Austrosolieria freidbergi Cerretti & O'Hara

O'Hara, James E. & Cerretti, Pierfilippo, 2016, Annotated catalogue of the Tachinidae (Insecta, Diptera) of the Afrotropical Region, with the description of seven new genera, ZooKeys 575, pp. 1-344 : 278-280

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Tachinidae

Austrosolieria freidbergi Cerretti & O'Hara sp. n. Fig. 18b, d, f, h

Type material.

Holotype ♀: 66076. MALAWI:/ Nyika National Park/ forest, 15km N Chelinda/ 10°30.1′S 33°48.8′E / 29.xii.2009 2368m/ A. FREIDBERG (TAU).

Etymology.

Dedicated to our colleague Amnon Freidberg (TAU), who collected the holotype.

Description.

Body length: ca. 7 mm.

Female. Colouration (Fig. 18b, d, f, h): Head ground colour black. Head covered with grey, iridescent reflecting microtomentum: head when seen in anterodorsal view with a dark spot on upper parafacial between lowest frontal seta and compound eye margin; when seen in anteroventral view, parafacial appearing dark with two grey reflecting spots, one on lowest corner of parafacial and one between lowest frontal seta and compound eye margin (corresponding to dark spot visible in anterodorsal view). Antenna black. Palpus reddish-yellow. Thorax black in ground colour, with grey reflecting microtomentum. Presutural area of scutum with 3 broad dark vittae; postsutural area of scutum, when viewed from behind, more or less uniformly dark. Legs black. Tegula reddish-brown; basicosta yellow. Wing membrane mostly hyaline except for dark infuscations around crossveins r-m and dm-m, and a slightly smoky area along postangular section of M1. Abdomen black, covered with irregularly tessellate grey reflecting microtomentum.

Head (Fig. 18b, d): Frons about 1.6 times as wide as compound eye in dorsal view. Inner vertical seta well developed, reclinate. Outer vertical seta well developed. Ocellar seta proclinate. Fronto-orbital plate with a row of 7-8 frontal setae descending to about level of middle of pedicel. One weak upper lateroclinate orbital seta. Fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate orbital setae and a few short setulae lateral to frontal row. Parafacial convex, at its narrowest point about 1.2 times as wide as width of postpedicel. Face moderately concave, antennae not concealed from view in profile. Facial ridge concave, with 1-2 decumbent setulae just above vibrissa. Postpedicel subrectangular with dorsoapical tip pointed, about 1.5 times as long as pedicel. Arista thickened on basal 1/4-1/3. Genal dilation well developed with robust setae anteriorly. Gena in profile about 0.6 times as high as compound eye. Occiput convex. Upper occiput with 1 or 2 irregular rows of black setulae behind postocular row. Lower occiput and postgena with a few fine, pale setulae. Palpus strongly clubbed and covered with stout setulae; palpus about twice the length of prementum. Prementum short and labella reduced.

Thorax: Two postpronotal setae. Scutum with 1 + 0 acrostichal setae; 2 + 3 dorsocentral setae; 0 + 2 intra-alar setae (distance between postsutural intra-alar setae less than distance between anterior seta and transverse suture); 1 (inner) posthumeral seta; 1 + 3 supra-alar setae; notopleuron with 2 strong setae, subequal in size; postalar callus with 2 setae. Anatergite bare. Metathoracic spiracle small and rounded, anterior and posterior lappets subequal in size.

Legs: Fore tibia with 4 anterodorsal setae. Fifth fore tarsomere enlarged, ovoid. Fore claws shorter than fifth tarsomere. Mid tibia with 4 anterodorsal setae (median 2 distinctly longer than the others). Hind tibia with 2-4 (asymmetrical) anterodorsal setae, unequal in size. Hind tibia with 2 dorsal preapical setae.

Wing: Base of vein R4+5 with a tuft of 5-10 setulae. Bend of vein M1 obtuse, with a short appendix. Section of M1 between crossveins r-m and dm-m about as long as section between dm-m and bend of M1. Section of M1 between dm-m and bend of M1 longer than postangular section of M1. Cell r4+5 closed at wing margin. Wing membrane uniformly covered with microscopic setulae. Crossvein r-m with two stubs; crossvein dm-m not linear; i.e., developed into a sieve-like shape (Fig. 18h) [this may be teratological, though present in both wings].

Distribution.

South Africa.