Taxonomic observations regarding four genera ofAfrotropical robber flies, Choerades Walker, 1851, Laphria Meigen, 1803, Nannolaphria Londt, 1977 and Notiolaphria Londt, 1977, and the description of Ericomyia gen. n. (Diptera, Asilidae, Laphriinae)
Author
Londt, Jason G. H.
text
African Invertebrates
2015
2015-06-30
56
1
191
191
http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.5733/afin.056.0115
journal article
10.5733/afin.056.0115
2305-2562
7913925
Nannolaphria nigra
Londt, 1977
Figs 1
,
2
,
34
Nannolaphria niger
Londt, 1977: 48
; Oldroyd 1980 (as
nigra
): 1218.
Previous records: The following
type
specimens were listed by
Londt (1977)
. All specimens are in NMSA except for 3 pairs deposited in BMNH, MNHN and USNM respectively.
SOUTH AFRICA
:
1♂
holotype
,
1♂
3♀
paratypes
,
Natal
,
Pietermaritzburg
,
Town Bush
[
29°33'03"S
30°20'20"E
,
c.
970 m
], forest margin,
26.xi.1976
,
J. G. H. Londt
;
5♂
14♀
paratypes
.same data but
7.xii.1976
;
3♂
3♀
paratypes
,
Pietermaritzburg. Town
Bush,
18.xii.1961
(
1♂
2♀
),
27.xii.1961
(
1♂
2 ♀
),
21.xi.1962
(
1♂
),
B. & P. Stuckenberg
.
1♀
paratype
,
Port St Johns
[
31°37'08"S
29°30'56"E
,
c.
170 m
],
22–25.xi.1961
,
B. & P. Stuckenberg
.
New records:
SOUTH AFRICA
:
1♀
‘R.
S.A.
: KZ-Natal #56 /
Lekkerwater Farm
/
29°00'S
29°24'E
1470 m
/
Date
:
18.xii.1996
/
Coll
:
J.G.H. Londt
/
In
grotto near farm’ (
NMSA
)
;
1♂
2♀
‘
South Africa
:
Natal
/
Karkloof Nature Res
/
29°18'10"S
30°13'40"E
, /
1260 m
10.xii.1987
/
J & H Londt Mixed
/
Podocarpus
For.
Edge’
(
NMSA
)
;
4♀
‘
South Africa
:
Natal
/
Karkloof
[
29°19'23"S
30°14'18"E
,
c.
1155 m
] 2930AB /
Coll.
JGH
Londt
/
Date
22.xii.1982
’ (
NMSA
)
;
2♀
‘
South Africa
KZN /
Fort Nottingham Nature
/
Reserve
1525m
/
29°24'44"S
29°55'00"E
, /
J & A Londt
5.ii.2011
/
Podocarpus
Forest
area’ (
NMSA
)
;
2♂
3♀
‘
South Africa
KZN /
Pietermaritzburg
916m
/
Queen Elizabeth Park
/
29°34'06"S
30°19'15"E
, /
J.G.H. Londt
19.xii.2012
/
Forest
clearing sun spot’ (
NMSA
)
;
4♀
‘
South Africa
:
Natal
/
Pietermaritzburg
/ 2930
Cb
24.xi.1977
/ J.G.H.
Londt
/
Town Bush
[
29°33'03"S
30°20'20"E
,
c.
970 m
]’ (
NMSA
)
;
1♂
2♀
same data but
28.xi.1978
(
NMSA
)
;
2♂
6♀
same data but
7.xii.1978
[2 pinned with prey items] (
NMSA
)
;
1♀
same data but
14.xii.1978
[pinned with prey item] (
NMSA
)
;
1♂
3♀
same data but
20.xi.1978
[all pinned with prey items] (
NMSA
)
;
1♀
‘
South Africa
:
Natal
/
Town Bush Forest
Res / 2930CB
D. Barraclough
/
Date
10 Feb. 1983
’ (
NMSA
)
;
1♂
3♀
‘
South Africa
:
Natal
/
Ferncliffe Forest
Res
[= Town Bush] /
29°33'00"S
30°20’30"E
, /
975m
A. Seymour
/
Mistbelt Mixed Forest
/
Date
23.xi.1987
’ (
NMSA
)
;
1♂
3♀
‘
South Africa
:
Natal
/
Ferncliffe Forest
Res /
29°33'00"S
30°20’30"E
, /
975m
A. Seymour
/
Mistbelt Mixed Forest
/
Date
23.xi.1987
’ (
NMSA
)
;
1♀
‘
South Africa
:
Natal
/
Ferncliffe Nature Res
/ nr
Pietermaritzburg
/
29°33'S
30°20'E
1020 m
/
Date
:
16.xii.1996
/
Coll
: J & A Londt / Forest margin’ (
NMSA
)
;
1♀
‘
South Africa
: KZ-Natal #58 /
Ferncliffe
/
29°33'S
30°20'E
/
Indig. For.
9.i.1990
/
A.E. Whittington’
(
NMSA
)
;
1♂
13♀
‘
S Africa
KwaZulu-Natal
/
Marutswa Forest Reserve
/
29°48'29"S
29°47'04"E
,
J & A Londt
23.i.2015
/
1455m
Podocarpus
forest’ (
NMSA
)
.
Fig. 1.
Nannolaphria nigra
Londt, 1977
, ♂ Pietermaritzburg.
Distribution, phenology and biology: Recorded from a relatively small region extending from the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa’s
KwaZulu-Natal Province
(Lekkerwater Farm) to the coast of the
Eastern Cape Province
(Port St. Johns) (
Fig. 34
). Collected only during the warmer summer months, November–February (
Table. 1
).All specimens were collected in low vegetation in sunny patches under a forest canopy (
Fig. 2
) or along the margins of indigenous forest. Prey items include small alate insects of the following groups:
Diptera
(
Ceratopogonidae
,
Scatopsidae
),
Hemiptera
(
Aleyrodidae
,
Aphididae
,
Cicadellidae
),
Hymenoptera
(
Cynipidae
,
Formicidae
).