Atherigona (Atherigona) laevigata ( Loew, 1852 )

Deeming, John C. & Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H., 2024, A contribution to the knowledge of Namibian Atherigona Rondani (Diptera: Muscidae), with the descriptions of four new species and two new subspecies, Zootaxa 5536 (4), pp. 501-535 : 513

Atherigona (Atherigona) laevigata ( Loew, 1852)

Coenosia laevigata Loew, 1852: 660 [1862: 28].

Atherigona laevigata : Emden 1940: 113, figs 6, 56; Deeming 1971: 148, figs 13–18; Clearwater 1981: 308, figs 9, 10; Deeming 1987: 18; Deeming & Overman 1987: 117; Pont 1991: 341; Dike 2003: 220 (distribution); Muller 2015: 877, fig. 7; Muller & Mostovski 2018: 350, fig. 6; Deeming 2019b: 91; Deeming 2022: 127; Magoai & Muller 2024: 54, fig. 8.

Atherigona scutellaris Stein , in Becker 1903: 110.

Atherigona minuta Schnabl & Dziedzicki, 1911: 183 .

Previous records: Noachabeb, 27 miles NNE of Grunau; Kunene Mouth; 17°16'S, 11°47'E; Rundu, Kavango Lodge; 17°54'43''S, 19°45'33''E; Ekuju village , Kunene River; 17°19'30''S, 13°48'56''E ( Deeming 2022: 127) .

Material examined: 2♀, Rundu District, Rundu (Kavango Lodge ), 17°54'43''S, 19°45'33''E, 27–29.iii.2003, A .H. Kirk-Spriggs & W. Mey, light trap; 1♀, Opuwo District, Ekuju village : Kunene River, 17°19'30''S, 13°48'56''E, 11–12.x.1999, [ A.H.] Kirk-Spriggs, [T.] Pape & [W.] Hauwanga, Malaise trap, riverine forest ; 2♂, Skeleton Coast Park, Kunene Mouth , 17°16'S, 11°47'E, 20–22.iv.1994, E. Marais (all NMNW) ; 2♂, Noachabeb, 27 miles NNE Grunau, 10–12.i.1972, British Museum (Natural History) Southern Africa Expedition 1972 (both NHMUK) .

Distribution: (Afrotropical): Angola, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, United Arab Emirates; Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe; (Palaearctic): Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Saudi Arabia.

Host-plants: Bermuda grass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. and Sorghum , Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (both Poaceae ).