Syllegomydas Notobates dispar (Loew, 1852) Loew, 1852

Dikow, Torsten, 2010, New species and new records of Mydidae from the Afrotropical and Oriental regions (Insecta, Diptera, Asiloidea), ZooKeys 64, pp. 33-75 : 57-60

Syllegomydas Notobates dispar (Loew, 1852) comb. n. Figs 27-2947

Diagnosis:

The species is distinguished from congeners by the brown and yellow abdominal tergites in males and females, the long antennae, the presence of long acrostichal setae, the yellow metepimeron, which is coloured differently than the adjacent abdominal tergite 1, the absence of lateral furcal apodemes in females, and its apparent distribution in south-eastern lowland and coastal Mozambique.

Re-description Male:

Head: brown, in general grey pruinose; width distinctly greater than thorax, interocular distance on vertex larger than at ventral eye margin, vertex between compound eyes ± horizontally straight, medially only slightly below dorsal eye margin, parafacial area less than ½ the width of central facial gibbosity; facial gibbosity distinct, well-developed and discernible in lateral view; mystax white, covering entire facial gibbosity; frons medially apruinose, laterally grey pruinose, vertex medially apruinose, laterally grey pruinose, postgenae apruinose; setation: vertex white, frons white, ocp setae white, pocl setae white; ocellar triangle apruinose; proboscis light brown, very short, vestigial, knob-like; labella small, as wide as prementum, as long as prementum, unsclerotised laterally; maxillary palpi cylindrical, light brown, slightly longer than proboscis.

Antenna: brown, scape and pedicel white setose dorsally and ventrally; postpedicel cylindrical in proximal ⅔, symmetrically bulbous in distal ⅓, ≥ 7.0 times as long as combined length of scape and pedicel; apical ‚seta-like‘ sensory element situated apically in cavity on postpedicel.

Thorax: dark brown to bluish-black, predominantly grey pruinose; scutum medially bluish-black, laterally brown, surface entirely smooth, predominantly grey pruinose, only broad sublateral stripes and narrow paramedial stripes (not reaching posterior margin) apruinose, scutal setation comprised of distinct rows of long dorsocentral setae and lateral scutal setae; dc setae pre- and postsuturally white, acr setae present, lateral scutal setae white, npl, spal, and pal setae absent; postpronotal lobe light brown, grey pruinose; proepisternum, lateral postpronotum, and postpronotal lobes long white setose; scutellum apruinose, asetose, apical scutellar setae absent; mesopostnotum, anatergite, and katatergite partly grey pruinose, anatergite and katatergite apruinose, mesopostnotum entirely long white setose, anatergite long white setose, katatergite long white setose; katatergite ± flat; anterior anepisternum asetose, supero-posterior anepisternum long white setose; posterior anepimeron long white setose, katepimeron white setose; metepimeron ± flat, yellow, apruinose, long white setose; metepisternum grey pruinose, asetose.

Leg: brown or light brown, setation predominantly white; all coxae apruinose, long white setose; met trochanter setose medially; femora brown, met femora ± cylindrical only slightly wider than pro and mes femora, in distal ½ macrosetose, 1 antero-ventral and 1 postero-ventral row of macrosetae; pro and mes tibiae laterally arched, met tibia straight, met tibia cylindrical, ventral keel absent; pro and mes tarsomere 1 about as long as individual tarsomeres 2, 3, or 4, met tarsomere 1 as long as combined length of tarsomeres 2-3 or less than combined length of tarsomeres 2-3; pulvilli well-developed, as long as well-developed claws, and as wide as base of claws; empodium absent.

Wing: length = 9.5-11.8 mm; slightly brown stained throughout, veins brown, microtrichia absent; cells r1, r4, r5, m3, + cup closed; C terminates at junction with R1; R4 terminates in R1; R5 terminates in R1; stump vein ( R 3) at base of R4 present, short not reaching R2; R4 and R5 widest apart medially; r-m distinct, R4+5 and M1 apart, connected by crossvein; M1 straight at r-m (not curving anteriorly), M1 (or M 1+ M 2) terminates in R1; CuA1 and CuA2 split proximally to m-cu (cell m3 narrow proximally); M 3+CuA1 do not terminate together in C; A1 undulating, cell a1 wide, A1 and wing margin further apart proximally than distally, alula well-developed; halter light brown.

Abdomen: brown and yellow; setation comprised of scattered white and brown setae, surface entirely smooth; T1 brown, narrow yellow posterior margin, T2-7 brown, broad yellow posterior margins, expanding antero-laterally particularly on T2-3; T1 and anterior ½ of T2 long white setose, remaining T2 and T3 brown setose; T predominantly apruinose; S1-7 brown, yellow posterior margins; S1 asetose, S2 long white setose, S3 short white setose; S predominantly apruinose; T2-4 parallel-sided and not constricted waist-like; bullae on T2 brown, oval, surface entirely smooth, T2 surface anterior to bullae smooth.

Male terminalia: T1-7 well-developed, entirely sclerotised, T8 postero-medially weakly sclerotised, with anterior transverse sclerotised bridge connecting lateral sclerites; T7-8 anteriorly with 2 lateral apodemes; S6 regular, without any special setation postero-medially, S8 well-developed and simple, not fused to T8 dorso-laterally, entire (undivided) ventro-medially; epandrium formed by single sclerite (fused medially ± entirely), pointed postero-laterally; subepandrial sclerite without lateral or median protuberances; hypandrium strongly concave, cup-shaped, entirely sclerotised ventrally (forming a single sclerite), entirely fused with gonocoxite, forming a gonocoxite-hypandrial complex; gonocoxites dorso-ventrally flattened in distal ½, higher in proximal ½, without median or lateral protuberance, gonocoxal apodeme absent; 2 functional aedeagal prongs, short and wide, medio-distally free, parallel or diverging laterally, distally straight or only diverging slightly laterally; aedeagal epimere present, distally simple, evenly rounded; lateral ejaculatory processes absent; ejaculatory apodeme formed by single dorso-ventrally oriented plate; ventro-median margin of dorsal aedeagal sheath heavily sclerotised (appearing entirely closed); dorsal aedeagal sheath long, sperm sac entirely covered; sperm sac appearing ± heavily sclerotised.

Re-description Female:

Head: parafacial area about as wide as ½ the width of central facial gibbosity; maxillary palpi brown.

Thorax: brown, scutum medially brown, laterally light brown, predominantly grey pruinose, broad sublateral stripes (interrupted postsuturally) and narrow paramedial stripes (not reaching posterior margin) apruinose, scutal setation comprised of distinct rows of short dorsocentral setae and lateral scutal setae; proepisternum, lateral postpronotum, and postpronotal lobes short white setose; katatergite short white setose; supero-posterior anepisternum short white setose; metepimeron light brown.

Leg: all tibiae laterally arched.

Wing: length = 10.2 mm.

Abdomen: T1 brown, narrow yellow posterior margin, T2-7 brown, broad yellow posterior margins that are widest medially; T1 and anterior ¼ of T2 long white setose, remaining T2 and T3 sparsely white setose; S1-7 brown; S1 asetose, S2-3 sparsely yellow setose.

Female genitalia: densely arranged anteriorly directed setae present on T7-8 and S7-8; T8 with broad anterior rectangular apodeme; T9 formed by wide, rectangular sclerite with median protuberance; T9+10 entirely fused, T10 divided into 2 heavily sclerotised acanthophorite plates, 7-8 acanthophorite spurs per plate; 2 spermathecae, all equally large, formed by ± expanded weakly sclerotised ducts; individual spermathecal ducts short; S9 (furca) formed by 1 sclerite, ring-like (joined anteriorly and posteriorly), anterior furcal apodeme present, 2 lateral projections forming divided apodeme, lateral furcal apodeme absent, median furcal bridge absent.

Material examined:

Mozambique: Inhambane: 2 ♀ 1 ♂ Inhambane , 23°51'54"S; 035°22'60"E, -.-.-, Peters (♂ lectotype, ♀ paralectotypes, ZMHB) ; Sofala: 1 ♀ 3 ♂ 1? Beira , 19°50'37"S; 034°50'20"E, 2.ix.1961, G. Heinrich ( AAM-000185-AAM-000189 , CAS, CNC) ; 1 ♀ 1 ♂ Beira , 10.vii.1973, R. Erasmus ( AAM-000287-AAM-000288 , NMSA) ; 1 ♂ Beira , -. viii.1903, P. Krantz ( AAM-000549 , TMSA) ; 1 ♂ Beira , -. vi.1932, J. Ogilvie ( AAM-000713 , BMNH) ; 1 ♀ Upper Nhamapaza river, forest S Maringue , 17°57'52"S; 034°23'26"E, 11.vi.1929, P. Lesne ( AAM-003272 , MNHN) ; 1 ♀ 2 ♂ Nova Chupanga , 17°07'32"S; 034°51'34"E, 27.x. -, J. Surcouf ( AAM-003268-AAM-003270 , MNHN) ; Zambezia: 1 ♀ near Sone , 16°46'17"S; 037°45'16"E, 24.v.1928, P. Lesne ( AAM-003271 , MNHN) .

Distribution:

Mozambique (Fig. 47). Biodiversity hotspot/high-biodiversity wilderness area: Coastal Forest of Eastern Africa/-.

Remarks:

In order to preserve taxonomic stability and make more universal the use of this specific name, the ♂ specimen from the syntype series deposited in the ZMHB is here designated as the lectotype, making the two remaining ♀ specimens paralectotypes. The specimen from Beira deposited in the TMSA (AAM-000549) has been studied by Hesse (1969: 277) and was identified as Syllegomydas arnoldi . I believe that it is a representative of the smaller species Syllegomydas dispar as this species appears to inhabit the coastal and lowland parts of Mozambique while the larger species Syllegomydas arnoldi appears to inhabit higher elevation areas within Zimbabwe (although 2 specimens from the Lowveld of South Africa from Kruger National Park are deposited in the SANC (South African National Collection of Insects, Pretoria, AAM-000088-AAM-000089)).