Euscelidia erichthenii, Dikow, 2003

Dikow, Torsten, 2003, Revision of the genus Euscelidia Westwood, 1850 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae), African Invertebrates 44 (2), pp. 1-131 : 57-59

Euscelidia erichthenii sp. n.

Figs 31 , 32 , 61

Etymology: The specific name ‘ erichthenii ’ is a noun in apposition. The name is proposed by the Gesellschaft für Biologische Systematik (Organisms, Diversity & Evolution) to acknowledge the contribution to the understanding of the evolution of Vertebrata made over many years by the palaeontologist Prof. Dr Erich Thenius, Vienna, Austria, who has been awarded an honorary membership of the society.

Diagnosis: The species is distinguished from congeners by the predominantly apruinose sct and features of the ơ terminalia (hypd bent upwards, divided into 2 lobes, d aed shea short, blunt).

Description: Head: Black; fc yellow pruinose, sometimes silver pruinose on lower facial margin, fc gib indistinct, mystax white, many macrosetae; prob and plp brownish-black with white setae; oc tr silver pruinose dorsally; occ silver pruinose, setae white; Antennae - scp dark brown, white setae ventrally; ped dark brown, brown setae ventrally and dorsally, white pruinose; pped dark brown, white pruinose; apsel dark brown.

Thorax: Black; ppro peg small, distinct, silver pruinose; anterior margin of sct yellow pruinose, lateral and posterior margins silver pruinose, 3 narrow median yellow pruinose stripes on sct, 2 lateral stripes sometimes reaching posterior margin, short yellow or white setae on pruinose part; macrosetae: 1 white npl s, 1 black spal s; sctl white pruinose, ds sctl s and sctl s short, white; Legs - yellow to brown; fem yellow proximally, brown distad, meta fem slightly clubbed, pale yellow stripe not reaching club dorsally, narrow longitudinal dark brown stripe laterally, setae white; tib brown, pale yellow stripe not reaching tip on meta tib anteriorly; first tar yellow proximally, brown distad, remaining tar brown, setae black; emp minute; Wings - hyaline, but microtrichia scattered on remigium and distal margin; ptero distinct, brown; cell d terminating in 2 veins; hlt light brown.

Abdomen: Black; T brown pruinose dorsally, grey pruinose laterally, T1 with long brown setae laterally, T 2 in proximal half with white setae laterally, remaining T with yellow and brown setae, S grey pruinose; ơ terminalia Figs 31–32 - sur pointed distally, lobe ventrally; hypd bent upwards, divided into 2 large lobes; d aed shea short, blunt; lat apod simple.

Type material - The ơ holotype is labelled ‘ ETHIOPIA Bahar Dar 12.10.1968 K.W. u. H. Harde leg (blue label) / Euscelidia spec. det. Miksch (handwritten except for ‘det. Miksch’) / HOLOTYPE Euscelidia erichthenii sp. nov. det. T. Dikow 2001 (red label)’. The specimen is double mounted (minuten in rectangular piece of cardboard), is in very good condition (right meta leg broken; ơ terminalia attached to specimens pin in micro vial), and is deposited in the SMNS.

The 2ơơ paratypes have same labels as holotype except ‘ PARATYPE Euscelidia erichthenii sp. nov. det. T. Dikow 2001 (yellow label)’. The specimens are double mounted (minuten in rectangular piece of cardboard), are in very good condition (1ơ with right meta leg and pped broken), and are deposited in the SMNS .

Type locality and distribution ( Fig. 61 ): Ethiopia , Bahar Dar (= Bahir Dar), 11 33'N 37 21'E. Ethiopia .

Material examined: 1^ without locality label (SMNS) [probably caught at the same locality as type material].

Figures

Fig. 31. ơ terminalia of Euscelidia erichthenii sp. n. A. Dorsal. B. Posterior. C. Lateral. D. Ventral. Scale line = 1 mm.

Fig. 32. Aedeagus of Euscelidia erichthenii sp. n. A. Lateral. B. Dorsal. Scale line = 1 mm.

Fig. 61. Distribution. Euscelidia erichthenii sp. n., pentagon; E. festiva, squares; E. moyoensis, circles; E. obtusa sp. n., triangles; E. senegalensis sp. n., star.