Synolcus minor ( Bromley, 1947 )

Londt, Jason G. H., 2012, The genus Synolcus Loew, 1858, with descriptions of new species (Diptera: Asilidae), African Invertebrates 53 (2), pp. 661-661 : 688-690

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5733/afin.053.0206
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4D5087F7-7510-FF88-FE01-84DCFC1D5D6B
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Synolcus minor ( Bromley, 1947 )
status

Treatment

Synolcus minor ( Bromley, 1947)

Figs 11 View Figs 2–14 , 58–61 View Figs 58–61 , 83 View Figs 76–86 , 89 View Fig

Merogymnus minor: Bromley 1947: 114–115 , fig. 3 (♂ gen.).

Hobbyus minor: Hull 1962: 527 ; Oldroyd 1974: 159; 1980: 338 (catalogue).

Synolcus minor: Londt 1980: 35–37 , figs 6 (wing), 27–30 (♂ gen.); 1990: 2, 11, fig. 18 (♀ gen.).

Redescription:

Male.

Head: Blackish, strongly gold-silver pruinose, pale yellow and black setose. Antenna: Blackish, fine goldsilver pruinose, scape and pedicel black setose, postpedicel with a few yellowish setae dorsally; mean segmental ratios (n =5) 1:0.7:1.3:1.2 (0.2:0.9:0.1), i.e. pedicel shorter than scape, postpedicel almost 1.5 times length of scape, stylus a little longer than postpedicel. Face: Blackish, strongly gold-silver pruinose. Mystax mostly black, with large group of pale yellow setae ventromedially. Frons and vertex: Blackish, silver and red-gold pruinose, frons black setose, ocellar tubercle black setose. Occiput: Blackish, strongly silver pruinose, black (dorsally) and pale yellow to white (centrally and ventrally) setose.

Thorax: Blackish, silver and red-gold pruinose, black, pale yellow and white setose. Prothorax: Blackish, gold-silver pruinose, white setose except for few black macrosetae. Mesonotum: Blackish, silver to silver-gold pruinose with blackish pruinose median band and lateral patches, macrosetae black, minor setae short blackish (mainly anteriorly) and longish white (mainly posteriorly). Macrosetae: acr and dc moderately developed mainly posterior of transverse suture but they extend almost to anterior margin, 2 npl, 2 spal (and few smaller setae), 1 pal (+ 1 weaker seta). Scutellum: Blackish, silvery pruinose, disc white setose, 1 pair black apical macrosetae. Pleura: Blackish, silver to silver-gold pruinose, weakly white and pale yellow (ktg) setose. Legs: Cx black, silver pruinose, white setose; cx 3 with 1 lateral macrosetae. Tro blackish, largely apruinose, weakly white setose. Fem uniform dark red-brown to black, major setae mostly black (some pale yellow), minor setae mostly pale yellow. Tib orange with blackish distal end, major and minor setae black and pale yellow. Tar blackish, major and minor setae mostly black (may be a few pale yellow minor setae). Wing ( Fig. 11 View Figs 2–14 ): Veins mostly dark red-brown, anterior veins more orange-brown proximally, membrane transparent, wing tip not dark stained but slightly gray due to microtrichiae. Cell sc without sc–r. Cells r 1 and r 2+3 greatly expanded and displaying corrugations. Wing length × breadth (mean, n =5) 9.2 (8.6–9.7) × 4.2 (3.6–4.3) mm. Haltere: Pale yellow with pale brownish distal and proximal ends.

Abdomen: Blackish, silver pruinose, mainly white to pale yellow setose. T1 fairly uniformly silver pruinose, 3 pale yellow macrosetae laterally accompanied by many white setae. T2–8 mostly silver pruinose but weakly so anteromedially, setae mostly pale yellow (including 1–3 macrosetae posterolaterally), a few black minor setae. S as T but uniformly silver pruinose, pale yellow setose.

Terminalia ( Figs 58–61 View Figs 58–61 ): Epand in lateral view ( Fig. 58 View Figs 58–61 ) fairly elongate, but less than 3 times as long as deep, with broadly rounded, somewhat downcurved distal ends; epand lobes in dorsal view fairly widely separated proximally ( Fig. 59 View Figs 58–61 ). S8 normally developed, hind margin almost straight to slightly indented ( Fig. 60 View Figs 58–61 ). Hypd moderately well-developed with clearly medially indented posterior margin. Gonst in lateral view with dorsally directed point subapically ( Fig. 61 View Figs 58–61 ). Aed fairly straight, stout, tapering to ventrally directed tip ( Fig. 61 View Figs 58–61 ).

Female: Essentially similar to male. Wing length × breadth (mean, n= 6) 8.5 (7.3– 9.9)× 3.1 (2.6–3.6) mm (not expanded and therefore narrower). Terminalia ( Fig. 83 View Figs 76–86 ): Ovipositor laterally compressed, short (less than twice as long as deep).

Type material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: 1♂ paratype ‘Eshowe [28°53'S 31°28'E] / xi–xii.1943 / L. Bevis’ ( DMSA) GoogleMaps .

Other material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: 1♀ Ngome [27°52'S 31°24'E], 25.xii.1979, on grasses near stream; 1♀ Ngome, 25.xii.1980, in open grassland along riverine forest; 1♂ 1♀ Ngome, 28.xii.1980, on neatly cut front lawn, ♂ with crane fly prey; 1♂ Ngome, 31.xii.1980, on front lawn; 1♀ Ngome, 3.i.1981, ‘201’ ♀ had caught ‘202’ ♀ there was a struggle but never any doubt eventually ‘202’ was still [prey was S. dubius see above]; 1♀ Kwanzimela [28°35'S 31°24'E], 3.iii.1986, Reavell, mistbelt forest; 1♂ Melmoth District, Farm Morgenzon, 28°37'S 31°27'E, 800 m, 31.i.1986, Hurt, in kikuyu in road bordering pine plantation; 1♂ same data but 23.i.1986, Hurt, on mature sugarcane; 1♂ same sata but 790 m, 6.ii.1986, Hurt, in medium grass adjacent sugarcane; 1♀ Nkandla Forest, 28°38'S 29°30'E, 900 m, 9.i.1982, Miller & Stabbins [with prey: Hymenoptera , Sphecidae ]; 2♂ 1♀ Entumeni Forest Reserve, 28°53'11"S 31°22'39"E, 680 m, 22.i.2012, Londt, picnic site and near gate, forest & margins.

Distribution, phenology and biology: Restricted to South Africa, this is a KwaZulu-Natal provincial endemic ( Fig. 89 View Fig ). Adults fly from November through to March (Table 1). Label data suggest that this species inhabits indigenous forests and forest margins, being also found in grass (including lawns and sugarcane fields) which was, presumably, adjacent to forest. Label data record a male feeding on a cranefly (prey item not preserved)

and on another species of Synolcus ( dubius ) (prey item labelled and pinned separately). Only one other prey record is available – Hymenoptera (Sphecidae) .