Crocidium immaculatum Bezzi, 1922

Greathead, David J. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2004, New species of Bombylioidea in Mario Bezzi’s Unpublished Hungarian Museum Manuscript, Zootaxa 773, pp. 1-56 : 25-26

Crocidium immaculatum Bezzi, 1922

29. Crocidium immaculatum 1ɗ1Ψ South Africa (Eastern Cape): Willowmore, 10.xi.1906 (H. Brauns). MS page 27.

Bezzi, 1922: 77 – diagnosis; specimens in HNHM.

Hesse, 1938: 807 – description as C. karooanum Hesse, n. sp. SYN. NOV. Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999: 216 – listed (incorrectly) a holotype in HNHM (destroyed).

Types: The two syntypes in HNHM were destroyed in 1956. No other syntypes have been found. It would be appropriate to designate one of the specimens in SAMC collected at Willowmore by Dr Brauns as lectotype when the SAMC collection is examined.

Remarks: Crocidium immaculatum was not recognised by Hesse (1938, 1963) or Lamas et al. (2003) but was tentatively identified from Namibia by Greathead (2000). However, Hesse (1938) described a species, C. karooanum , from numerous specimens, including some collected by Dr Brauns at Willowmore, which he considered may prove to be the same as C. immaculatum . However, his description and keys specify the presence of two feint but distinct darker spot­like infuscations on the apical veins of the basal cells, which does not accord with Bezzi’s specific name ‘ immaculatum ’. However, Bezzi’s manuscript description is equally equivocal as he wrote that the wings are ‘prorsus immaculatae’ but goes on to specify ‘nervis transversis nubecula quadrum furca vix cinctis’. Thus, his specimens did have clouds on the wings. The key in Lamas et al. (2003) placed C. karooanum in the group with unspotted wings. However, the specimens seen by them have been reexamined and do have clouds on the wings but these were not considered to constitute spots (C.E. Lamas, pers. comm.). Therefore, as the descriptions of Hesse and Bezzi coincide, it is concluded that C. karooanum Hesse is a junior synonym of C. immaculatum Bezzi. SYN. NOV.

So defined, C. immaculatum is a widespread species of the Nama­karoo biome of South Africa and Namibia, recognised by its small size (3–6 mm) pale whitish or yellowish vestiture and at most only feint clouds on the apical veins of the basal cells.