Afrotethina martinezi Munari, 2005

Munari, Lorenzo, 2016, The Canacidae of the Arabian Peninsula (Diptera: Brachycera: Carnoidea), Zootaxa 4092 (4), pp. 489-517 : 495

Afrotethina martinezi Munari, 2005

(figs. 6‒8)

Afrotethina martinezi Munari, 2005a: 587 [ Qatar. Umm Said (Sea line), 45 km au sud de Doha, N 24°50 819’, E 051°30 502’); HT ♂, INRA].

Distribution. Afrotropical: Oman, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. Palaearctic: Qatar, Saudi Arabia (new).

Additional material examined. Saudi Arabia: Jazan, Alshogaiek, 9 m, 17°41’N – 42°02’E, sweeping seaweed, 12.ii.2015, H.A. Dawah, 49 ♂♂ 58 ♀♀, plus numerous unprepared specimens of both sexes. (Jazan University, LMC, NMWC, USNM).

Remarks. This Arabian species is distinguished from the congeners mainly by the following combination of characters: costal vein distinctly extended beyond R4+5, reaching the apex of M1; thorax dark grey; setae and setulae dark brown to blackish, often with golden reflections; gena relatively broad, longest diameter of eye about 2.7 times the height of the gena; legs uniformly yellowish; hindfemur of male not swollen, without anteroventral comb of spine-like setae on distal third; male terminalia (figs. 6‒8) with anterior surstylus deeply bifurcate; posterior surstylus distinctly almond-shaped in lateral view. Afrotethina martinezi seems to be endemic to the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, where it is widespread. The zoogeographic affinities of this species are to the south, and specifically with the seashores of the Afrotropical Region.