Phumosia Robineau­Desvoidy, 1830: 427

Kurahashi, Hiromu & Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H., 2006, The Calliphoridae of Namibia (Diptera: Oestroidea), Zootaxa 1322 (1), pp. 1-131 : 58-60

Genus: Phumosia Robineau­Desvoidy, 1830: 427 .

TYPE SPECIES: Phumosia abdominalis Robineau­Desvoidy, 1830 , by designation of Townsend (1916: 8).

NOTES: The genus is distributed throughout the tropical zones of the Old World, with the greater number of species in the rainforests of West and central Africa (Zumpt 1956: 25). The biology and life history of Phumosia remains unknown (Ferrar 1987: 87). Females of some Oriental species appear to be macro­larviparous, and James (1966: 465) records two females of P. abdominalis pallida James, 1966 , from the Philippines with 2 nd or 3 rd instar larvae protruding from the abdomen. The second author has observed the same phenomenon in females of a Phumosia sp. from Sulawesi, Indonesia (Kirk­Spriggs pers. obs.). Afrotropical species appear to be larviparous rather than macro­larviparous. Cuthbertson (1938: 123) notes that dissected females of P. imitans Villeneuve, 1916 (as Paratricyclea ) from Zimbabwe, contained over 100 small uncoloured larvae and further records the habits of adult males, which alight in large numbers on the tips of low upstanding twigs, especially in sunshine and observed females on fresh dung of Bush pig Potamochoerus larvatus (F. Cuvier) (Suidae) and in flowers. He later (Cuthbertson 1937: 28) records the same species at flowers of Rubus (Rosaceae) and Compositae at the edges of kloof forests in Zimbabwe. Cuthbertson (1937: 28) further records P. stabulans (Bezzi, 1908) (as Paratricyclea ) as being larviparous, depositing about 20–50 very small 1 st instar larvae (0.6–0.7 mm), but notes that the habits of the later instars are unknown. He records males of the same species as feeding on the nectaries of Compositae and Leguminosae and at the flowers of grasses ( Poaceae ) and females from cattle dung and faeces.

Phumosia sp. 1 nr. mossopi Zumpt, 1953 a: 70.

Fig. 50 .

TYPE LOCALITY: S. Rhodesia [= Zimbabwe] .

DISTRIBUTION: South Africa (Cape, Natal, Transvaal) and Zimbabwe.

MATERIAL: 1♀, Skeleton Coast Park at: 20–23.vi.2000, Griffin (1) ( PT) gravel plains .

NOTES: Biology, life history and immature stages unknown. Namibian material is represented by a single female specimen; males are required for an absolute identification. The single Namibian record is in the desert biome ( Fig. 50 ). There is insufficient material to determine seasonality.

Phumosia nanoides Zumpt, 1958b: 5 .

Fig. 51 .

TYPE LOCALITY: South Africa (Transvaal) .

DISTRIBUTION: Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Namibia * and South Africa (Natal, Transvaal).

MATERIAL: 1♀, Nakatwa , 8–13.iii.1992, Pusch & Marais ( MT) ; 1♀, Qugali River, 7.iv.1990, Marais ; 3♀, Buffalo Base , 3–5.iv.1990, Marais ; 2♀, Popa Falls (1), 26.ii–1.iii.1992, Marais & Pusch ; 1♀, same except: ( MT) ; 1♂, 1♀, Salambala campsite, 22–24.ii.2001, Kirk­Spriggs (1) & Marais ( MT) ; 1♂, 1♀, Salambala pan, 1–4.iii.2001, Kirk­Spriggs (1) ( MT) ; 1♂, 3♀, Katara : Okavango River, 20–23.i.1998, Kirk­Spriggs (1) & Marais ( MT) ; 1♂, 2♀, Simanya : Okavango River, 23–24.i.1998, Kirk­Spriggs (1) & Marais ( MT) primary woodland; 1♂, Luchando village , 26–27.ii.2001, Kirk­Spriggs (1) & Marais ( MT) .

NOTES: Biology, life history and immature stages unknown. Most of the Namibian material was collected in Malaise traps. North­eastern Namibia; apparently restricted to the ‘mesic’ savanna biome ( Fig. 51 ). Occurs during the early months of the year from January–April (vide Table 2).

Phumosia tillae Zumpt, 1958b: 3 .

Fig. 52 .

TYPE LOCALITY: Namibia .

DISTRIBUTION: Angola and Namibia.

PREVIOUS RECORD: (holotype and paratypes) Kamanyab [19°63'S, 14°83'E], iii.1925 (Zumpt 1958b: 5).

KNOWN RECORD: Grootfontein [19°57'S, 18°12'E], 16.ii.1970 (NMSA).

MATERIAL: There is no recent Namibian material of this species available for study.

NOTES: Biology, life history and immature stages unknown. Although there is no recent material of this species available from Namibia, from Zumpt’s description and figures it appears to be a valid species. Pont (1980: 797) erroneously gives the reference to the description of this species as ‘Zumpt 1953c: 3’. The two Namibian records are from the north­central part of the country in the ‘arid’ savanna biome ( Fig. 52 ). There is insufficient material to determine seasonality.

SUBFAMILY: BENGALIINAE

Figures

FIGURES 45–50. 45. Distribution (coverage) of all known records of Calliphoridae from Namibia. 46. Namibian biomes, after Irish (1994), with amendments. 47–50. Distributions of Namibian Calliphoridae species. 47. Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann). 48. L. sericata (Meigen). 49. Hemipyrellia fernandica (Macquart). 50. Phumosia sp. 1 nr. mossopi Zumpt.

FIGURES 51–56. Distributions of Namibian Calliphoridae species. 51. Phumosia nanoides Zumpt. 52. P. tillae Zumpt. 53. Bengalia cuthbertsoni Zumpt. 54. B. floccosa (van der Wulp). 55. B. gaillardi Surcouf and Guyon. 56. B. peuhi (Villeneuve).