Atherigona ochracea 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 : 890-892

Atherigona ochracea Deeming, 1981

Fig. 43

Atherigona ochracea Deeming, 1981: 106 , figs 19, 20.

Diagnosis: This species can be distinguished from others with a yellow frontal vitta and mostly yellow antennae by its bifurcated hypopygial prominence and trifoliate process with apical half of lateral lobes and entire median piece infuscated.

Type material examined: Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA : KwaZulu­Natal: ‘ Durban : Natal, vii.1948, J.C. Faure’ ( NHMUK).

Distribution: South Africa.

Atherigona parviclivis sp. n.

Fig. 3

Etymology: From the Latin parvus (small) and clivus (mountain or hill) pertaining to the small hill-shaped hypopygial prominence.

Diagnosis: This species keys to A. ochripes in ( Dike 1989 a), but differs from it due to having a very distinctly reduced hypopygial prominence, compared to a truncated and emarginated one. A. parviclivis also has its trifoliate process with a much expanded median piece, appearing almost semi-circular ( Fig. 3b ) in profile, entirely filiform in posterior view and the entire process infuscated except for the base, compared to A. ochripes which has it slightly dilated in posterior view, not semi-circular in profile and having the process hyaline for the most part.

Description:

Male. Measurement s: Body length: 3.689 mm; wing: 3.072 mm; r­m crossvein ratio: 0.365.

Head: Ground colour dark. All head setae and setulae infuscated. Occiput grey dusted posteriorly and laterally (with the exception of bottom of occiput which is gold dusted) with narrow median part glossy. Ocellar triangle grey dusted. Frontal vitta infuscated. Frontal plate silver-grey dusted except for area surrounding the apical two pairs of the three pairs of proclinate frontal setae which is gold dusted, also with two pairs of orbital setae. Parafacial golden dusted, wider than aristal base. Scape and pedicel darkly ferruginous, postpedicel infuscated except for narrow basal inner area. Arista infuscated. Palpus entirely yellow; apex weakly truncated with minimal dilation, palpus appearing almost straplike.

Thorax: Ground colour dark. Postpronotal lobe gold dusted, with three setae and 12 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 an unknown number of discal setulae (due to specimen damage); one pair of subbasal setae and one pair of apical setae (comparison not possible due to damage).

Legs: All legs yellow except for forelegs with apical half of tibia and all tarsi infuscated. Leg chaetotaxy: Fore tarsi without any specialised chaetotaxy.

Wings: Hyaline. Veins light brown. Knob of halteres white with stalk yellow. Calypters white.

Abdomen: All tergites yellow; tergite 1+2 immaculate; tergite 3 with two medium sized dark-brown marks taking up a third of dorsal surface; tergite 4 with two small round markings, taking up a third of dorsal surface; tergite 5 immaculate. Hypopygial prominence simple, appearing as a conical protrudence. Trifoliate process stem 3× the length of the apical process, entire process infuscated except for hyaline stem and hood; median piece linear and without dilation in posterior view, greatly dilated in profile, just as wide as lateral plates, almost semi-circular in appearance, without inner lobes; lateral plates in the shape of an upside-down teardrop when viewed in profile. Surstylus not infuscated.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA : KwaZulu­Natal: 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) 18183).

Distribution: South Africa.

Figures

Figs 37–45. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (37) A. naqvii Steyskal; (38) A. ruficornis Stein; (39) A. flaviheteropalpata sp. n.; (40) A. latibasilaris sp. n.; (41) A. mitrata Séguy; (42) A. bedfordi van Emden; (43) A. ochracea Deeming; (44) A. theodori Hennig; (45) A. rubricornis Stein. Not to scale.

Figs 1–9. Atherigona spp.: trifoliate process and hypopygial prominence of (1) A. divergens Stein; (2) A. tetrastigma Paterson; (3) A. parviclivis sp. n.; (4) A. parvihumilata sp. n.; (5) A. angulata Deeming; (6) A. pulla (Wiedemann); (7) A. laevigata (Loew); (8) A. bimaculata Stein; (9) A. univitatta Deeming & Overman. Not to scale.