Hyperusia longirostris Greathead, 2006

Greathead, David J., 2006, New records of Namibian Bombyliidae (Diptera), with notes on some genera and descriptions of new species, Zootaxa 1149 (1), pp. 1-88 : 12-13

Hyperusia longirostris Greathead , sp. nov.

This species has the longest proboscis in proportion to its body size of all known Hyperusia spp. It is also distinguished by having entirely dark antennae and lacking a spine on the pedicel.

Description. Holotype ♂. Size: length 4.5 mm; proboscis, 3 mm; wing, 4 mm. Head: brownish black but face and genae paler yellow­brown; hair sparse, upright, dark brown on frons and genae; hair on occiput fine, white and a fringe of long, stiff, upright, white hairs behind ocellar triangle and with a few black ones at each side adjoining the margins of the eyes. Eye facets enlarged in upper half. Antenna with scape twice length of pedicel and with black hair; pedicel without a spine; flagellum twice combined length of scape and pedicel, slightly widened towards apex. Proboscis slender, as long as head and thorax combined, black; palpi shorter than antennal flagellum, black and with black hairs. Thorax: shining black with white hairs, dense on fore margin, notopleural line in front of wings and upper half of anepisternum. Legs: dark brown with white hair on coxae; sparse black hair on undersides of femora and fine black spicules on undersides of tibiae and tarsi. Hind tarsus without strong bristles at apex of fifth tarsomere. Claws yellow at base, black at apices; straight at their bases and curved downwards from middle. Wing: opalescent hyaline, veins yellow; r­m cross­vein at apical 1/4 cell dm and anal cell closed just before wing margin. Squama white with white fringe. Haltere very pale brownish and knob darker brown. Abdomen: shining black above, reflexed margins of terga and sterna brown, hair white, long and relatively dense. Genitalia not dissected.

Females. Head: shining, occiput and vertex black fading to brown on frons and yellow on face but oral rim brown. Fine hair on occiput, frons and vertex white, brown on face and genae. Antennae as male but flagellum only 1½ combined length of scape and pedicel, broader and more strap­like. Proboscis as male but palpi longer than antennae, brown and with brown hairs. Thorax: as male but hair more evenly distributed on mesonotum and with short decumbent white hairs beneath the long ones. Legs and wing as male. Abdomen: as male but with short decumbent white hairs beneath the long white ones.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, Namibia: Diamond Area 1, Kowisberg, 26°42’S 15°23’E, 15–25.vi.1995. E. Griffin, pres. pitf. traps, rocky area on gravel plain. Paratypes: 3♀♀, same data as holotype ; 1♀, Diamond Area 1, foothills at Klinghardt Mountain, 17°15’S 15°36’E, 17–18.vi.1993, E. Griffin, pres. pitf. traps, sandy hummocks & gravel plains ; 2♂♂, 2♀♀, Lüderitz Disrtrict , 2km ESE Rosh Pinah, 27°58’S 16°47’E, 13.viii.1990, E. Marais & C. Roberts (bleached) (all in NMNW) .