Atherigona falkei Deeming, 1981

Muller, B. S., 2015, Illustrated key and systematics of male South African Atherigona s. str. (Diptera: Muscidae), African Invertebrates 56 (3), pp. 845-845 : 870-871

Atherigona falkei Deeming, 1981

Fig. 59

Atherigona falkei Deeming, 1981: 106 , figs 21–23.

Diagnosis (based on original description): Similar to A. nigeriensis Deeming, 1971 in having the frontal vitta entirely infuscated, but differs in having the palpi wholly yellow. Median piece of trifoliate process is also narrow throughout its length in profile and the lateral plates have a toothlike inner lobe.

Type material: Holotype material housed in CNCI, but not seen.

Other material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: Mpumalanga: 1♂ White River , 5.iii.1953 ( NHMUK) .

Distribution: South Africa, Uganda.

Atherigona flavifinis sp. n.

Fig. 16

Etymology: From the Latin flavus (yellow) and finis (boundary), for the scutellum being yellow on its apical edge.

Diagnosis: This species is very similar to A. binubila and A. albicornis sp. n. in general appearance, having similar smoky patches on wings (also tergite 1+2 appearing very similar in A. albicornis sp. n.). It differs from them, however, in the shape of the trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence ( Fig. 16 vs. Figs 26 and 31 ).

Description:

Male. Measurement s: Body length: 4.028 mm; wing: 3.16 mm; r­m crossvein ratio: 0.369.

Head: Ground colour dark. All head setae and setulae infuscated. Occiput silver-grey dusted posteriorly and laterally with narrow median part glossy. Ocellar triangle silver-grey dusted. Frontal vitta infuscated. Frontal plate silver-grey dusted with three pairs of proclinate frontal setae and two pairs of orbital setae. Parafacial silver-grey dusted, narrower than aristal base. Scape and pedicel darkly ferruginous, postpedicel and arista infuscated. Palpus entirely infuscated; apex truncated and dilated, palpus appearing almost straplike.

Thorax: Ground colour dark. Postpronotal lobe gold dusted, with three setae and 10 setulae. Pleura golden dusted. Proepisternum inconspicuous. Scutum grey dusted, with three weak and barely visible 2-4 dorsocentral vittae, stopping before scutellum. Scutellum grey dusted; one pair of basal setae, one pair of discal setae and 8 discal setulae, one pair of subbasal setae, being 0.8× the one pair of apical setae.

Legs: All legs yellow except for forelegs with femur having dark apical marks laterally, tibia with apical third infuscated as well as tarsi.

Leg chaetotaxy: Fore tarsi without any specialised chaetotaxy.

Wings: Hyaline, except for prominent dark-brown smoky suffusion in area surrounding Sc­R 1 and around humeral crossvein Veins dark-brown. Knob of halteres white with stalk yellow. Calypters white.

Abdomen: All tergites yellow, with tergite 3 and 4 grey dusted. Tergite 1+2 with dark wide marking taking up most of dorsal surface; tergite 3 with two medium sized dark-brown marks taking up just over two thirds of dorsal surface; tergite 4 with two small round markings, taking up a third of dorsal surface; tergite 5 immaculate. Hypopygial prominence knoblike, widening apically. Trifoliate process stem 3× the length of the apical process; entire process infuscated, the stem and the area surrounding hood somewhat slightly lighter; median piece linear in posterior view except for some apical dilation, linear in profile; much narrower than lateral plates; lateral plates without inner lobe; hood somewhat expanded, forming platform structure. Surstylus with dark markings dorsally.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA : KwaZulu­Natal: Ndumo Game Reserve , Main camp, 26°54.652'S 32°19.719'E, Broad-leafed deciduous woodland, 27–30.xi.2009, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( BMSA (D) 14515).

Paratypes: KwaZulu­Natal: 3♂ same data as holotype ( BMSA (D) 14290, 14297, 14476) ; 1♂ Ndumo Game Reserve, main road, 26°52.125'S 32°13.731'E, Ficus forest , 30.xi–4.xii.2009, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( BMSA (D) 15818) ; 2♂ Ndumo Game Reserve, main road, 26°54.288'S 32°17.974'E, Sand and broad-leafed deciduous forest, 4–8.xii.2009, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( BMSA (D) 17535, 17938) ; 1♂ Ndumo Game Reserve, Shokwe area, 26°52.125'S 32°13.731'E, Ficus forest , 30.xi–4.xii.2009, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( BMSA (D) 15745) .

Other material examined: Mpumalanga: 1♂ White River, 5.iii.1953 ( NHMUK) ; KwaZulu­Natal: 1♂ Rietspruit farm, 13 km NE Pietermaritzburg, 29°23'27"S 30°29'04"E, Wetland & dam, 13.iii.1990, A.E. Whittington ( NMSA) ; 1♂ Weenen Nature Reserve , 35 km NE of Estcourt, 28°52'S 30°00'E, 2–9.xii.1991, B. Perrin & K. Goddard, malaise trap ( NMSA) ; Eastern Cape: 1♂ Grahamstown, Albany Museum grounds, 33°18.822'S 26°31.315'E, 15–23.x.2007, A.H. Kirk-Spriggs, Malaise trap ( AMGS) .

Distribution: South Africa.

Figures

Figs 55–63. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (55) A. nesshurstensis sp. n.; (56) A. vernoni sp. n.; (57) A. convexa sp. n.; (58) A. rimapicis sp. n.; (59) A. falkei Deeming; (60) A. danielssoni sp. n.; (61) A. tigris sp. n.; (62) A. stuckenbergi sp. n.; (63) A. steeleae van Emden. Not to scale.

Figs10–18.Atherigona spp.:trifoliate processand hypopygialprominence of(10) A.nigrapicalisDeeming; (11) A. longifolia van Emden; (12) A. aurifacies van Emden; (13) A. griseiventris van Emden; (14) A. capitulata sp. n.; (15) A. umbonata sp. n.; (16) A. flavifinis sp. n.; (17) A. heteropalpata sp. n., also palpus; (18) A. aster van Emden. Not to scale.

Figs 19–27. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (19) A. marginifolia van Emden; (20) A. erectisetula sp. n.; (21) A. humeralis (Wiedemann); (22) A. bundongoana van Emden; (23) A. falcata (Thomson); (24) A. ndumoensis sp. n.; (25) A. decempilosa Dike; (26) A. binubila van Emden; (27) A. piscatoris sp. n. Not to scale.

Figs 28–36. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (28) A. oblonga sp. n.; (29) A. libertensis sp. n.; (30) A. angustiloba van Emden; (31) A. albicornis sp. n.; (32) A. occidentalis Deeming; (33) A. kirkspriggsi sp. n.; (34) A. perfida Stein; (35) A. chirinda Dike; (36) A. cinarina Séguy. Not to scale.