Pteraulax braunsi Bezzi, 1922

Greathead, David J. & Evenhuis, Neal L., 2004, New species of Bombylioidea in Mario Bezzi’s Unpublished Hungarian Museum Manuscript, Zootaxa 773, pp. 1-56 : 31

Pteraulax braunsi Bezzi, 1922

49. Pteraulax braunsi 1Ψ South Africa (Eastern Cape): Willowmore, 25.ii.1906 (H. Brauns). MS page 61.

Bezzi, 1922: 81 – diagnosis and reference to 1ɗ in HNHM.

Evenhuis & Greathead, 1999: 345 – incorrectly listed holotype as in MSNM Types: Based on the single female holotype from Willowmore in HNHM (destroyed in 1956).

Remarks: Hesse (1956) made no mention of P. braunsi . The description given in Bezzi’s manuscript is only a list of differences from the genotype, P. flexicornis . As far as we can judge from Hesse’s (1956) key, description of P. flexicornis , and descriptions of a further six new species all from the western parts of southern Africa, Pteraulax braunsi corresponds with P. s e t a r i a Hesse. However, Hesse (1956) did not report having seen specimens of any Pteraulax spp. from the Eastern Cape. Thus, it is not possible to make any firm conclusions without examination of all these species.

Bezzi characterised P. braunsi in his manuscript as follows (translated from the Latin):

“Black; black hairs; white and yellow scales; antennae black; palpi, apices of femora, all of tibiae and base of tarsi yellow; scutellum dimidiate, posterior [margin] not black and shining; abdominal segments with strong, erect, black bristles on posterior margins; wings hyaline, un­marked; recurrent vein on first submarginal cell separating it from second [= interradial vein] long and second longitudinal vein [R4] continuous with it.

Lengths: body 8 mm; wing 7 mm.

This species is distinct from the genotype flexicornis in many small but distinct ways. Frons somewhat wider clothed in black hair and yellow tomentum. Antenna, first segment less humped on inner side, base of third segment inflated and greatly elongated. Thorax, lateral macrochaetae part yellow and much stronger but not longer, and hairs of metapleural tuft not black. Scutellum black but grey tomentose and yellow tomentose at posterior margin, posterior macrochaetae extremely strong. Abdominal segments 2–5 armed with strong erect, mostly black, setae on posterior margins at sides. Legs, four anterior femora yellow at sides of apices; posterior tibiae blackened at apex; posterior tarsi totally black, remainder black except bases. Wings distinctly longer and narrower, first submarginal cell much longer and equally narrow for all its length, second transverse … at second submarginal divided from the second longitudinal with third longitudinal extending parallel and thrice longer than forked basal part; discoidal cell elongate, as long as second posterior cell.”