Sepedon (Parasepedon) hispanica Loew ssp. ruhengeriensis Verbeke, 1950

Knutson, Lloyd V., Deeming, John C. & Ebejer, Martin J., 2018, The Snail-killing Flies (Diptera: Sciomyzidae) of West Africa, Zootaxa 4483 (1), pp. 67-100 : 79-82

Sepedon (Parasepedon) hispanica Loew ssp. ruhengeriensis Verbeke, 1950

Synonym by Verbeke (1964).

(Figs 15, 17, 18, plate 9 )

References to figures: Verbeke 1950 (aedeagus, surstylus); Verbeke 1961 (surstylus). Knutson et al. 1967 ( S. h. hispanica : egg; I, II, III instar cephalopharyngeal skeleton and posterior spiracular disc; II, III instar anterior spiracle, puparium).

Holotype: ♂, RWANDA: Ruhengeri (sources Kiri), 1800–1825m, 31.viii.1934, (Mission G.F. de Witte) ( MRAC) . Seen by Knutson in 1978 in IRSNB, Cabinet 41, “Parc National Albert”, Box. 1.

Verbeke, 1950 placed his S. ruhengeriensis and four other new species (S. lippensi , S. saegeri , S. simulans and S. uelensis ) along with S. trichroocelis Speiser, 1910 in his “Groupe G (Groupe trichrooscelis )” of the subgenus Parasepedon . Verbeke (1963) placed S. parvipennis Steyskal, 1956 in this group, but that species was synonymized under S. saegeri in Verbeke (1963) and confirmed by Verbeke in litt. 1968 in his review of his MS of Knutson (1980). Knutson et al. (1967) noted “ Sepedon h. hispanica was described from one female collected in Andalusia ( Loew, 1862). The species was apparently not seen by most European dipterists and its validity was in doubt until it was rediscovered by the senior author in Andalusia in 1964. Specimens were sent to Dr. J. Verbeke, who identified them as conspecific with the type specimen of Loew. Verbeke (1964) placed S. ruhengeriensis Verbeke, 1950 (described from tropical Africa) as a junior synonym of S. hispanica Loew 1862 . The populations from Spain and Africa were considered subspecifically distinct and were given the trivial names of S. h. hispanica Loew and S. h. ruhengeriensis Verbeke , respectively. Keys to the six species were presented by Verbeke (1950, 1961). Verbeke (1961) placed the species in 3 “categories” ( trichrooscelis + lippensi , saegeri + uelensis , and hispanica + simulans ). Recent study of extensive material indicates that there are several additional species in this Group.

In West Africa S. hispanica ruhengeriensis is most similar to S. trichrooscelis . In general, specimens of S. h. ruhengeriensis are larger than those of S. trichrooscelis and the femora are more distinctly reddened. The prosternum is usually more densely setose in S. hispanica ruhengeriensis than in S. trichrooscelis . The frons of S. hispanica ruhengeriensis is generally in part yellowish brown, but in S. trichrooscelis it is usually shiny black.

NIGERIA: Zaria, Samaru, 1♂, 24.vii.1968 (USNM). Same locality, 1♂, 23.ii.1968; 1♂, 4.iii.1972; 1♂, 2.iii.1967, m. v. trap (IARS) all collected by Deeming); Zaria, Samaru, stream, L. Shika, many adults 26, 28.iii., 2.iv.1973, Deeming, Gadzama & Knutson (USNM). CAMEROUN: Musake, Mt. Cameroun, 1800m, 10♂4♀, no date, Fini (MNHNP); Nyasoso, 1♂, 3.xi.1949, Oldroyd (NHMUK).

New records: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Haut-Ituri, Nioka, 1750m, 1♀, i–ii.1975, P. Schäuffele ( SMS) ; Elizabethville 3♂, 3.ix.1931, A. Mackie ( NHMUK) ; Lake Nganga , 1♂, no date, Allen, Brooks ( MCZ) ; Mt. Selinda 1♀, xi–xii.1936, R.H.R. Stevenson ( MCZ) . TANZANIA: Dar-es-Salam 1♂ 1♀, vii.1969, Ardö (RD) . MALAWI: Limbe 1♂, ix.1916, R.C. Wood ( NHMUK) . ETHIOPIA: Bahar Dar 1♂, 11.x.1968, K. W. & H. Harde ( SMS) ; 15km W. Addis Ababa 1♂, 12.i.1968, J.W. Boyes ( CNC) ; Managesh Forest , 30km NW Addis Ababa, 1.i.1972, J. Kügler, 1♂, ( USNM) , 2♂3♀, (TAU); Debra Libanos 1♂, 2.i.1972, A. Friedberg ( TAU) .

Published records. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO ( Verbeke 1950, 1961, 1963); MOZAMBIQUE ( Verbeke 1962b); MOROCCO ( Vala & Ghamizi 1991) (= S. h. hispanica ).

Biology. Knutson et al. (1967), Knutson (2008). Parasitoid/predators of semi-terrestrial Succineidae snails.

Figures

PLATE 1. Figs 1–4, Colobaea occidentalis sp. n. ♂, 1—head, frontal View, 2—thorax, dorsal View, 3—hypopygium, lateroVentral View, posterior surstylus not shown, 4—head, lateral View. AbbreVations: Ae—aedeagus, AeA—aedeagal apodeme, As—anterior surstylus, Bp—basiphallus, C—cercus, CV—cochleate Vesicle, Dp—distiphallus, EjA—ejaculatory apodeme, Ep—epiphallus, F—aedeagal filament, Hy—hypandrium, Ps—posterior surstylus.

PLATE 9. Fig. 39, Sepedon (Parasepedon) hispanica hispanica Loew, habitus (by G. Lyneborg from Knutson et al. 1967).