Rhabdogaster gracilis ( Engel & Cuthbertson, 1937 ) Londt, 2005

Londt, Jason G. H., 2005, A review of afrotropical Afroholopogon Londt, 1994 with the description of a new genus and new species (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 46 (1937), pp. 203-252 : 228-229

Rhabdogaster gracilis ( Engel & Cuthbertson, 1937) , comb. n.

Heteropogon gracilis Engel & Cuthbertson, 1937: 13 , 14, fig. 9a antenna; Oldroyd 1974: 47, fig. 37 entire female; 1980: 362 (catalogue). Type locality: Zimbabwe.

Afroholopogon gracilis: Londt 1994: 64 .

Type specimens: ZIMBABWE: ơ holotype, ‘Trefonen Farm / Trelawney / S. Rhodesia. / Dept. Agric. / 22/ 11/1935 ’, ‘W.L. Williams / collector’, ‘Type von / Heteropogon / gracilis Engel’ [orange], ‘973’ ( NMBZ). Note: In their paper, Engel & Cuthbertson (1937) record the type locality as ‘Trefonen farm near Trelawney, Lomagundi’ and the date of collection as ‘ December 1935 ’. Lomagundi [1710S 3005E] is not recorded on the specimen labels while the month of collection (written by hand in black ink) may either be interpreted as November or February.

Other material recorded: Oldroyd (1974) gives ‘? S.W. AFRICA: 25 km E. of Gababis (B.M.A.Afr. Exped., 1972)’.

Comment: The holotype, in excellent condition, leaves no doubt that the species must be transferred to Rhabdogaster , and so the new combination Rhabdogaster gracilis ( Engel & Cuthbertson, 1937) is here established. I have also examined a female in the BMNH which appears to be the specimen Oldroyd (1974) illustrated (his fig. 37). The label reads ‘S.W. Africa (W56) / 16 mls. E Gobabis / 11.iv.1972 ’, ‘Southern / African Exp. / BM. 1972-1’ and is therefore not exactly as cited by Oldroyd (see above). I assume a mistake was made when providing the information for the 1974 publication. This specimen was also incorrectly identified as it too definitely represents a species of Rhabdogaster . Further comment on this material is intended in a planned revision of Rhabdogaster .