Atherigona oblonga, Muller, 2015

Muller, B. S., 2015, Illustrated key and systematics of male South African Atherigona s. str. (Diptera: Muscidae), African Invertebrates 56 (3), pp. 845-845 : 889-890

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5733/afin.056.0301
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/039387FE-FFF1-E032-FE27-FD5DFE19FC32
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Atherigona oblonga
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Atherigona oblonga View in CoL sp. n.

Fig. 28 View Figs 28–36

Etymology: From the Latin oblongus (longer than broad), referring to the shape of the median piece of the trifoliate process.

Diagnosis: This species is very similar to A. fililoba Deeming, 1979 , A. piscatoris sp. n. and A. zariaensis Deeming, 1979 , with regards to the shape of its hypopygial prominence as well as general coloration. It differs, however, from the first two species by having the median piece of the trifoliate process markedly oblong and dilated in apical half in posterior view, compared to that of A. fililoba and A. piscatoris that is filiform for most of its length. Whilst A. zariaensis also has a dilated median piece, it is not oblong, and the lateral lobes are also not constricted medially.

Description:

Male.

Measurement s: Body length: 4.433 mm; wing: 3.038 mm; rm crossvein ratio: 0.333. 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 with slight reddish suffusion at apex. Frontal plate silver-grey dusted except for area surrounding the apical pair of the three pairs of frontal setae which is gold dusted, also with two pairs of orbital setae. Parafacial golden-yellow dusted, as wide as aristal base. Scape, pedicel and arista darkly ferruginous, postpedicel wholly infuscated. Palpus infuscated except for ventral part of apex which is yellow; apex strongly dilated and truncated with hyaline setulae.

Thorax: Ground colour dark. Postpronotal lobe gold dusted, with three setae and 13 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 nine discal setulae; one pair of subbasal setae and one pair of apical setae, equal in length.

Legs: All legs yellow except for forelegs with apical two thirds of tibia and all tarsi infuscated.

Leg chaetotaxy: Fore femur with one submedial posteroventral seta; apical three fore tarsal segments with long dorsal setulae, at least as long as segments are wide.

Wings: Hyaline, except for slight brown smoky suffusion at apex of ScR 1 and around humeral crossvein. Veins dark-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 almost teardrop shaped marks taking up two thirds of dorsum length; tergite 4 with two small round markings, taking up two thirds of segment length; tergite 5 immaculate. Hypopygial prominence knoblike, with two anteriorly projecting tubercles at apex. Trifoliate process stem 3× the length of the apical process, entire process including stem infuscated with the exception of the basal third of stem which is hyaline; median piece bifurcated and dilated on apical quarter in posterior view, and boomerang shaped in profile, almost angular; lateral plates narrow in posterior view, medially constricted in profile; inner lobes absent; hood not very pronounced. Surstylus not infuscated.

Female. Unknown.

Holotype ♂: SOUTH AFRICA : KwaZuluNatal: Umfolozi Game Reserve , Masinda camp, 28°17'S 31°57'E, 200 m, 25–28.xi.1993, J.G.H. Londt, Malaise ( NMSA; Type no. 2508). GoogleMaps

Other material examined: KwaZuluNatal: Umlalazi Nature Reserve, Dune forest & edges, 2–10.x.1982, J.G.H. Londt [Head missing] ( NMSA) .

Distribution: South Africa.