Trichardis katangaensis Oldroyd, 1970

Londt, Jason G. H., 2008, A review of Afrotropical Trichardis Hermann, 1906, and the description of the first Oriental representative of the genus (Diptera: Asilidae: Laphriinae), African Invertebrates 49 (2), pp. 171-171 : 186-187

Trichardis katangaensis Oldroyd, 1970

Figs 23, 24

Trichardis katangaensis: Oldroyd 1970: 248–249 , fig. 29 (mesopleuron); 1980: 356 (catalogue).

Redescription (based on holotype in good condition, with wings a little crumpled and with damaged hind margins):

Head: Dark red-brown to black, silver pruinose (sparse on lower face), setae longish black, yellow and white.Antenna dark red-brown, black setose; postpedicel not markedly clavate (L:D=3.9:1). Mystax shiny yellowish with black macrosetae along epistomal margin. Ocellar tubercle with 2 macrosetae. Proboscis and palpi dark red-brown.

Thorax: Dark red-brown to black, postpronotal and postalar lobes orange-brown, gold-silver and silver pruinose, generally appearing more setose than many other species. Postpronotum medially narrowly pruinose, laterally extensively apruinose; mesonotum apruinose with narrow silver pruinose lateral and posterior margins, macrosetae black, setulae mixed long black and short yellow. Scutellum apruinose. Anepisternum with black posterior macroseta, pruinose except for large anteroventral area. Proepimeron entirely pruinose, katepisternum pruinose except for small central area, anepisternum entirely pruinose. Legs: Dark red-brown except for orange-brown coxae, pulvilli and empodium of similar length. Hind femur dark red-brown, length:height ratio 3.1:1 (i.e. moderately inflated), ventral tubercles well-developed. Hind tibia with well-developed ventrodistal spur. Wing: 6.1× 2.2 mm. Costal vein extends along most of wing margin, weakly along anal cell, absent from margin of alula. Membrane extensively microtrichose—discal cell microtrichose but weakly so anteroproximally, cell r 5 entirely microtrichose.

Abdomen: Dark red-brown, macrosetae pale yellow, setulae longish white. T2 dark red-brown, apruinose except for posterolateral margins.

ơ genitalia ( Figs 23, 24 ): Epandrium in lateral view longer than basal part of gonocoxite (i.e. excluding distal projection of gonocoxite and gonostylus). Proctiger short, only moderately dorsoventrally compressed. Hypandrium greatly reduced and simple. Gonocoxite in ventral view without median projections distally and with about four medially-directed macrosetae at about mid-length; mediodistal projection stout, with upturned forked distal end. Gonostyli stout with converging, pointed distal ends.Aedeagal prongs small, more or less straight and with small trifurcate tip.

Holotype: DR CONGO: ơ ‘Holotypus’ [orange], ‘Musée Du Congo / Lulua [05°56'S: 25°47'E]: Kapanga / x–1932 / G. F. Overlaet’, ‘ Trichardis / katangaensis Oldr / det. H. Oldroyd, 1965 / Paratype’ [white] (MRAC).

Paratypes (all MRAC): DR CONGO: 1^‘ Paratypus’ [orange], ‘Musée Du Congo / Elisabethville [11°40'S: 27°28'E] / xi–1911 / Miss.Agric.’, ‘ Trichardis / katangaensis Oldr / det.H. Oldroyd, 1965 / Holotype’ [white]. TANZANIA: 1^‘ Coll. Mus Congo / Tang.: Sunkutu [?], 1140 m. / Km. 95, Rte Pepa–Moliro / H. Bomans xii–1953 ’, ‘ Trichardis / katangaensis Oldr / det. H. Oldroyd, 1965 / Paratype’ [white].

Note : The two DR Congo types above were incorrectly labelled when received from MRAC. The male from Lulua, clearly designated as holotype, carried the paratype label while the female from Elizabethville was labelled as holotype. These labels have been switched .

Distribution and biology: The species is found in Central and East Africa. Adults fly between October and December (Table 1) during the southern hemisphere summer. No biological information is available.

Similar species: Oldroyd (1970) compared the species to cribrata and illustrated the mesopleura of both species. Why he did this is not understood as these species do not have a great deal in common. T. katangaensis can be linked with lavignei in that both species possess hind-tibial spurs. However, both are otherwise distinctive species.

Figures

Figs 23–28. Trichardis species: (23, 24) T. katangaensis Oldroyd, 1970, male genitalia, paratype, Kapanga: (23) lateral, (24) ventral; (25, 26) T. lavignei sp. n., holotype: (25) male genitalia, dorsolateral, (26) posterior view of distal end of right hind tibia; (27, 28) T. leucocoma (Wulp, 1899), male genitalia, paratype, Shaik Othman: (27) lateral, (28) ventral. Scale lines = 1 mm.