Anthrax dentatus ( Becker, 1906 )

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 : 607-608

Anthrax dentatus ( Becker, 1906) ( Figures 5 , 15 (b))

Argyromoeba dentata Becker, 1906: 148 . Type locality: Tunisia .

Anthrax efflatouni Paramonov, 1935: 7 , 22 (key only) [1936: 90]. Type locality: Egypt ( Wadi Um-Biar ‘ Quseir’) .

Diagnosis

Male and female: 7–9.5 mm in length ( Figure 15 (b)). Frons and face with black hairs, mixed especially at the anterior half of frons with brown-yellow scaly hairs. Thorax covered with black hairs, intermixed with white hairs and scaly hairs. Legs brown-black to black, covered with brownish scales. Wings with solid dark-brown basicostal infuscation covering the entire proximal third, and with a clear-cut margin; clear area without isolated spots or with a faint indication of one spot at the base of cell m2; cell bm entirely dark, and cell br almost entirely dark without a clear area or with only small paler area apically near to cross-vein r-m; cell cup is mostly infuscated, with the infuscation ending at or exceeding cross-vein bm-cu; spot on cross-vein r-m is continuous with basicostal infuscation. Plumula blackish. Sides of 1st abdominal tergite white haired, while 2nd to 7th tergites with black hairs forming tufts at sides of 2nd and 3rd tergites. Beside the white and black hairs, tergites with short yellow-brown scaly hairs forming transverse bands on 3rd and 4th tergites. Posterior margins of 2nd and 3rd tergites and sides of 5th to 7th tergites with white scales. Gonocoxites with two relatively long and narrow apical prolongations or processes ( Figure 5 (a)); epiphallus with complicated apical differentiations, with some small characteristic apical spines ( Figure 5 (b,c)). Spermatheca with an egg-shaped, slightly constricted and strongly sclerotised bulb ( Figure 5 (d)).

Material examined

1 male, 9 April 1946 (Shafik, leg.); Marg (31.0667°N, 30.2167°E), 25 May 1921; 1 female, Tamyia (29.475479°N, 30.952277°E), 3 October 1948 (Shafik, leg.); W . El-Rabba (28.8200°N, 33.6419°E), 26 April 1940 (Efflatoun, leg.); W . El-Maskhara (29.7833°N, 31.4167°E), 12 April 1930 (Tawfik, leg.); W . Hoff (29.8821°N, 31.3110°E), 6 June 1921; 1 female W . El- Lega (28.5469°N, 33.9530°E), 6 September 1943 (Efflatoun, leg.); 1 female, W . Um-Elek (29.8833°N, 31.5167°E), 18 March 1927 (Farag, leg.) [ EFC] . 1 male and 1 female, Kom Osheem (29.5564°N, 30.8869°E), 5 June 2019 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.); 2 females, W . Degla (29.9578°N, 31.3348°E), 8 May 1997 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.); 1 male, W . El-Arbaein (28.5469°N, 33.9530°E), 21 May 1997 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.); 1 female, W . Zaeitar (28.5206°N, 33.9383°E), 24 August 1996 (M. El-Hawagry, leg.) [ MSHC] . Sokotra, Hadibo Plain , March 1967 (K.M. Guichard, leg.) [personal collection of late D. Greathead in 1998] .

Figures

Figure 5. Anthrax dentatus: (a) gonocoxites, ventral view; (b) hypopygium, lateral view; (c) tip of epiphallus, dorsal view; (d) spermatheca.

Figure 15. Anthrax spp., habitus: (a) A. aethiops bezzii; (b) A. dentatus; (c) A. greatheadi; (d) A. lucidus; (e) A. melanistus.