Daspletis hirtus Ricardo, 1925

Londt, Jason G. H., 2010, A review of Daspletis Loew, 1858 with the addition of a remarkable South African species (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 51 (1), pp. 183-183 : 191

Daspletis hirtus Ricardo, 1925

Fig. 14

Daspletis hirtus: Ricardo 1925: 263 ; Londt 1983: 289, figs 11–15.

Londt (1983) recorded material: SOUTH AFRICA: 3ơ 7^Kalahari Gemsbok Park , Nossob R., 35 km N camp, 2620BD, dry river bed veget., 21.iii.1982, Londt & Schoeman ( NMSA) ; 4ơ 1^15 km S Twee Rivieren , 2620DA, 21.iii.1982, dry roadside veget., Londt & Schoeman ( NMSA) ; 1^[ salicior paratype] Twee Rivieren [26°27'S: 20°34'E], 11–20.ii.1958, Kalahari Gemsbok Park Expedition ( NMSA) ; 1^20 km N Noenieput , 2720 AC, roadside vegetation, 20.iii.1982, Londt & Schoeman ( NMSA) ; 1^25 km N Noenieput on road to Koopan-Suid , 2720 AC, thick veget./trees, 20.iii.1982, Londt & Schoeman ( NMSA) ; 1ơ ca 65 km SE Noenieput , 2720DC, kloof/green shrubs, 20.iii.1982, Londt & Schoeman ( NMSA) ; 2ơ 4^85 km W Van Zylsrus , 2721AB, dry area scrub/sand, 22.iii.1982, Londt & Schoeman ( NMSA) . ZIMBABWE:ơ [defective] holotype, 1^paratype, Sawmills [19°35'S: 28°01'E], 12.ii [or xi].1920, Rhodesian Museum ( BMNH) ; 1ơ Sawmills , 23.ii.1922, Rhodesia Museum ( NMSA) ; 1ơ 1^Sawmills , 14.xi.1924, Stevenson ( NMSA) .

New material (all NMSA): SOUTH AFRICA: 8ơ 7^10 km W Bloubos farm, 28°07'S: 20°45'E, 900 m, 17.iii.1991, Londt & Whittington, red dunes; 3^15 km S Swaarmodder , 28°10'S: 20°37'E, 850 m, 17.iii.1991, Whittington & Londt, red dunes.

Distribution, phenology and biology: D. hirtus has been collected in the northern parts of the Northern Cape province of South Africa and at Sawmills in Zimbabwe. It must be assumed that the species also occurs in the intervening area of Botswana where the species has not yet been recorded ( Fig. 14 ). Adults have been collected in November, February and March (Table 1), the November records need confirmation as labels carry ‘11’ which may need to be read as ‘II’ (i.e. February). NMSA prey records include (sex of predator in brackets): Diptera (1): Asilidae , Neolophonotus sp. (^). Hemiptera (1): Pentatomidae (ơ). Hymenoptera (1): Formicidae (^), Halticidae (ơ). Lepidoptera (4): Pieridae , Colotis agoye (^), unidentified moths (1ơ 2^).

Figures

Fig. 14. The distribution of Daspletis Loew, 1858 species in southern Africa: hirtus (circles), setithoracicus (squares), vespertilio (triangles), vulpes (diamonds).