Sarcophaga dawahi Deeming, 2024

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A. & Pape, Thomas, 2024, Sarcophagidae (Insecta: Diptera) of Saudi Arabia: new records, an updated checklist and a new species, Zootaxa 5418 (1), pp. 1-33 : 32-33

Sarcophaga dawahi Deeming sp. nov.

( Figs 39–43 )

Material examined. Holotype 1♂, SAUDI ARABIA: Asir, Abha, Hay Al-Nusub , 12.v–3.vi.2015, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( NMWC) . Paratypes. SAUDI ARABIA – Asir, Abha, Hay Al-Nusub : 3♂, 20.iv.2013; 2m, 19.vi– 9.vii.2013; 1♂, 20.iv.2013; 5♂, 1♀, 6–27.viii.2013; 1♂, 9–30.v.2014 . Abha, Hay Al-Menhel : 8♂, 24.vii.2013; 1♀, 16.vi–9.vii.2013 . Abha, Al-Souda, Bani Mazen : 11♂, 1♀, 25.ii–1.v.2013; 7♂, 2♀, 18.vi–9.vii.2013 . Abha, Madenate Al-Ameer Sultan : 1♂, 1–20.i.2013 . Najran, Hay Al-Shurfa : 1♂, 2–27.viii.2013 . Jazan, Abu Aresh, Al-Mahdag Village : 1♂, 19.ii–10.iii.2014 . All paratypes collected in Malaise traps by H.A. Dawah and dry-mounted ( CERS, NMWC, NHMDK, NHMUK) .

Description. A black species with black bristles and with terminalia in both sexes more or less reddish, mesonotum with the usual five dark longitudinal vittae interspersed with grey dusted vittae, abdomen dorsally with a strongly contrasted tesselated pattern, this and the silver and black pattern of the fronto-orbital plate, parafrontal plate, gena and postocular strip changing according to the incidence of light; wing hyaline with epaulet black and basicosta yellow, the veins strongly yellow towards base, becoming more brownish towards apex, the anterior crossvein totally hidden within a deep black patch, the posterior cross-vein weakly and narrowly infuscate; lower calypter and haltere yellowish white.

Male. Body length = 7.0– 8.3 mm; wing length = 5.5–7.0 mm; head lacking pale bristles or setae; frons at widest part in male 0.29 x width of head, in female 0.40; arista plumose on basal half. Thorax: with proanepisternum bare; mesonotum with 1 long prescutellar dorsocentral bristle closely preceded by a much weaker one of only half its length, a similar weak dorsocentral situated just presuturally; no acrostichal bristles differentiated from the intradorsocentral setulae. Wing dorsally with a row of setae extending from node of vein R 4+5 two thirds of length to anterior cross vein, ventrally the node bearing a brush of c. 4–5 setae; bend of M acute, forming an angle of c. 80°; posterior crossvein sinuous. Legs with apical half of mid femur on anteroventral surface with an open comb of rather fine bristles that are as long as the mid tibia is wide, and level with these posteroventrally with a row of 7 shorter, almost spatulate bristles; hind femur with a row of very long anteroventral bristles, posteroventrally with fine long setae; hind tibia long setose anteroventrally, ventrally and posteroventrally. Abdomen often with reddish coloration extending onto apical half of tergite 5; tergite 1+2 with a single lateral marginal bristle, tergite 3 with 1–2 lateral, tergite 4 with 3 lateral and 2 medial marginals and tergite 5 with complete row of strong marginal bristles, none on protandrial segment ( Fig. 39 ); cerci ( Fig. 40 ) tapering and diverging apically, bearing only fine setae; distiphallus ( Figs 42–43 ) with sclerites black, apart from vesica, which is milk white in dry specimens; sternite 5 ( Fig. 41 ) narrow, with narrow arms, strong bristles concentrated at inner base of lobes and with a few very long setae; ejaculatory apodeme with narrow blade, slightly widened apically, and oval basal bulb that in length is two thirds that of blade.

Female. Resembling male, apart from sexual differences of terminalia and sternite 5, with mid femur having preapical anteroventral and posteroventral bristles similar and lacking the long setosity of the hind leg.

Etymology. Dedicated to Prof. H.A. Dawah for his considerable contributions to the knowledge of the entomology of Saudi Arabia.

Remarks. Sarcophaga dawahi resembles species of Sarcophaga subgenus Poecilometopa Villeneuve by its wing markings, but it has a bare proanepisternum. Placing S. dawahi in a subgenus should await a more detailed analysis of the subgeneric classification of the large genus Sarcophaga . This species runs to Sarcophaga tanzaniae Zumpt in Zumpt’s (1972: 193–195) key but differs from this species in lacking a pair of medial marginal bristles on tergite 3, in having the hind tibia long setose anteroventrally and posteroventrally, and in having only two pairs of postsutural dorsocentral bristles. The altitudes of collecting localities are: Bani Mazen, 2199 m; Madinate Al-Ameer Sultan; 2042 m; Hay Al-Nusub, 2199 m; Hay Al-Menhel, 2150 m; Hay Al-Shurfa, 1261 m; Al-Mahdag Village, 80 m. Considering the large number of samples taken over a period of time and at a range of localities, this appears to be an uncommon species with a preference for higher altitudes.

Figures

FIGURE 39–43. Sarcophaga dawahi Deeming, sp. nov., male (Abha, Madenat Al-Ameer Sultan): (39) terminalia, lateral view; (40) surstyli and cerci, posterior view; (41) sternite 5, setae on one half omitted; (42) phallus, lateral view; (43) distiphallus, posterior view.