm. Head: Face yellow to yellowish­gray tomentose, black setae on dorsal 2/3, dense, mostly yellow setae on ventral 1/3: FHWR 1.0:4.3–1.0:4.4. Antenna black, longest ventral setae as long as scape and pedicel combined; flagellum as long as or longer than scape FWLR 1.0:2.0–1.0:2.5. Frons yellow tomentose; setae as long as scape+pedicel. Occiput yellowish­gray to gray tomentose; dorsal 1/2 with mostly black setae, setae yellow to white on lower 1/2; thin, black postocular bristles extend to midlateral margin of head; bristles thin, three to four strongly proclinate, extremely long with tips well above ocellar tubercle.

Thorax: Pronotum brownish­yellow tomentose dorsally, yellowish­gray laterally; black and white bristles or only black bristles present. Mesonotum with two paramedial, brown tomentose stripes and two spots laterally; grooves, sides, and posterior yellowishgray tomentose; vestiture mostly black, anterior setae as long as scape and pedicel; numerous long dorsocentral and four lateral bristles present, dorsocentral extending forward to or just before postpronotum. Scutellum yellowish­gray tomentose, long, white setae, two black marginal bristles, and prominent preapical groove present. Pleuron yellowish­gray to gray tomentose with mostly yellow setae; anepisternum with numerous black setae; anepimeral bristle and katatergal bristles black. Halter yellow.

Wing: As Fig. 3b except as follows: Cell m 1 WR 1.0:5.0:4.6–1.0:5.0:4.8.

Leg: Coxae, trochanter, and femora entirely black, mostly or entirely yellow setose, setae below femora long; coxae yellow to yellowish­gray tomentose; middle coxa laterally sometimes with one black bristle. Fore femur with row of long, black setae ventrally. Middle femur with several, long, black, posteroventral setae. Hind femur anteriorly with mostly black bristles, most or all anteroventral bristles yellow, one or two apical bristles sometimes black; posteroventral bristles usually black, three to four quite long, yellow bristles present basally; posteroventral row of bristles curved posteriorly; HFWLR 1.0:3.3–1.0:3.8. Tibiae mostly black, yellow anteriorly on fore and middle tibiae, and posteriorly on hind tibia; bristles mostly black. Tarsi with mostly yellow, narrow apex and side black, base of apical four tarsomeres yellow, apically black, fore and middle tarsi with five and four yellow bristles, respectively; hind tarsus with only black bristles.

Abdomen: Mostly black, narrow margin of some segments tarnish or dull yellow; apical four to five terga slightly redmedially; tomentum mostly gray with white setae; terga dorsally slightly brown with black setae; apical 1/2 of sterna 6 and 7 with abundant, long, white and black setae.

Terminalia (167–172): Black with brownish­yellow margins. Cercus elongate, rectangular, three times as long as wide. Epandrium wide apically, dorsoapical margin notched. Gonostylus distinctive. Gonocoxite short laterally, well before apical margin of epandrium. Distiphallus sigmoid, apex exposed laterally; epiphallus strongly constricted admedially; ejaculatory apodeme narrowly triangular in cross­section, thick ventrally. Hypandrium broadly rounded apically.

Female. Differs as follows: Body 8.3–9.1 mm; wing 6.7–7.9 mm; FHWR 1.0:3.8– 1.0:4.2; cell m 1 WR 1.0:4.0:3.5–1.0:4.8:5.2; HFWLR 1.0:5.4–1.0:5.7. Head: Face with mostly black bristles and setae; ventral 1/3 of face not unusually dense, with yellow and black setae and bristles. Flagellum only twice as long as wide, about 1/4 as long as scape. Thorax: Mesonotum with only five to six long setae and bristles. Leg: Fore and middle coxae apically sometimes with numerous black setae; middle and hind coxae laterally with one black bristle. Femora slender. Middle femur with five to six anteroventral bristles. Hind femur with all anterior bristles black or only one yellow bristle; most or all anteroventral bristles yellow. Tibiae yellow with apex and narrow anterior black stripe; most or all bristles black. Tarsi with base of apical four tarsomeres yellow; only black bristles present. Abdomen: Apical segments with sparse stout bristles. Terminalia ( Figs. 173–176 ): Tergum 9 membranous dorsally. Sternum 8 with transverse row of thin bristles. Spermatheca smooth, slightly wider apically. Genital fork distinctive.

Type material. Holotype M, TANZANIA: 9 mi SW of Itigi [5°42’S 34°29’E], 4200 ft, 28.i.1970, M. E. Irvin and E. S. Ross ( CASC) . Paratypes: TANZANIA: 2 M, 3 F, same data as holotype ( CASC) ; 1 F, 1 mi. NW., of Chunya , 5000 [ft.], 29.i.1970, M.E. Irwin and E.S. Ross ( CASC) . KENYA: 1 M, Rabai , ii.1930, Dr Van Sumeren, ( BMNH) .

Etymology. Latin victus for manner of life, referring to the predaceous habit of these flies.

Distribution ( Tables 1, 2; Fig. 196 ). Known from two localities in Tanzania; captured at 1235 m in January and February ( Tables 1, 2).

Remarks. Afroestricus victus is distinguished from congeners by the characters in the key and terminalia ( Figs. 167–176 ). Although similar to A. morani , it differs from that species in the black, more robust body, the mostly or entirely yellow anteroventral bristles below the hind femur, a swollen hind femur (HFWLR 1.0:3.3–1.0:3.8), and absence of yellow bristles on the hind tarsus.

Figures

FIGURE 196. Distribution of five species of Afroestricus in Africa and Yemen.

FIGURES 167–176. Afroestricus victus, sp. n. Male terminalia: 167–169. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. 170. Gonostylus. 171–172. Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views. Female terminalia: 173–174. Dorsal and ventral views. 175. Spermatheca. 176. Genital fork.

FIGURES 3–4. Character states of the wing and postocular bristles of the subgenus Afroestricus Scarbrough. 3a–b. Wing venation of the macroscelis and the minutus species groups. 4a–b. Short, erect and long, thin, postocular bristles bristles. Abbrevations: First radial cell=r1; fourth radial cell=r4; discal cell=d; radial­medial crossvein=r­m; first medial cell=m1; third medial cell=m3.