Geron albifacies Bezzi, 1924

Greathead, David J. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2004, New species of Bombylioidea in Mario Bezzi’s Unpublished Hungarian Museum Manuscript, Zootaxa 773, pp. 1-56 : 15-16

Geron albifacies Bezzi, 1924

33. Geron albifacies 1ɗ Eritrea: Assab, vii.1907 (Katona). MS page 33.

Bezzi, 1924: 113 – key only.

Zaitzev, 1972: 863 – described from Mongolia as G. michaili SYN. NOV. with male and female genitalia illustrated.

Greathead, 2001b: 165 – key and diagnosis as G. m i c h a i l i Zaitzev.

Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999: 37 – listed one syntype in MSNM.

Types: A single specimen in MSNM: 1ɗ, Eritrea: Assab, v­vi.1907 (Katona) lacking both the antennal flagella, both fore legs and both middle legs. Bezzi based the species on only one specimen. Thus, the specimen in MSNM, which matches the locality data given in Bezzi’s manuscript, is considered the holotype.

Remarks: Species of Geron can only reliably be identified from the male and, frequently also, the female genitalia. Examination of the genitalia of the unique specimen of G. albifacies showed that G. michaili is a synonym. After examination of genitalia of specimens from intermediate localities, Greathead (2001b) showed that Zaitzev’s species from Mongolia is present in Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia as well as Turkmenia and Ukraine. Eritrea can now be added to the list.

It is a small species (ca. 4 mm) of the G. gibbosus group but with a pale clypeus and is similar in appearance to the even smaller (ca. 2.5– 3 mm) G. efflatouni Greathead known from Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.