GIBSON, Gibson & Skevington, 2013

Gibson, Joel F. & Skevington, Jeffrey H., 2013, Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of all genera of Conopidae (Diptera) based on morphological data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 167 (1), pp. 43-81 : 58-59

ASICONOPS (AEGLOCONOPS) GIBSON SUBGEN. NOV. ( FIG. 2 )

Type species: Conops quadripunctatus Kröber, 1915d: 38 , present designation.

Diagnosis: Aegloconops can be distinguished from other members of Asiconops (s.l.) by the combination of narrow frons; fronto-facial spots; reduced facial carina; short, wide, arista; short prementum; and narrow second abdominal segment in the male.

Description: Head. Occipital setae sparse, short, dark. Vertex round, not distinct. Frons slightly wider than long; no setae or bristles; smooth, concave, elevated at anterior margin. Fronto-facial spot present. Ocellar tubercle and ocelli absent. Ocellar and postocellar bristles absent. Compound eye oval with triangular notch in posterior margin. Facial foveae deep, blends into gena; medial carina very small. Gena present, small, less than one-tenth of head height; anterior margin of subcranial cavity pointed anteriorly at junction with medial carina. Lunule well developed, united with facial ridge. Scape elongate, length four times width; pedicel twice as long as scape; pedicel elongate, length five times width; first flagellomere short, half length of scape and pedicel combined; first flagellomere bare; arista short, wide; second aristomere expanded ventrally. Maxillary palpi absent; prementum elongate, 1.25 times as long as width of head; labella short, length one-tenth of length of prementum; labella ovate, pointed, without setae.

Thorax. Basisternum square, posterolateral extensions pointed; proepimeron, anepimeron, and anepisternum bare; two proepisternal setae; small patch of bristles in posterodorsal portion of katepisternum; dorsum of thorax without prominent bristles; scutellum reduced, without bristles. Shiny patches at apex of all tibia; prominent row of setae on posterior surface of mesofemur.

Wing. Dark pattern at apex of wing, anterior to vein R 4+5, otherwise hyaline; petiole of R 4+5 + M half as long as crossvein dm-cu; vein Sc ends at midpoint of costa; vein R 1 ends at a point seven-tenths length of the costa; vein R 2+3 ends only slightly beyond the end of R 1; crossvein sc-r present; petiole of CuA 2++ A 1 half as long as crossvein dm-cu; vein CuA 2 curved along its length; vena spuria present; alula half as wide as wing.

Female abdomen. Sternites 1–4 present, but narrow; tergite 5 and sternite 5 partially fused; ventral genital plate half as long as height of tergite 6, rounded, broader than tall, covered with irregular rows of spicules; tergite 6 and sternite 6 fused anteriorly; sternite 6 with rows of spicules; tergite 7 and sternite 7 fused.

Male abdomen. Tergite 2 equal in length to, but distinctly narrower than, tergites 1 and 3; sternite 2 and 3 present, narrow; spicules present on posterior margin of sternite 5. Syntergosternite 7 + 8 round, hemispherical; sternite 8 broad, bare, shiny. Cerci large, rounded, and connected to the epandrium by a sclerotized stalk, densely setose. Epandrium strongly fused beyond cerci, quadrate, bare except for setae on posterior margin, very small posterior hump where cerci attach.

Measurements. Total length (excluding antennae) = 10 mm; wing length = 6 mm.

Geographical distribution: Afrotropical: Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Zaire, Zimbabwe.

Etymology: The name is constructed from the Greek term aeglo-, meaning brilliant or radiant, and Conops . The name is masculine.

Figures

Figure 2. Conopinae – Asiconopini – Asiconops (Aegloconops) quadripunctatus ♂ (Kröber, 1915d). A, lateral habitus; B, head.