Anthrax trifasciatus Meigen, 1804

El-Hawagry, Magdi S., 2021, Taxonomy of the genus Anthrax Scopoli (Diptera: Bombyliidae) in Egypt, Journal of Natural History 55 (9 - 10), pp. 597-624 : 618-619

Anthrax trifasciatus Meigen, 1804 ( Figures 13 , 16 (e))

Anthrax trifasciata Meigen, 1804: 206 . Type locality: France .

Anthrax leucogaster Wiedemann in Meigen, 1820: 163. Type locality: ‘ Oesterreich’ [probably = Austria] .

Anthrax capitulata Mulsant, 1852: 11 . Type locality: France .

Argyramoeba heteropyga Sack, 1909: 531 . Type locality: France (Corsica) .

Diagnosis

Male and female: 6–11 mm in length ( Figure 16 (e)). Head grey dusted and black haired except for the margin of occipital cavity which is fringed with brown-white hairs in female only; black hairs are intermixed with yellowish scaly hairs in frons and face.Occiput with sparse white scaly hairs. Scutum and scutellum covered with yellowish scaly hairs mixed with sparse black hairs; anterior margin of scutum with white hairs mixed with some black ones. Pleura with long yellowish and whitish scaly hairs and white hairs. Posterior margin of scutellum with white scales.Wing with extensive basicostal infuscation,but cell cup and anal lobe only infuscated on their bases; infuscation of cell cup ends before cross-vein bm-cu. Spot on cross-vein r-m is isolated from the basicostal infuscation by a clear area in cell r1 ( Figure 16 (e)). Plumula white. Sides of 1st abdominal tergite with dense white hairs; however, sides of other tergites with black hairs being more extensive and dense in 2nd, 3rd and 4th tergites. In male, posterior margins of tergites 2–5 with white scales forming four spots at tergites 2 and 3, and two spots at tergites 4 and 5. In female, however, the white scales usually form transverse bands.6th and 7th tergites are entirely covered with white scales laterally; only the middle remains without scales. Posterior margins of all tergites except for the 1st with long black bristles. Gonocoxites ( Figure 13 (a)) quadratic, with two long apical relatively broad prolongations or processes; gonostylus less angular, leaf-shaped; epiphallus ( Figure 13 (b)) with complicated apical differentiations, with some small characteristic apical spines. Spermatheca ( Figure 13 (c)) with an elongated egg-shaped, strongly sclerotised bulb, slightly constricted at lower third.

Material examined

1 male, W. Abu-Hbeig (28.6411°N, 33.6525°E), 28 May 1997 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.), 1 male, 1 female, W. El-Arbaein (28.5469°N, 33.9530°E), 2 May 1998; 1 male, 1 female, same locality, 16 May 1998; 1 male, same locality, 4 June 1998 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.); 1 male, W . Garagniyia (28.4758°N, 34.0012°E), 24 May 1997 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.); 1 male, 1 female, W. Itlah (28.5750°N, 33.9281°E), 19 September 1997 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.) [ MSHC] .

Figures

Figure 13. Anthrax trifasciatus: (a) gonocoxites, ventral view; (b) tip of epiphallus, dorsal view; (c) spermatheca.

Figure 16. Anthrax spp., habitus: (a) A. galali; (b) A. moursyi; (c) A. pharaonis, neotype; (d) A. sticticus; (e) A. trifasciatus; (f) A. zohrayensis.