Anthrax galali El­Hawagry, 2002

El-Hawagry, Magdi S., 2002, Three new species of anthracine bee flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae) from Egypt, Zootaxa 111, pp. 1-8 : 2-4

Anthrax galali El­Hawagry , sp. nov.

This species is closely allied to Anthrax zohrayensis (spec. nov., herein described), but it is distinguished by the almost entire absence of markings on the wings which are usually devoid of spots. If the spots are present, they appear as blurs and only on the basal half. It is also distinguished by the different arrangement of the white scales on dorsum of abdomen, as well as by the pale brownish or yellowish hairs on the apical abdominal tergites.

Description:

Holotype (male); body length: 8.2­12.2 mm; wing length: 9­12.8 mm. Head. Black in ground color. Frons with fine white dust, usually only along inner eye­margins; covered with black hairs and short scaly hairs on upper third, and grayish­yellow or brownish­yellow mixed with black hairs on rest of frons. Face covered with black hairs mixed with brownish­yellow scaly­hairs. vertex about two and half times width of ocellar tubercle. Antennae black with black hairs; flagellum not longer than the two basal segments together. Thorax. Dull black. Mesonotum covered with yellowish, whitish and black tomentum of fine hairs and scaly­hairs. Hairs on extreme anterior margin predominantly black, mixed with some grayish hairs behind. Thoracic bristles black, not long at all. Pleura almost bare, white dusted. Scutellum of same color and vestiture as mesonotum, with black or mixed black and brownish long marginal bristles in more than one row. Wings (fig.1). Hyaline, with a more or less weak infuscation on basal half and sc cell, forming darker areas appearing as blurs on cross­veins, although usually with a more or less evident smoky gray tinge; r­m cross­vein placed before middle of discal medial cell (dm), just after rectangular base of R2+3 which with more or less well developed appendix. Plumula white. Halteres more or less dark mummy­brown, with light buff knob. Legs black, with apex of femora and tibiae as well as front tarsi obscure reddish­brown. Bristles, spurs and setulae short, weak and all black. Claws black. Pulvilli brownish­gray. Abdomen. Dull black, with three apical segments laterally compressed. 1st tergite with long pure white tufts of hairs on sides and corners, and with sparse long grayish or brownishgray hairs on dorsum. 2nd tergite with black tufts of hairs on sides shorter than those of 1st tergite; dorsum with long sparse and scattered black hairs, mixed with numerous minute scaly­hairs which are tawny about center, whitish on sides, and with more or less numerous pure white scales on posterior border, being more dense on sides. 3rd tergite more or less similar to 2nd, but the white scales on lower border very irregularly scattered about center, assuming a yellowish tinge. 4th tergite with all hairs black; white scales more numerous with a more pronounced yellowish color about center. 5th ­ 7th segments laterally compressed, with glistening pale brownish­yellow hairs, except for a few black hairs about center as well as on triangular tip of abdomen; densely covered with whitish scales on sides, being yellowish elsewhere; scales absent on center forming black mid­dorsal longitudinal stripe.

Male genitalia (figs. 2–3): Gonocoxites with broad base and two long apical prolongations. Tip of aedeagal sheath complicated, with some small characteristic spines.

Paratype (female); body length: 8.2­12.2 mm; wing length: 9­12.8 mm. like male but infuscation on wing is frequently darker with a tendency to form spots on basal half. Apical segments of abdomen not laterally compressed, with white scales only on their lower borders forming regular transverse bands. Long black hairs on sides of apical tergites; on triangular tip, black and more dense. Vertex little broader than in the male, being 3 times width of ocellar tubercle.

Spermatheca (see fig. 4): With sclerotized bulb and long sclerotized sperm pump.

Material examined: Holotype (male): W. El­Rabba (S. Sinai), 13­19. IV. 1940 (Efflatoun leg.), [ESC]. Paratypes: 2 females, same data as Holotype; 1 female, 1 male, W. El­ Rabba (S. Sinai), 21­24. IV. 1940 (Efflatoun leg.); 1 male, same data, [ESC]; 1 female, same data as Holotype, [ EFC].