Anthrax aygulus Fabricius, 1805

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 : 602-604

Anthrax aygulus Fabricius, 1805 ( Figure 2 )

Anthrax aygulus Fabricius, 1805: 121 . Type locality: Ghana .

Anthrax biflexa Loew, 1852: 659 . Type locality: Mozambique .

Anthrax aygulus ssp. senegalensis François, 1972: 8 . Type locality: Senegal . Diagnosis

Male and female: About 11 mm in length. Head with black hairs mixed with short yellowish scaly hairs on the frons. Occiput with fine sparse whitish scaly hairs. Scutum and scutellum covered with black hairs, mixed with fine yellow-brown scaly hairs that become almost white at margins. Legs entirely black, covered with brownish scales. Wing pattern dimidiate, with basal half deeply infuscated black-brown, with a rather sharp outline. Clear area of wing with one or two small isolated spots, the outer one is more conspicuous and completely isolated, found on the origin of vein R4 ( Figure 2 (a)). Plumula blackish. The outer margins of abdominal tergites 1–4 with tufts of black hairs, while those of anal tergites with shorter white hairs in addition to black bristles on the hind margins. Tergites 2–4 covered with numerous short yellow-brown scaly hairs. Tergites 1 and 2 with very narrow bands of white scaly hairs at hind margins. Tergites 5–7 entirely covered with white scales that are sparse and mixed with yellowish ones at middle of 5th and 6th tergites. Gonocoxites ( Figure 2 (b)) quadratic, with two long apical prolongations or processes; epiphallus with complicated apical differentiations, with three short spines directed dorsally at apex and one spine before apex directed ventrally ( Figure 2 (c)). Female genitalia could not be dissected.

Material examined

1 male, Gebel Elba (22.200793°N, 36.333076°E), Jan .1933 ; 1 female, 2 February 1933 (Efflatoun, leg.) [ ESEC].

Figures

Figure 2. Anthrax aygulus: (a) wing; (b) gonocoxites, ventral view; (c) hypopygium, lateral view.