Amblypsilopus bevisi ( Curran, 1927 )

Grichanov, Igor Ya., 2022, Six new species of Amblypsilopus Bigot (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Sciapodinae) and a key to species of the Afrotropical mainland, European Journal of Taxonomy 789 (1), pp. 49-80 : 62-65

Amblypsilopus bevisi ( Curran, 1927)

Fig. 3

Sciapus bevisi Curran, 1927: 11 . Type locality: South Africa: Natal, Durban, Umbilo.

Chrysosoma asperum Parent, 1933: 43 (in key) (description: Parent 1934: 114), syn. nov. Type locality: South Africa: Cape Province, Somerset East.

Sciopolina bevisi – Irwin 1974: 249.

Amblypsilopus bevisi – Bickel 1994: 373.

Amblypsilopus asper – comb. nov.

Diagnosis

Amblypsilopus bevisi male is close to A. milleri sp. nov. in habitus, differing from the latter in the fore tibia and tarsus with erect pectination ( Fig. 3D ); the mid femur with short ventral hairs; the cercus swollen at base, narrow distally, with sparse long black setae along the entire length, without flattened area at the tip ( Fig. 3F–G ). Amblypsilopus milleri sp. nov. differs from A. bevisi in the fore tibia and tarsus without erect pectination; the mid femur with at least 3 strong ventral bristles, as long as height of femur; the cercus elongate, with a comb of regular dorsal setae except for distal fifth, with a flattened area at tip covered ventrally with microscopic white hairs ( Fig. 4H ).

Material examined

SOUTH AFRICA – Natal • 2 ♂♂; Edendale ; 16 Dec. 1953; B. Stuckenberg leg.; NMSA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Cathedral Peak area ; 1 Jan. 1954; B. Stuckenberg leg.; in indigenous forest (♂), from open grassland (♀); NMSA • 2 ♂♂; Richmond district, Pateni ; 29°56ʹ S, 30°09ʹ E; 18 Nov. 1971; B.R. Stuckenberg and M.E. Irwin leg.; temperate forest; NMSA • 2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; 17 km E of Mooi River, “ Lanner Veane ”; 12 Feb. 1983; J. Manning leg.; sunny flat-leaved herbs along wooded grassland stream (2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀), Leucosidea Eckl. & Zeyh. scrub–streamside herbs (2 ♀♀); NMSA • 1 ♂; Injisuti, Drakensberg ; 29°06ʹ35″ S, 29°26ʹ33″ E; alt. 1632 m; 6 Dec. 1998; A.P. Leftwich leg.; montane forest; NMSA. – KwaZulu-Natal • 1 ♂ (specimen in ethanol); Royal Natal Nature Reserve, Mahal Camp ; alt. 1450 m; 28°41.27′ S, 28°56.86′ E; 24 Nov.–6 Dec. 2005; Mostovsky leg.; yellow pan trap; NMSA • 1 ♂ (specimen in ethanol); Cathedral Peak Natural Reserve, Rainbow Gorge ; alt. 1480 m; 28°57.6′ S, 29°13.61′ E; 3–15 Dec. 2005; Mostovsky leg.; Malaise trap; NMSA • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ (specimens in ethanol); Pietermaritzburg, Karkloof ; 29°19.1′ S, 30°15.5′ E; alt. 1325 m; 22 Dec. 2005 – 18 Mar. 2006; Mostovsky leg.; Malaise trap; NMSA • 12 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀ (specimens in ethanol); Cathedral Peak Natural Reserve, Rainbow Gorge ; 28°57.6′ S, 29°13.61′ E; alt. 1480 m; 18 Oct.–28 Feb. 2007; Mostovsky leg.; Malaise trap; NMSA .

Description

Male ( Fig. 3A )

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 4.3 mm; antenna length 1.2 mm; wing length 4.5 mm; wing width 1.5 mm.

HEAD ( Fig. 3B ). Frons greenish black, white pollinose; 1strong anterior vertical bristle; 1 strong postvertical bristle; upper postocular setae black, short; lateral postocular setae white, uniserial; ventral postcranium covered with long irregular white hairs; face densely silvery-white pollinose, broadest at middle, wider than frons (3/2), bulging, 1.1 times as wide as high, under antennae 3.5 times as wide as postpedicel; clypeus densely covered with short white hairs, projected, 1.1 times as wide as high, separated from eyes; antenna ( Fig. 3C ) 1/4 as long as body, brown; scape simple; pedicel rounded, with ring of short bristles; postpedicel conoid, as long as high (10/9), with short hairs; arista-like stylus dorsoapical, microscopically haired; length (mm) of scape, pedicel, postpedicel, stylus (segments 1 and 2), 0.06/0.07/0.10/0.04/0.93; proboscis and palpus orange-yellow, with white hairs; palpus with 2 black setae.

THORAX. Mesonotum and scutellum metallic blue-green, weakly grey pollinose; pleura blue-black, white pollinose; metepimeron yellow; 5–6 strong dorsocentral bristles gradually decreasing in size anteriorly; acrostichals strong, nearly as long as dorsocentrals, 5 pairs gradually decreasing in size anteriorly and several minute setae on anterior slope; scutellum with 2 strong bristles and 2 minute setae laterally.

LEGS. Mostly yellow; mid coxa partly orange; tarsi brownish to brown from tip of basitarsi; fore and mid coxae with white hairs and 2–3 brown subapical setae; hind coxa with 4–5 fine yellow setae at middle; fore leg ( Fig. 3D ) along entire length with dorsal, ventral and lateral rows of semi-erect setulae, not longer than diameter of corresponding podomere; mid and hind femora with very short ventral hairs; mid tibia with 2 short anterodorsals and 2 short posterodorsals, with 1 midventral short seta; mid tarsus simple, cylindrical; basitarsus with few short ventrals; hind tibia with several short dorsal and ventral setae; femur, tibia and tarsomere (from first to fifth) length ratio (mm): fore leg: 1.16/1.42/1.44/0.6/0.49 /0.32/0.19, mid leg: 1.3/1.83/1.38/0.49/0.37/0.22/0.11, hind leg: 1.8/2.65/0.95/0.62/0.4/0.29/0.15.

WING ( Fig. 3E ).Almost hyaline, veins brown; R 4+5 gently curved to M 1 on apical third; M 1+2 almost straight; M 1 with strong elbow, forming obtuse angle with M 2; ratio of parts of costa between R 2+3 and R 4+5 to those between R 4+5 and M 1, 3/1; crossvein dm-m almost straight; ratio of crossvein dm-m to apical part of M 1+2 (fork-handle) to apical part of M 4, 56/86/53; anal vein and lobe distinct; anal angle acute; alula present; lower calypter yellow with black apex, with fan of white setae; halter yellow with brownish knob.

ABDOMEN. Thin, 1.3 times as long as head and thorax combined, with short white hairs and long black marginal setae; segment 1 brown dorsally, yellow laterally, with white hairs and setae; unmodified segments shining bluish green, black posteriorly along sutures; segments 7 and 8 dark brown; segment 8 with white cilia; hypopygium ( Fig. 3F ) brown; hypandrium brown; cercus dirty yellow, 1.3 times as long as epandrium, broader at base, narrow distally, with strong black outer bristles ( Fig. 3G ), with short light hairs dorsally and longer light hairs ventrally; surstylus projected, moderately short and narrow, with short apical process and 4 long ventral setae; 3 long epandrial setae.

Female

Similar to male except lacking male secondary sexual characters. Females examined have no significant difference from the original description ( Curran 1927) and subsequently published diagnosis ( Irwin 1974) of Amblypsilopus bevisi .

Remarks

Amblypsilopus bevisi was described from a single female that was collected in a coastal forest in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of the Republic of South Africa. Irwin (1974) studied the holotype, transferred

the species to the genus Sciopolina Curran, 1924 (now Amblypsilopus fasciatus species group), measured and diagnosed the specimen, and considered it close to A. macularivena . However, females of the A. fasciatus species group (with modified male wings) are poorly distinguished from subequal in size females of some other species groups. Additional specimens of A. bevisi have never been reported. Abundant material collected from seven localities in the KwaZulu-Natal Province (NMSA) compelled me to associate it with this species. New material of A. bevisi collected from the KwaZulu-Natal Province stimulated the re-examination of the description of Chrysosoma asperum Parent, 1933 ( Parent 1934) . The latter species was described from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and has never been reported again. As it turned out, the species corresponds with the generic concept of Amblypsilopus , and its description is almost identical in all respects with the males of A. bevisi described above. Therefore, Chrysosoma asperum is placed here in synonymy with A. bevisi . The widespread polyzonal Chrysosoma tricrinitum Parent, 1933 is now the only representative of the genus Chrysosoma in South Africa ( Grichanov 2018).

Distribution

South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal).

Figures

Fig. 3. Amblypsilopus bevisi (Curran, 1927), ♂, Natal, Edendale (NMSA). A. Habitus. B. Head. C. Antenna. D. Fore tarsus. E. Wing. F. Hypopygium, left lateral view, dry. G. Hypopygium, dorsal view, dry.

Fig. 4. Amblypsilopus milleri sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (A–G: NMSA); paratype, ♂ (H: BMSA). A. Habitus. B. Head. C. Antenna.D. Fore femur and base of fore tibia. E. Mid femur. F. Wing. G. Hypopygium, left lateral view, dry. H. Hypopygium after maceration, left lateral view.