Mesoconius afurcatus ( Hennig, 1935 ) Marshall, 2019

Marshall, Stephen A., 2019, A revision of the genus Mesoconius Enderlein (Diptera, Micropezidae, Taeniapterinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 548, pp. 1-126 : 97-99

Mesoconius afurcatus ( Hennig, 1935) comb. nov.

Fig. 40A

Aristobata afurcata Hennig, 1935: 33 .

Zelatractodes afurcatus – Steyskal 1968: 19 .

Diagnosis

Length about 15 mm. Head, thorax and abdominal tergites black to dark brown, pleura with bluish sheen. Frontal vitta tapered posteriorly, broad anteriorly and reaching anterior margin of frons. Postocellar and inner vertical bristles present, outer vertical bristle not visible on type and presumably absent. Upper fronto-orbital bristle large. Fore femur yellow-brown at base, dark and slightly swollen distally, fore tibia black, fore tarsus missing from type, but yellow according to original description. Mid femur almost entirely yellow brown, slightly darker on apical third. Hind femur yellow-brown on basal ⅔ and brown on distal third, with a distinct white band separating yellowish and brown sections; hind tarsomeres 1 and 2 white, distal tarsomeres brown. Katatergite moderately swollen, rounded, without apical process. Wing lightly infuscated, except for a weak, clear patch in r 4+5 at level of dm-cu and two less distinct clear patches distally. Abdominal segments 1–2 petiolate.

Material examined

Holotype

VENEZUELA • ♂; Merida; V. Röder leg.; MLUH.

Remarks

I have seen no material other than the unique type ( Fig. 40A ), but the largely yellow-brown mid femur combined with the white-ringed hind femur seem to adequately diagnose the species. The original description adds nothing that is not visible in a photograph of the type other than the colour of the fore tarsomeres ( Hennig 1935), which are missing from the type.

Figures

Fig. 40. Mesoconius oblitus group species known only from original type specimens. A. Mesoconius afurcatus (Hennig, 1935), holotype, ♂, MLUH, Venezuela. B. M. braueri (Hennig, 1935), paratype, ♂, NHMW, Venezuela. C. M. cyclops (Hennig, 1935), holotype, ♂, SMTCk, Bolivia. D. M. filipes Enderlein, 1922, holotype, ♀, MNBG, Peru. E. Aristobata melini Frey, 1927 (junior synonym of M. filipes), syntype, ZMUH, Peru. F. M. rufiventris (Enderlein, 1922), holotype, ♀, MNBG, Colombia. G. M. versicolorus (Enderlein, 1922), holotype, ♀, MNBG, Colombia.