Anthrax chionanthrax ( Bezzi, 1926 )

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 : 605-607

Anthrax chionanthrax ( Bezzi, 1926) ( Figure 4 )

Argyramoeba chionanthrax Bezzi, 1926: 265 . Type locality: Egypt ( Wadi Um-Biar (Quseir )) .

Anthrax cairensis Paramonov, 1935: 10 , 15, 25, 30 (key only) [1936b: 86]. Type locality: Egypt ( Wadi Hoff ) .

Anthrax nanus Paramonov, 1935: 15 , 30 (key only) [1936b: 130]. Type locality: Egypt (Eastern Desert: Suez Road; Lower Nile Valley : Burgash.

Diagnosis

Male: 5–6 mm in length. Body glossy brown-black to black. Frons and face covered with stiff black hairs, mixed in frons with short brown-white scaly hairs. Occiput covered with very short yellowish scaly hairs. Scutum and scutellum covered with dense short fine yellowish scaly hairs, become whitish at margins; in addition to yellow-white erect hairs and bristles, mixed with some black ones only on the middle of scutum. Legs black, covered with yellow-white scales. Wings hyaline with costal border and basal quarter faint yellowish. Cell r5 broadly open at wing margin, with the opening wider than the length of cross-vein r-m ( Figure 4 (a)). Plumula faint yellow-white. Abdominal tergites with dense white hairs and white marginal bristles, in addition to transverse bands of short white scaly hairs on posterior margins. Three anal tergites almost entirely covered with white scales except for a narrow mid-dorsal space on each tergite. 2nd tergite with short yellowbrown scaly hairs which may also present on the anterior half of following tergites. Gonocoxites truncate, triangular, relatively broad ( Figure 4 (b)); epiphallus simple, with hooked apex; aedeagus slightly protruding beyond epiphallus ( Figure 4 (c,d)).

Female: Similar to male, but hairs on face faint yellow-brown and tibiae brownish. Spermatheca could not be dissected.

Material examined

Lectotype male of A. chionanthrax Bezzi, Wadi Um Biar (Qusir) (26.2184°N, 33.9334°E), 17 February 1924 (Efflatoun, leg.); Lectotype male of A. nanus Paramonov, Burgash (30.1636°N, 31.0379°E), 5 July 1925 (Efflatoun, leg.); paralectotype male and paralectotype female, 5th tower of Sues Road (30.0983°N, 31.9553°E), 28 March 1924 (Efflatoun, leg.) [ ESEC]. 1 male, W. Garawi (29.7833°N, 31.3167°E), 25 March 1932 (Efflatoun); 1 female, W. El-Rahba (Sinai) (28.8200°N, 33.6419°E), 24 April 1940 (Efflatoun, leg.) [ EFC] .

Figures

Figure 4. Anthrax chionanthrax: (a) wing; (b) gonocoxites, ventral view; (c) tip of epiphallus, dorsal view; (d) tip of epiphallus, lateral view.