Afroestricus hamulus, Scarbrough Table Of Contents, 2005

Scarbrough Table Of Contents, Aubrey G., 2005, Afroestricus, a new Afrotropical Ommatine (Diptera: Asilidae) genus with twenty species and two species groups, Zootaxa 1041 (1), pp. 1-76 : 25-27

Afroestricus hamulus , sp. n.

Figs. 45–54 , 193

Male. Dark brown. Body 8.1 mm; wing 5.1 mm. Head: Face gray tomentose with mostly white setae and bristles; 8 to 9 black bristles and setae present; FHWR 1.0:4.3. Antenna blackish, longest ventral setae as long as scape or flagellum; flagellum as long as scape; FWLR 1.0:1.7. Frons slightly yellowish­gray tomentose; setae as long as scape. Occiput mostly gray tomentose with white setae, brown dorsally, darkest along margin of vertex; five to six thin, black, postocular bristles present, two to three bristles strongly proclinate with apices well forward of posterior margin of eye, at least 1/3 distance to ocellar tubercle.

Thorax: Prothorax brown tomentose medially, brownish­gray to gray laterally; bristles black. Mesonotum mostly brown tomentum dorsally, narrow sides yellowish­gray, more yellow anteriorly and posteriorly; vestiture mostly brown; longest anterior setae about as long as scape; two to three long, stout dorsocentral bristles well behind transverse suture, setae in row much shorter and thinner than bristles; four lateral bristles present. Scutellum yellow tomentose dorsally, gray apically; with scattered white setae. Pleuron yellowish­ gray to gray tomentose with scattered white setae; katatergal bristles yellow, anepimeral bristle black. Halter yellow to reddish­yellow.

Wing: As Fig. 3b except as follows: Slightly yellow anteriorly; dense yellow microtrichose. Crossvein r­m at middle of cell d, as long as CuA 1 +M 3. Cell m 1 1.0:2.5:2.3.

Leg: Coxae and trochanters black, former gray tomentose with white to slightly yellow vestiture. Femora yellow with small apical spots or narrow apex black, bristles mostly or entirely black, long ventral setae usually yellow; one to two setae below fore and middle femora black. Middle femur without preapical posteroventral bristle. Hind femur with five to six short posteroventral bristles on apical 1/2, anterior basal and two basal posteroventral bristles yellow; HFWLR 1.0:5.0. Tibiae yellow; narrow apex of middle and hind tibiae black; bristles usually black; fore and middle tibiae with three yellow lateral bristles; apical tubercle absent on hind tibia. Tarsi dark brown, basal 1/3 or more of basal three tarsomeres and narrow bases of apical two tarsomeres yellow; all tarsi with sparse yellow bristles.

Abdomen: Dark brown with light apical margins; tomentum mostly gray with white setae, terga 2 to 8 dorsally mostly brown tomentose with abundant black setae, base and narrow sides gray with white setae.

Terminalia ( Figs. 45–49 ): Brown. Epandrium uniformly wide, dorsal margin slightly oblique, notched apically with hooklike process. Gonostylus distinctive. Distiphallus sigmoid, prominent carina present ventrally; epiphallus wide, raised dorsally, notched apically. Gonocoxite short in lateral view, apex wide and truncate in ventral view. Hypandrium narrowed apically, apex subtruncate.

Female. Differs as follows: Body 10.3 mm; wing 7.1 mm; FHWR 1.0:4.0; FWLR 1.0:2.1; cell m 1 WR 1.0:2.0:1.7; HFWLR 1.0:5.0. Head: Face abundant black bristles. Postocular bristles extend to mid lateral margin of eye; longest bristle extends forward about 1/2 distance to ocellar tubercle. Thorax: Mesothorax with three black katatergal bristles. Wing: Cell r 5 with base just beyond apex of cell d and wide with vein R 4 strongly arched forward. Crossvein r­m about twice as long as CuA 1 +M 3. Leg: Fore and middle femora ventrally black with rows of long black setae. Hind femur with only black bristles. Tibiae laterally with mostly black bristles, anterior two tibiae with two to three yellow bristles. Tarsi with black bristles except one yellow on fore tarsus. Abdomen: Tergum 8 shiny black laterally, brown tomentum medially; thin black bristles present apically. Sterna 7 and 8 with black vestiture. Terminalia ( Figs. 51–54 ): Tergum 9 membranous dorsally. Sternum 8 red apically; lateroapical margin broadly membranous. Spermatheca wide apically, narrow basally, surface smooth. Genital fork distinctive.

Type material. Holotype M, MALAWI: SE1334DC, Senga Bay , 20 km NE of Salima [13°47’S 34°26’E], 7–8.iii.1987, woodland on hill behind hotel, J. and A. Londt, ( NMSA) . Paratype 1 F, same data as holotype ( NMSA) .

Etymology. Latin hamulus for small hook, referring to the shape of the ventroapical corner of the epandrium.

Distribution ( Tables 1, 2; Fig. 193). Known from the type locality; collected in March.

Remarks. Afroestricus hamulus differs from congeners by the characters in the key and terminalia ( Figs. 45–54 ), especially the prominently hooked apical margin of the epandrium.

Figures

FIGURES 45–54. Afroestricus hamulus, sp. n. Male terminalia: 45–47. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. 48. Gonostylus. 49–50. Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views. Female terminalia: 51–52. Dorsal and ventral views. 53. Spermatheca. 54. Genital fork.

FIGURES 3–4. Character states of the wing and postocular bristles of the subgenus Afroestricus Scarbrough. 3a–b. Wing venation of the macroscelis and the minutus species groups. 4a–b. Short, erect and long, thin, postocular bristles bristles. Abbrevations: First radial cell=r1; fourth radial cell=r4; discal cell=d; radial­medial crossvein=r­m; first medial cell=m1; third medial cell=m3.