Afroestricus vittatus (Curran)

Scarbrough Table Of Contents, Aubrey G., 2005, Afroestricus, a new Afrotropical Ommatine (Diptera: Asilidae) genus with twenty species and two species groups, Zootaxa 1041 (1), pp. 1-76 : 65-68

Afroestricus vittatus (Curran)

Figs. 177–186 , 196

Ommatius vittatus Curran, 1927: 13 comb. n. Hull 1962: 436; Oldroyd 1980: 348.

Redescription, male. Dark brown with mostly yellowish­gray tomentum and pale yellow vestiture. Body, 15.0– 17.4 mm, wing 10.3–12.8 mm. Head: Face yellowish­gray to brownish­yellow tomentose, abundant pale yellow vestiture below, mostly or entirely with black setae and bristles on dorsal 1/2; FHWR 1.0:3.8–1.0:4.0. Antenna brown, longest ventral setae as long as scape+pedicel; flagellum as long as to slightly longer than scape+pedicel; FWLR 1.0:2.6–1.0:3.1. Frons yellowish­brown to brown tomentose; longest setae longer than scape+pedicel. Occiput gray to yellowish­gray tomentose, setae mostly white, sometimes sparse black setae dorsally; row of 7 to 12 short, thick, black postocular bristles present, tips of longest bristles above or just beyond posterior margin of eye.

Thorax: Pronotum yellow tomentose with yellow or black bristles. Mesonotum with two narrow median stripes and two lateral spots of brown tomentum, narrow margins yellowish­brown, yellowish­gray posteriorly; vestiture mostly black, white setae on postpronotum and above wing base; anterior acrostichal setae as long as or longer than scape; row of long, thin dorsocentral setae extend forward to first notopleural bristle; longest anterior dorsocentral setae about 1/2 as long as notopleural bristle; four thick lateral and two to four thick dorsocentral bristles present. Scutellum brownish­gray tomentose with prominent preapical groove, two black marginal bristles, and abundant short pale setae. Pleuron yellow tomentose anteriorly and gray posteriorly; setae sparse, pale yellow; anepimeral bristle black or yellow. Halter yellow.

Wing: As Fig. 3a except as follows. Base of cell r 4 at or just before apex of cell d. Crossvein r­m just before or at middle of cell d, much longer than CuA 1 +M 3 when present; vein cu+m sometimes present. Cell m 1 WR 1.0:3.3:3.1–1.0:3.5:3.1.

Leg: Coxae yellow tomentose with abundant, long, thin, pale yellow setae, sometimes black setae present. Trochanter black. Femora strongly swollen with black bristles and abundant, long, thin, pale yellow setae on basal 1/2 to 2/3 ventrally, long setae often bordered by scattered, shorter black setae; femora largely yellow, apex with small brown spots or narrowly brown. Middle femur with one bristle posteroventrally. Hind femur with posteroventral row of bristles arched posteriorly; HFWLR 1.0:3.2–1.0:3.8. Tibiae yellow with narrow apices brown; hind tibia black on anterior 1/2 to 2/3; apical spur present. Tarsi mostly yellow, narrow apex of most and apical 1/2 of apical tarsomere dark brown; most bristles black; fore and middle tarsi, sometimes hind tarsus, with three to four yellow bristles.

Abdomen: Yellowish­gray tomentose with mostly pale yellow setae, terga 7 to 8 shiny dorsally, tomentum present laterally; terga 6 to 8 with brown setae dorsally; sterna with longer, thinner setae, most abundant on basal five sterna, shorter and less abundant on apical sterna.

Terminalia ( Figs. 177–182 ): Black to reddish­brown, apical margins red to yellow. Epandrium with angular dorsoapical notch. Gonostylus distinctive. Distiphallus horizontal; ejaculatory apodeme with a lateromedial flange; epiphallus with only weak constriction dorsally. Gonocoxite short, apex well before apical margin of epandrium, narrow and pointed laterally, much wider ventrally. Hypandrium narrow, round apically.

Female. Differs as follows. Body, 17.0 mm; wing 11.1 mm; FHWR 1.0:5.0; FWLR 1.0:2.6–1.0:2.8; m 1 WR 1.0:3.5:3.5–1.0:4.0:3.9; HFWLR 1.0:5.1–1.0:5.8. Abdomen: Apical segments with yellow and black stout bristles. Tergum 7 basolaterally with two large subshiny spots, otherwise dense yellowish­gray tomentose. Terminalia ( Figs. 183– 186 ): Tergum 9 sclerotized, about 1/3 as long as cercus. Sternum 8 with black setae and thin bristles setae laterally. Spermatheca smooth, slightly wider apically than basally. Genital fork distinctive.

Types examined. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: 1 M [holotype O. vittatus ], Stanleyville [=Kisangani 25°10’E 0°30’N], 30.vi.1915 ( AMNH) ; 1 F [allotype O. vittatus ], Stanleyville [=Kisangani 25°10’E 0°30’N], 16.vi.1915 ( AMNH) ; 3 M [paratypes examined O. vittatus ], Stanleyville [=Kisangani 25°10’E 0°30’N], iii–iv.1915 ( AMNH) ; 1 M [paratype O. vittatus ], Zambi Congo , 6°S 12°50’E, 22.vi.1915, Bromley coll. ( USNM) .

Additional material. ANGOLA: 1 M, (A24), 3 mi. N. Santa Comba [=Dao, 08°35’S 15°04’E], 7–8.iii.1972, Southern African Exp. ( BMNH) . CHAD: 1 F, Museum Paris, Baguirmi Tcheckna, Mission Chari­Tchad , viii.1904, A. Chevalier ( MNHN) ; 2 F, Est de fort Archambault [=Sarh 9°13’45”N 18°14’56”E], Pays Gaulei et Nara, de Gangara Anara et Ngablo, Mission Chari Tchad, vi.1904, D. J. Decorse ( MNHN) . DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: 2 M, Congo Belge, P.N.G. [= Parc National de la Garamba 3°45’N 28°48’E], PFSK. 5/3/ 20.vi.52, H. de Saeger, ( BMNH) ; 1 M, Congo Belge PNG [=Parc National de la Garamba 3°45’N 28°48’E], Miss H. de Saeger, II /fc/17, 25.ix.1951, Rec. H. de Saeger 2471 ( BMNH) ; 1 F, Congo Belge PNG [=Parc National de la Garamba 3°45’N 28°48’E], Miss H. de Saeger, II /gc/11, 5.x.1951, Rec. H. de Saeger 2521 ( BNMH) ; 1 F, Kambove [10°52’35”S 26°35’49”E], Katanga, 11.vi.07, 4000–5000', Neave Coll. ( BMNH) ; 1 F, Congo Lualaba R. [river, 09°43’S 28°39’E], 28.v.04, 2500, Neave ( BMNH) ; 1 F, Congo, Lualaba R. [river, 09 o 43S 28 o 39E], 2500–4000, 28.v.04, Neave ( BMNH) ; 1 F, Zambi Congo , 6°S 12°50’E, 22.vi.1915 ( AMNH) ; 1 M, Musee Du Congo, Wombali [3°16’S 17°20’E], ix.1913, P. Vanderijst ( USNM) ; 1 M, Uéle River, Congo , 3°30’N 23°30, Bafuka ( USNM) : 1 M, Musée du Congo, Uéle , Suranga, De Greeff ( MRAC) . GABON: 1 M, W. Africa, A. I. Good CM Acc 4189, 20.xii.1909, CMNH 23 , 140 ( CMNH) ; 1 M, Mwadi , 2.v.63, Col. G Bernaroli ( MNHN) . MALI: 1 F, Mali Klela [11°41’60”N 5°40’0”W, 331 m] 9.x.1970, D. Wintrebert rec. ( MNHN) . SENEGAL: 1 F, Kandislan Sul Riz , 4.viii.1980, J. Etienne rec ( MNHN) . UGANDA: 1 M, 1 F, near Kakoge 22.vii.1962, D. J. Greathead, ( BMNH) ; 1 F, Kampala­Entebbe, 24.v.1958, Road : Mpigi [0°13’34”N 32°20’22”E], J. Bowden, ( BMNH) ; 1 M, 1 F, 1909, Col. Sir D. Bruce, A.M.S, (BMNH); 1 F, Ponte Bell [=?Port Bell 0°13’34”N 32°33’50”E], 20.iii.1912, ( BMNH) ; 1 M, nr. Kaguku , 1.ix.1962, D.J. Greathead, ( BMNH) . YEMEN: 1 M, W. Aden Prot. Wadi east of, Jebel Mafari ca. 4200 ft, 27.ix.1937 B.M. Exp. to S.W. Arabia, H. Scott and E.B. Britton ( BMNH) .

Distribution ( Tables 1, 2; Fig. 196 ). Wide spread; captured from November through August.

Remarks. Afroestricus vittatus is distinguished from most congeners by the characters in the key and terminalia ( Figs. 177–186 ). It is similar to A. sankofa and A. vorax in an unusually narrow base of cell m 1, the strongly arched base of vein M 1, strong black posteroventral bristle on the apical 1/3 of the middle femur of both sexes, and a prominent apical spur on the hind tibia of the male, but is distinguished from them by the presence of a deep dorsoapical notch on the epandrium ( Fig. 177 ).

Figures

FIGURE 196. Distribution of five species of Afroestricus in Africa and Yemen.

FIGURES 177–186. Afroestricus vittatus (Curran). Male terminalia: 177–179. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. 180. Gonostylus. 181–182. Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral views. Female terminalia: 183–184. Dorsal and ventral views. 185. Spermatheca. 186. Genital fork.

FIGURES 3–4. Character states of the wing and postocular bristles of the subgenus Afroestricus Scarbrough. 3a–b. Wing venation of the macroscelis and the minutus species groups. 4a–b. Short, erect and long, thin, postocular bristles bristles. Abbrevations: First radial cell=r1; fourth radial cell=r4; discal cell=d; radial­medial crossvein=r­m; first medial cell=m1; third medial cell=m3.