Afrostoma quadripunctatum Skevington & Thompson, 2014

Thompson, F. Christian & Skevington, Jeffrey H., 2014, Afrotropical flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae). A new genus and species from Kenya, with a review of the melanostomine group of genera, Zootaxa 3847 (1), pp. 97-114 : 107-110

Afrostoma quadripunctatum Skevington & Thompson , sp. nov.

Description. MALE. Head: Black; face sparsely gray pollinose except tubercle shiny, tawny pilose; gena shiny on anterior 1/2, sparsely gray pollinose, white pilose posteriorly; lunule black, shiny; frontal triangle sparsely gray pollinose, tawny pilose except with a few black pili intermixed; eye contiguity long, slightly longer than frontal triangle; ocellar triangle shiny, black pilose; occiput white pollinose except more grayish white on dorsal 1/3, white pilose on ventral 2/3, black pilose dorsally; antenna black. Thorax: Black except postalar callus slightly more brownish black; prothorax grayish-white pollinose, white pilose; notum and scutellum shiny, golden pilose except with some black pili intermixed; pleuron sparsely gray pollinose, yellow pilose; plumula white; calypter white with brown margin and yellow fringe; halter yellow. Legs: Black, except trochanter, base of femora and femoral-tibial joints brownish orange, black pilose except coxae yellow pilose. Wing: Brownish, completely microtrichose. Abdomen: Black except for small yellow quadrate basolateral (only on basolateral 1/5) maculae on 3rd and 4th terga; terga dull black pollinose, yellow pilose except black pilose on apical 1/4 of 4th tergum and white and black pilose on genitalia segments; sterna black, subshiny, very sparsely pollinose, yellow pilose except black pilose apically on 4th sternum. Genitalia: Epandrium quadrate ( Fig. 1A ); surstylus elongate, simple ( Figs 1A, B ); ejaculatory apodeme cylindrical ( Figs 1C, D ); distiphallus notched ( Fig. 1D ). FEMALE. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype male: Kenya: Western Province: Kakamega Forest , [0.2355°N, 34.8645°E], 8–9.xi.[19]83, A. Freidberg ( USNM ENT 00036402 ) ( USNM) ; Paratypes: Kenya: same location as holotype: 30.viii.–5.ix.2000, ♂, R. Copeland, Malaise trap ( USNM ENT 00036401 ) ( CNC) ; ... 8–9.xi.1983, 2♂, I. Yarom ( USNM ENT 00036403-4 ) ; ... 14.i.1996, ♂, I. Yarom & A. Freidberg ( USNM ENT 00036405 ) ( USNM) ; Uganda: South West : Rwenzori Mountains, 5 km west of Kilembe, [0.19882°N, 29.96895°E], 2500m, 6.i.1996, 1♂, A. Freidberg, Malaise trap ( USNM ENT 00036406 ) ( CNC) . One Paratype will be returned to an appropriate museum in Kenya.

Type-locality. Kenya. Western Province: Kakamega Forest , 0.2355°N, 34.8645°E .

Etymology. The species epithet, quadripunctatum , is an adjective referring to the four yellow punctate maculae on the abdomen.

Discussion. Afrostoma quadripunctatum is superficially similar to Melanostoma infuscatum Becker , but the yellow abdominal maculae are much smaller and the facial tubercle is more abrupt and prominent than those in infuscatum . The type series of infuscatum Becker (2 males, 2 females in Paris) was examined and herewith we validate the unpublished lectotype selected by Kassebeer (a male, labeled by him) to ensure consistent and universal interpretation of this name.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Afrostoma quadripunctatum Skevington & Thompson, male (specimen USNM ENT 00036401). A. habitus, dorsal view; B. oblique view of head; C. habitus, lateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.