Anthrax candidapex Austen, 1937

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 : 604-605

Anthrax candidapex Austen, 1937 ( Figure 3 )

Spongostylum candidapex Austen, 1937: 120 . Type locality: Palestine ( West Bank) .

Diagnosis

Male and female: 8–10 mm in length. Body slightly glossy black. Hairs on head and antennae black, mixed with some yellowish scales at lower part of frons. Lower part of frons and upper part of face yellow-white-dusted. Scutum and scutellum with short black hairs and golden scaly hairs. Thoracic pleura with black hairs, only mesopleura with tufts of black hairs mixed with white hairs. Wings hyaline, with only a faint brownish spot at bifurcation of radial veins. Plumula white, with a few black ones in male only. Halteres with stalk and basal third of knob dark brown, and apical half of knob white-yellow. Sides of 1st abdominal tergite with tufts of white hairs; sides of other tergites with black or dark brown-black hairs, mixed with white hairs only on 5th to 7th tergites. Dorsum of 1st tergite with white hairs, mixed with a few black hairs at middle. Dorsum of 2nd to 5th tergites with black hairs mixed with brownyellow scaly hairs. Narrow stripes of yellowish scales present laterally at posterior margins of 2nd and 3rd tergites, and at entire posterior margin of 4th tergite. Entire dorsum of 6th and 7th tergites covered with dense silvery-white scales, mixed with white and black hairs. Gonocoxites quadratic, slightly broader at base, with a pair of narrow apical prolongations, covered with short spine-like setae ( Figure 3 (a)); aedeagus not protruding beyond epiphallus. Gonostyli dilated. Epiphallus complicated apically, with some small characteristic preapical spines ( Figure 3 (b)). Spermatheca ( Figure 3 (c)) with a balloon-shaped, slightly constricted and strongly sclerotised bulb.

Material examined

1 female, Wadi Allaqi (22.583260°N, 33.320085°E), January 1963 (Tewfik, leg.) [ EFC] . 1 male and 1 female, W. Zaeitar (28.5206°N, 33.9383°E), 20 July 2001 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.) [ MSHC] .

Figures

Figure 3. Anthrax candidapex: (a) gonocoxites, ventral view; (b) tip of epiphallus, lateral view; (c) spermatheca.