Afroestricus, 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 : 8-11

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.1041.1.1

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B5602620-356B-FFF1-FEC7-FECE668BFE22

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Afroestricus
status

gen. nov.

Afroestricus View in CoL View at ENA , gen. n. ( Figs. 1–196 View FIGURES 1–2 View FIGURES 3–4 View FIGURES 5–14 View FIGURES 15–24 View FIGURES 25–34 View FIGURES 35–44 View FIGURES 45–54 View FIGURES 55–64 View FIGURES 65–70 View FIGURES 71–80 View FIGURES 81–90 View FIGURES 91–100 View FIGURES 101–110 View FIGURES 111–120 View FIGURES 121–130 View FIGURES 131–140 View FIGURES 141–150 View FIGURES 151–160 View FIGURES 161–166 View FIGURES 167–176 View FIGURES 177–186 View FIGURES 187–192 , Tables 1, 2)

Type species: Ommatius macroscelis Bezzi 1906: 294 , by present designation.

Discription: Small to medium sized flies (6.3–20.6 mm) with brown to black body, wings entirely tomentose, and distinctive terminalia ( Figs. 5–192 View FIGURES 5–14 View FIGURES 15–24 View FIGURES 25–34 View FIGURES 35–44 View FIGURES 45–54 View FIGURES 55–64 View FIGURES 65–70 View FIGURES 71–80 View FIGURES 81–90 View FIGURES 91–100 View FIGURES 101–110 View FIGURES 111–120 View FIGURES 121–130 View FIGURES 131–140 View FIGURES 141–150 View FIGURES 151–160 View FIGURES 161–166 View FIGURES 167–176 View FIGURES 177–186 View FIGURES 187–192 ), especially the roof­like epiphallus which conceals distiphallus dorsally and tubular spermatheca. Head: Ventral 2/3 of face ( Fig. 1 View FIGURES 1–2 ) moderately gibbose. Palpus and proboscis yellow setose. Antenna, frons, and ocellar tubercle brown to black setose. Frons with wide stripe of long, multiple setae laterally; sides slightly converging dorsally. Ocellar tubercle with two long setae, each about as long as basal three antennomeres combined.

Thorax: Scutellum usually with two black marginal bristles and prominent preapical marginal groove. Stout anepimeral bristle present. Wing ( Figs. 3a–3b View FIGURES 3–4 ): Entirely microtrichose, usually brownish­yellow, sometimes brown or yellow. Legs: Fore femur ( Fig. 2 View FIGURES 1–2 ) with preapical, anteroventral bristle. Hind femur with two ventral rows of bristles, each extending from base to apex; posteroventral row of bristles usually arched medially onto posterior surface. Tarsi partially yellow, at least a few yellow bristles present. Apical segments of abdomen of females usually with sparse, unusually stout, bristles. Terminalia (5–192). Male: Cerci unusually long and narrow, three or more times as long as wide. Epandrium notched dorsally or apically, with a short flat flange along internal surface apically. Aedeagal sheath strongly produced [=epiphallus] anteriorly, concealing tubular distiphallus dorsally and usually apex laterally; distiphallus usually horizontal, apex somewhat flattened laterally, often pointed and recurved; base of aedeagus produced anteriorly, projecting between gonocoxites and beyond hypandrium, usually wide and rounded. Female: Spermatheca tubular, recurved except in A. minutus , usually slightly flattened and wider apically, sides gradually wider apically; spermathecal duct unusually narrow, including valves, each connected to large bulbus bursa basally ( Fig. 24 View FIGURES 15–24 ) and spermatheca preapically. Sternum 8 with minute spurlike ridge apically. Genital fork mostly membranous, arms sclerotized dorsally.

Etymology. Afroestricus is a combination of the prefix Afro for the Afrotropical region where the species occurs and the Latin estricis for eating in excess, referring to the voracious feeding habits of asilids. The gender is feminine.

Remarks. Afroestricus is distinguished from Ommatius by the moderately gibbose face; frons with wide stripe of long setae, not arranged in single file; ocellar setae subequal to or as long as three antennal segments combined ( Fig. 1 View FIGURES 1–2 ); fore femur with anterior, preapical bristle ( Fig. 2 View FIGURES 1–2 ); the flat, rooflike epiphallus which conceals the tubular distiphallus dorsally; the notched epandrium and the tubular, recurved, slightly flattened spermatheca.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Asilidae

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