Ommatius (Pygommatius) alatipes, Scarbrough & Marascia, 2003

Scarbrough, Aubrey G. & Marascia, Claudio G., 2003, Revision of Ommatius Wiedemann (Diptera: Asilidae). IV. Pygommatius subgen. nov. with twenty-five Afrotropical species, Zootaxa 228 (1), pp. 1-94 : 16-18

Ommatius (Pygommatius) alatipes , sp. n.

Figs. 1 , 49 , 54­61

Male. Body brown to black. Length, body 9.8­10.0 mm; wing 6.8­7.7 mm. Head: Mostly white tomentose, white setose. Face with 1­4 thin, black bristles; mystax dense with white, ‘drooping’ setae; pencil­like bristles sparse; FHWR 1.0:4.6­1.0:5.3. Proboscis with narrow base yellow. Pedicel sometimes sparsely to entirely black setose. Frons slightly brownishgray to yellowish­gray tomentose. Occiput with 1­5 black postocular bristles, apex of longest at or just before ocellar tubercle.

Thorax: Black. Mesonotum dorsally with sparse mostly light brownish­gray to yellowish­gray tomentum, surface subshiny, 2 paramedial stripes and 2 lateral spots brown tomentose; vestiture dark brown to black, setae abundant anteriorly, laterally and posteriorly, anterior setae about as long as scape and pedicel combined; 4 long, lateral bristles and 2­3 shorter dorsocentral bristles present. Scutellum light brownish­gray to yellowish­gray tomentose with abundant, long setae and 2 white or black marginal bristles. Pleuron mostly gray tomentose, anepisternum slightly yellow; setae and bristles white. Halter yellow.

Wing ( Fig. 1 ): Apical third and apical half posteriorly dense microtrichose. Cell r 4 moderately wide. Cell m 3 pointed, apex near base of cell m 1.

Leg: Coxae usually black, fore and middle coxae sometimes yellow apically; gray tomentose; fore coxa apically with 2­4 long, erect, white bristles. Femora mostly yellow, yellowish­brown to black anterodorsal stripe present; hind femur dark brown on dorsal half to two­thirds. Fore and middle femora with only yellow setae ventrally, bristles absent. Hind femur with 4 long, yellow, anteroventral bristles, longest bristle about one­ third as long as hind femur; brown anterodorsal stripe present, with numerous, comb­like, yellow setae; only 5­6 short, brown, posteroventral bristles present; HFWLR 1.0:5.8­ 1.0:6.5. Tibiae and tarsi mostly to entirely yellow; fore and middle tarsi laterally with sparse yellow bristles. Hind tarsus ( Fig. 49 ).

Abdomen: Mostly gray tomentose, slightly brown dorsomedially; mostly white setose, scattered brown setose dorsally; tergites 7­8 narrow, about two­thirds as wide as widest segment; basal sternites with long, erect setae; apical third of sternite 3, entire sternite 4, and basal third of sternite 5 with erect bristles; apical margin of sternite 8 with black bristly setae.

Terminalia ( Figs. 54­58 ): Epandrium with 3 branches, median and ventral branches very slender, former longer, apex slightly capitate. Hypandrium apically with dense ‘beard’ of long, thin bristles.

Female. Differs from male as follows. Length, body 9.2­11.7 mm; wing 6.7­9.0 mm.

Head: Face without unusually dense white vestiture; 7­8 brown bristles present. Thorax: Mesonotum with setae about as long as scape only. Katatergite with 1­3 black bristles. Wing: Apex of cell m 3 only slightly pointed, just beyond midpoint between r­m and base of m 1. Leg: Fore coxa with erect bristles only slightly thicker than surrounding vestiture. Middle femur mostly white setose ventrally. Hind femur anteriorly with brown diagonally, venter yellow; mostly long, brown setae present ventrally, stout bristles absent; 1 posteroventral seta about one­third as long as hind femur; HFWLR 1.0:5.7­1.0:7.1. Hind tarsus with tarsomeres entirely or narrow apex light brown­yellow. Abdomen: Sternites 3­5 without stout bristles. Tergite 9 dorsomedially narrow, one­fourth to one­third as long as laterally. Terminalia ( Figs. 59­61 ): Three spermathecae present, apex not strongly pointed, base with duct preapical and lateral. Apical margin of sternite 8 medially triangular, often bent forward in dry specimens.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. Holotype ♂, SOUTH AFRICA, E. Transvaal / 20.5 km S. Nelspruit / Noordkaap R. 2530DB / 1­2.xii.1976 R. Miller ( NMSA) ; allotype ♀, SOUTH AFRICA, 2428CD / Transvaal Nyl River / 8 km SW of Nylstroom / 29­31.i.78, J. Londt / Bushveld near river ( NMSA) . Paratypes, MALAWI: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Cape Maclear / Forest Reserve 600 m / 12.xii.1980 1434 Bb / Stuckenberg and Londt / Brachystegia woodland ( NMSA) ; 1 ♂, Kasunqu Nat. Park / Lifupa Camp / 1333A 9­10.xii.1980 / 1000 m ~ Stuckenberg and Londt / Brachstegia woodland ( NMSA) ; 2 ♀, Pres. by Imp. Bur. Ent. / Brit. Mus. 1923­58 / Nyasaland / Mt Mlanje , 6.xi.1912, 11­12.xi.1912 / S. A. Neave ( BMNH) . MOZAMBIQUE: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Zambeze / Chemba 14.iii / J. Surcouf 1926 ( MNHN) ; 1 ♂, Tambara ii / P. Lesne 1929 ( MNHN) ; 1 ♂, Zambeze / Nova Chupanga ix / J. Surcouf 1928 ( MNHN) . NIGERIA: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Zaire / Dumbi 11­14.vi.1907 / P. H. Ward ( BMNH) . SENEGAL: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Mereto / Terres­Neuves / 28.vii.76 / G. Coutuvier ~ savane Boisé / à Sterculia ( MNHN) ; 1 ♀, Forêt de Bandia / 22.ix.76 / G. Coutuvier ( MNHN) ; 1 ♂, Thies Reg. / 4 km N. Joal / 21.vi.1966 / D. E. Harvey ( USNM) . SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♀, Mosdene Base Camp / Naboomspruit / N. Transvaal / 4.xii.1976 / Nat. Museum S. Rhodesia / Falc. coll. Nat. Mus. Exp. ( NMBZ) ; 1 ♂, Baberion / Transvaal ( SA) ~ xii.1911 / H. E. Edwards ( BMNH) ; 1 ♀, Amamzintoti / Natal / i.1951 ( BMNH) ; 1 ♀, Pretoria / Transvaal 7.i.51 / Leg. Zumpt ( BMNH) ; 1 ♀, Rooiberg / Transvaal / xii.1958 ( BMNH) ; 1 ♀, Skukuza / Kruger N. P. / Zumpt ( BMNH) ; 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Natal / Krautzkloof Nat. Res. / 2930DD / 8.xi.1984 / JGH Londt ( NMSA) ; 1 ♂, Natal # 96 / Itala Game reserve / Craig Adam Dam / 27°28'S: 31°25’E / i.1991 R. M. Miller ~ malaise trap ( NMSA) ; 2 ♂, 1 ♀, E. Transvaal / Ofcolaco 2430AB / Selati River / 7­8.xii.1976 R. Miller ( NMSA) ; 6 ♂, 1 ♀, N­W Province, Pilanesberg National Park, Bakubung , 1170 m Camp ~ 25°20’40”S: 27°03’25”E ~ 12­19.xi.1999 ~ JGH Londt ( NMSA) ; 1 ♀, 2526DB / Transvaal Millvale / 30 km W. Rustenberg / 2.ii.1978 JGH Londt / bushveld trees+grass ( NMSA) . SWAZILAND : 1 ♀, Malkenis ~ 31.xii.69 ( BMNH) . TANZANIA: 1 ♂, 4 mi N Kolo / 1700 m. 17.ix.57 ( CASC) . ZAMBIA: 1 ♀, KITWE ( Zambia ) / xii.1961 ( NMBZ) ; 3 ♀, Rhodesia / Sabi River / Chibuwe dip. / i.1971 / B. Hursey / B. M. 1971­539 ( BMNH) . ZIMBABWE: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Alice Yale Farm / Vumba near / Zumunya res. / S. of Umtali / S. Rhodesia / 29.xii.1977 / Nat. Museum S Rhodesia / D. K. B. Wheeler ( NMBZ) ; 3 ♀, Matsheamhope Bulawayo / 16.i.1978 / D. K. S. Wheeler ( NMBZ) ; 1 ♀, 3489 ~ Hillside Byo / S. Rhodesia / 22.ii.1922 / Swinburne and / Stevenson ( USNM) ; 1 ♀, xii.27 / Garomma / S. Rhodesia / A. Cuthbertson ( USNM) .

Etymology. Latin alatipes for “winged foot”, referring to the wing­like setae on the apical tarsomere of the hind tarsus in the male.

Distribution. This species was captured in savanna to montane forests [600­1700 m] from November to July. While most specimens were taken in east­central Africa, the few specimens from Nigeria and Senegal indicate a much wider distribution.

Remarks. In addition to the characters in the key, the male of O. alatipes differs from congeners by the characters of the mesonotum and setation of the hind femur and sternites 3­5.

Figures

FIGURES 1­10. Right wing of male Ommatius (Pygommatius) spp. 1. O. alatipes, sp. n..; 2. O. albatus Martin; 3. O. bingeri Oldroyd; 4. O. brevicornis Curran; 5. O. cingulatus Bromley; 6. O. comosus, sp. n..; 7. O. dasypogon Oldroyd; 8. O. digittatus Oldroyd; 9. O. fluvius sp. n..; 10. O. grossus, sp. n. Abbr. R4 =fourth radial vein, r4 = fourth radial cell, m1= first medial cell, m3=third medial cell, d = discal cell, r­m = radial­medial crossvein.

FIGURES 49­53. Male Ommatius (Pygommatius) spp. 49. O. alatipes, sp. n., hind tarsus; 50. O. dasypogon Oldroyd, apical 3 tarsomeres; 51. O. neglectus Bromley, apical tarsomere; 52. O. bingeri Oldroyd, abdomen, apical segments; 53. O. comosus, sp. n., abdomen segments 3­6 showing a lateral fringe of tergal bristles (Lf), minute setae (Ms), sternal setae (Ss), and sternal bristles (Sb).

FIGURES 54­61. Male terminalia of Ommatius alatipes sp. n. 54­56. Lateral, dorsal and ventral views; 57. Gonostylus; 58. Aedeagus, lateral view. Female terminalia. 59. Spermatheca; 60. Genital fork; 61. Sternite 8, ventral view. Abbr. Ce = cercus, A, B, C = Dorsal, median, and ventral epandrial branches, Vl = ventral lamella, Ae = aedeagus, Gc = gonocoxite, Hy = hypandrium, St8 = sternite 8.