Rhabdogaster maculipennis Engel, 1929

Londt, Jason G. H., 2006, A review of the Afrotropical genus Rhabdogaster Loew, 1858 with descriptions of new species (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 47, pp. 243-313 : 265

Rhabdogaster maculipennis Engel, 1929

Figs 4 , 52–54

Rhabdogaster maculipennis Engel, 1929: 169 , 170, figs 15 antenna, 16 hypopygium; Hull 1962: 213; Oldroyd 1974: 67 (in key), fig. 60 male terminalia; 1980: 367 (catalogue). Type locality: Zimbabwe (Sawmills).

Redescription: Based on lectotype ơ.

Head: Red-brown, silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow-white setose.Antenna: Scape and pedicel brown-yellow, postpedicel and style red-brown, setae pale yellow-white. Face entirely pruinose. Mystax composed of approx. 10 pale yellow-white setae arranged along epistomal margin. Frons and vertex entirely pruinose (including ocellar tubercle). Occiput entirely pruinose. Proboscis and palpi yellow, setae white.

Thorax: Red-brown and orange, silver-gold pruinose, white setose. Mesonotum entirely pruinose except for two short anterior stripes positioned between dorsocentral and acrostichal setae. Pleura entirely pruinose. Scutellum entirely pruinose, with 4 moderately developed pale yellow-brown sctl s accompanied by approx. 6 more minor setae. Postmetacoxal bridge entirely silver-gold pruinose. Legs: cx orange, gold-silver pruinose (cx 3 with apruinose area laterally), white setose; troc, fem, tib and tar brown-yellow, pale yellow-white (mainly proximal parts) and dark red-brown to black setose (mainly distal parts). Wing 4.6 x 1.3 mm, veins light-brown, membrane transparent, with orange staining as illustrated ( Fig. 4 ), cells extensively microtrichose (except for parts of some proximally situated cells). Discal and costal cells microtrichose except for small proximal part of costal cell.

Abdomen: Brown, entirely silver-gold pruinose, white setose. Terminalia ( Figs 52–54 ): epand in lateral view extending well beyond level achieved by external lobe of goncx and hypd, tapering to rounded tips; in dorsal view lobes separated but touching proximomedially; hypd in lateral view slightly curved, longer than external lobe of goncx, but shorter than epand; in ventral view somewhat truncate proximally, tapering rapidly distally before terminating in a long mediodistal process with broadly-rounded apex. In lateral view external lobe of goncx short, tapering rapidly from midlength to moderately acute tip. Internal lobe of goncx and gonst projecting beyond level achieved by external lobe.

Type material: ZIMBABWE: ơ lectotype, 1^paralectotype [both specimens side by side, double mounted with separate minuten pins into a card pinned with a normal pin which bears the labels], ‘Type’ [circular, white with red edge], ‘Sawmills [1935S:2802E] / S. Rhodesia / 24 5. 1924 / Rhod. Museum’, ‘350’ [red ink], ‘Pres. by / Imp. Bur. Ent. / Brit. Mus. / 1928 – 347’, ‘ Rhabdogaster / maculipennis / n. sp. / Dr E. O. Engel det.’, ‘ Syntypes / Rhabdogaster / maculipennis Engel / det. J.E. Chainey, 1983’ [has small circular label with blue border pasted to top right corner; the circular label carries the words ‘Syn- / types’ (BMNH).

Note: Engel (1929) stated that he studied 3ơ 2^and did not designate a holotype. His ‘types’ must therefore be considered syntypes, and so I designate the male seen by me as lectotype. Other specimens are considered paralectotypes. The BMNH informs me that they have, in addition to the pair of specimens studied by me, 1^and 1? (i.e. a specimen without abdomen – presumably a ơ). This leaves a single ơ unaccounted for.

Paralectotype ^agrees well with lectotype, although it is somewhat greasy.

Distribution, phenology and biology (Tables 1, 2): Recorded only from the type locality in Zimbabwe. Collected in May.

Similar species: Distinctive but some similarity to R. flavida .

Figures

Figs 1–5. Rhabdogaster species: (1–3) R. pedion sp. n., Normandien Forest: (1) entire male, (2) sclerotised postmetacoxal bridge, (3) wing venation; (4) R. maculipennis Engel, 1929, lectotype, male wing showing pattern of staining; (5) R. oresbios sp. n., wing showing dark appearance caused by dark microtrichia.

Figs 43–54. Rhabdogaster species, male terminalia: (43–45) R. karoo sp. n., Graaff-Reinet paratype: (43) lateral, (44) dorsal, (45) ventral; (46–48) R. kosmos sp. n., Omaruru paratype: (46) lateral, (47) dorsal, (48) ventral; (49–51) R. lindneri sp. n., Nairobi holotype: (49) lateral, (50) dorsal, (51) ventral. (52–54) R. maculipennis Engel, 1929, Sawmills lectotype: (52) lateral, (53) dorsal, (54) ventral. Scale bars = 1 mm.