Euscelidia castanea Janssens, 1954

Dikow, Torsten, 2003, Revision of the genus Euscelidia Westwood, 1850 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae), African Invertebrates 44 (2), pp. 1-131 : 41

Euscelidia castanea Janssens, 1954

Fig. 50

Euscelidia castanea Janssens, 1954 a: 124 ; Oldroyd 1980: 356.

Diagnosis: The species is distinguished, together with nenemusha and schoutedeni , from congeners by the overall brown colour, the predominantly apruinose sct, and the apruinose T 8 in the ^^.

Redescription: Head: Black; fc silver pruinose, fc gib indistinct, mystax white, 6 macrosetae; oc tr white pruinose dorsally; occ silver pruinose, few white setae; Antennae - scp and ped brown, setae brown; pped brown, white pruinose; apsel brown; Thorax: Brown; sct brown, predominantly apruinose, anterior, lateral, and posterior margins silver pruinose, few white setae on pruinose area, brown setae on posterior margin, macrosetae: black, 1 npl s, 1 spal s; sctl silver pruinose, ds sctl s and sctl long, brown; Legs - yellow and light brown; fem yellow proximally, brown distad; tib light brown, yellow stripe not reaching tip anteriorly; emp short; Wings - hyaline, brown stained; ptero distinct, brown; cell d terminating in 2 veins; hlt brown; Abdomen: Brown; T predominantly apruinose, lateral and posterior margins white pruinose, T1 with black setae, T2 with white long setae laterally, remaining T with short white setae, ^ T8 apruinose; ơ terminalia - ơơ specimens unknown.

Type material - The ^ holotype is labelled ‘ HOLOTYPE (red label with black submarginal border) / TYPE (red label with red border around ‘TYPE’) / Congo belge: P. N. U. [Parc National de l’Upemba] Lusinga (1.760 m.) 1–8-XII-1947 Mis. G. F. de Witte. 1123a / E. Janssens det., 1952 Euscelidia castanea Em. Janssens (handwritten except for ‘ E. Janssens det., 19’)’. The specimen is double mounted (minuten in block of foam), is in good condition (met legs broken and right wing damaged), and is deposited in the MRAC.

Type locality and distribution ( Fig. 50 ): DR Congo , Upemba National Park , Lusinga, 8 55'S 27 11'E. DR Congo, Uganda .

Material examined: DR CONGO: 1^ Virunga National Park, Mutsora, 0 19'N 29 44'E, 13–18.ii.1953 ; 1^ Upemba National Park , Lusinga, 8 55'S 27 11'E, 1–8.xii.1947 ; UGANDA: 1^Kilembe , 0 12'N 29 59'E, xii.1934 – i.1935 . Depository : BMNH, ISNB, MRAC .

Remarks: The species is only known from a few female specimens. It is related to nenemusha and schoutedeni , which are also only known from females. It is necessary to examine male specimens from the type localities of all three species to discuss a probable synonymy.

Figures

Fig. 50. Distribution. Euscelidia castanea, circles; E. hyalina sp. n., triangle; E. nenemusha, star; E. obudu sp. n., pentagon; E. schoutedeni, squares.