Oligopogon hyacinthina ( Bigot, 1876 ), 2014

Londt, Jason G. H., 2014, A revision of Afrotropical Oligopogon Loew, 1847 (Diptera: Asilidae) with the description of eighteen new species, African Invertebrates 55 (2), pp. 269-269 : 290-291

Oligopogon hyacinthina ( Bigot, 1876) Stat. Rev.

Figs 1, 2 E, 3, 11, 20–22, 32

Emphysomera hyacinthine Bigot, 1876 : lxxxvi [86]; Hull, 1962: 437.

Ommatius hyacinthina: Oldroyd 1980: 347 (catalogue).

Oligopogon hyacinthina: Scarbrough & Marascia 1996: 212 .

This species was originally described in Emphysomera Schiner, 1866 before being transferred to Ommatius Wiedemann, 1821 by Oldroyd (1980). Scarbrough and Marascia (1996) then transferred it to Oligopogon , at the same time synonymizing it with penicillatus . It is clear that the type, which was not studied by Scarbrough and Marascia, is indeed an Oligopogon , but that it is dispecific with penicillatus and so is here reinstated as a valid species within Oligopogon .

Redescription:

Head: Dark red-brown to black, red-gold pruinose, extensively black setose. Antenna: Dark red-brown. Segmental ratios: 1:1.3: 5.0:3.5 (scape, pedicel, postpedicel, style). Scape and pedicel of similar development, black setose. Postpedicel long, circular in cross-section, gradually tapering distally. Style of similar diameter to distal end of postpedicel, equipped with long black setae projecting from all surfaces. Face, frons and vertex red-gold pruinose, mystax black, ocellar macrosetae black. Occiput red-gold to gold-silver pruinose except for two large, oval apruinose areas between dorsal eye margin and cervical region (See Fig. 2E), black setose dorsally, white ventrally. Face to head width ratio in anterior view 1: 3.9 (face somewhat narrower than one eye). Proboscis dark red-brown, straight, pale yellow-white setose. Palpi minute, 2-segmented, pale yellow-white setose.

Thorax: Dark red-brown to black, extensively red-gold and silver pruinose, black and pale yellow setose. Mesonotum: Uniformly red-gold pruinose except for small apruinose areas associated with postpronotal and postalar lobes, 2 black npl, 1 black spal (other macrosetae weakly developed), general setae longish dark red-brown. Scutellum dark red-brown, largely red-gold pruinose except for large medial area, fine dark red-brown setose (apical macrosetae poorly differentiated). Pleura fairly uniformly gold-silver pruinose. Katatergal setae pale yellow. Legs: Coxae dark red-brown, gold-silver pruinose, pale yellow-white setose. Trochanters dark red-brown, pale yellow-white setose. Femora dark red-brown with paler red-brown proximal ends, mixed dark red-brown and pale yellowish setose. Tibiae dark red-brown, paler proximally, dark red-brown setose. Tarsi red-brown, mostly dark red-brown setose. Wings ( Fig. 3): 4.6 × 1.5 mm (holotype). Veins dark red-brown. Membrane transparent, weakly pale brown stained, extensively lacking microtrichia except for small group at distal end of cell r 1 and slightly more extensive groups at distal ends of r 2+3 and r 4 ( Fig. 11).

Abdomen: Terga dark red-brown, largely apruinose except for gold-silver pruinose lateral margins, pale yellow setose except for few brown macrosetae posterolaterally. Sterna dark red-brown, silver-gold pruinose except for fairly large posterolateral areas, pale yellow-white setose. ♂ terminalia ( Figs 20–22) and ♀ terminalia dark red-brown. Holotype: SOUTH AFRICA: 1♂ ‘Holo- / type’ [circular yellow edged], ‘ Emphy - / somera / hyacyntina / J. Bigot / 728 in / Coll. Bigot’, ‘Coll. Bigot / abt. 1845-93 / Pres. 1914 by / J.E. Collin.’, ‘728 E. hyacyntina ♂ [upside-down] / Natal J. Bigot’ [big with black edge], ‘ Oligopogon Loew / pb. [probably?] penicillatus Loew / see Oldroyd – 1974: 122 / – 124 / A. Scarbrough 96’, ‘Type Dip: 352 / Emphysomera / hyacinthina / Bigot / Hope Dept. Oxford’ (OXUM).

Notes: Specimen labels have the specific name spelt differently to the published name. Scarbrough (pers. comm.) did not see the penicillatus type and so did not make direct comparisons. He based his synonymy of this species with penicillatus on key characters used by Oldroyd (1974). Now that the holotype has been located and studied it is clear that the synonymy was unjustified.

Other material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: 3♀ Eshowe , Dlinza Forest Nature Res., 2831CD, 450 m, 22.xii.1979, Miller & Stabbins, indig. For. [indigenous forest] ; 1♀ Ongoye (Ngoye) Forest , 28°50'S 31°14'E, 300 m, 21.x.2008, Miller, Eastern side of forest ( SANC) ; 1♂ 3♀ Dlinza Forest Reserve , 28°53’31”S 31°27’05”E, 550 m, 21–22.i.2012, Londt, Forest & margins, Area around Reception ( NMSA, BMNH 1♀) ; 2♀ Gillitts [29°47'S 30°48'E], 29.xi.1962, Stuckenberg ; 1♂ Gillitts , 20.xii.1961, Stuckenberg ; 1♀ Gillitts , 21.xi.63, Stuckenberg ; 1♂ Umbilo [29°54'S 30°59'E], 8.xii.1926, Bevis ( DMSA Dip. 1328) ; 1♀ Vernon Crookes Nat. Res. , Umzinto, 30°17'S 30°37'E, 443 m, 25–26.iii.1985, Mansell ( SANC) ; 2♀ Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve nr Port Shepstone, 30°41'S 30°17'E, 30.xi.2008, Davis .

Distribution ( Table 1), phenology (Table 2) and biology: Known from a relatively small region of KwaZulu-Natal in the eastern parts of South Africa ( Fig. 32). Collected from October through to March in a summer rainfall region. The species inhabits forest margins where individuals perch at the tips of dead twigs adjacent to long grass.