Musca gabonensis, Macquart, 1855

Pont, Adrian C., 2012, Muscoidea (Fanniidae, Anthomyiidae, Muscidae) described by P. J. M. Macquart (Insecta, Diptera), Zoosystema 34 (1), pp. 39-111 : 65

gabonensis Macquart, 1855 , Musca

Musca gabonensis Macquart, 1855a: 135 ( 1855b: 115) . Lectotype ♂, “d’Afrique, royaume de Gabon. M. Bigot.” ( Gabon), by designation of Pont (1990: 165), in BMNH.

MATERIAL. — Described from Bigot’s collection. There is 1 ♂ syntype in that part of the Bigot collection now in BMNH. It was earlier redescribed by Bigot (1858: 371) and also seen by Brauer (1899: 527). It was listed by me as the holotype ( Pont 1990: 165), and this statement must now be interpreted as lectotype designation by inference. The lectotype is not in good condition: rather mouldy, and left wing quite damaged. It has no data, but is labelled by Macquart “ Musca / gabonensis / ♂. Macq.”, and stands over a Bigot drawer label “ M. Gabonensis . ♂. / Gabon. Macq.”.

CURRENT IDENTITY. — It is a species of Musca Linnaeus, 1858 , and belongs to the group of species formerly placed in the subgenus Viviparomusca Townsend, 1915 : the supra-squamal ridge is setulose along its entire length. The colour of the basicosta is not apparent, but the yellow syntergite 1 + 2 and other characters identify M. gabonensis as the species previously known as Musca natalensis Villeneuve, 1916 , and this synonymy was published by Pont (1980: 727). Musca gabonensis as interpreted by previous authors ( Patton 1936: 482; Emden 1939: 81; Peris 1967: 34; Zielke 1971: 137) belongs to the subgenus Eumusca Townsend, 1911 , and the valid name for this species is now Musca aethiops Stein, 1913 .