Revision of Afrotropical Suragina Walker, 1859 (Diptera, Athericidae) Author Muller, Burgert S. 0000-0002-7304-4050 Department Terrestrial Invertebrates, National Museum, 36 Aliwal Street, Bloemfontein, 9301, South Africa & Department Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, P. O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa Author Swart, Vaughn R. 0000-0001-7905-5298 Department Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, P. O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa Author Snyman, Louwrens P. 0000-0002-5768-7216 Invertebrate Zoology, Royal Alberta Museum, 9810 103 A Avenue NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T 5 J 0 G 2, Canada & Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S 7 N 5 B 4, Canada text African Invertebrates 2024 2024-12-23 65 2 247 327 journal article 306860 10.3897/afrinvertebr.65.140524 729a0593-9a5b-489f-9052-a0e1a3857b5e BCB49D2E-F772-49EB-A17A-47EB21194212 Suragina liberiaensis Muller sp. nov. Figs 7 , 22 , 46 , 81 Type material examined. Holotype : Liberia • 1 ♀ ; [ Margibi ]; [Harbel], Roberts Field ; [ 6°04.91'N , 10°20.96'W ]; 23 Jul. 1945 ; R. F Lawrence leg.; Briscoe Collection; ( NMSA - DIP 158443 ). Paratypes : • 1 ♀ ; same data as holotype; ( NMSA - DIP 158445 ) • 1 ♀ ; [ Margibi ]; [Harbel], Roberts Field ; [ 6°04.91'N , 10°20.96'W ]; 9 Jul. 1945 ; R. F Lawrence leg.; Briscoe Collection; ( NMSA - DIP 158442 ) • 1 ♀ ; [ Margibi ]; [Harbel], Roberts Field ; [ 6°04.91'N , 10°20.96'W ]; 10 Jul. 1945 ; R. F Lawrence leg.; Briscoe Collection; ( NMSA - DIP 158444 ) . Holotype and paratypes deposited in NMSA . Diagnosis. An overall dark brown almost black species with only the legs partially yellow (Fig. 22 ). The upper occiput of head with large black markings running down to occipital foramen (Fig. 7 ). The thorax pruinosity and wing colouration similar to species such as S. freidbergi Muller , sp. nov. and S. zombaensis Muller , sp. nov. , but differs by the scutellum being blackish without any yellow margins (Fig. 7 ). Abdomen dark brown, somewhat more yellowish from sternite 5 onwards. Description. Measurements ( ♀ n = 3): Wing span: 7.1–7.9 mm (avg. 7.6 mm ); body length: 8.3–9.0 mm (avg. 8.7 mm ); wing span to body length ratio (avg.): 0.87. Male. Unknown. Female (Fig. 22 ). Head (Fig. 7 ): Black ground colour, with bluish-grey pruinosity on majority of head; eye bare; dichoptic; ommatidia of similar size; lateral edge of eye without any indentation; ocellar tubercle elevated, visible in profile, dark setulose, bluish-grey pruinose; vertex bluish-grey pruinose, with pale setulae; anterior ocellus similar in size to posterior pair; ocellar tubercle in front of dorsal margin of eye; dorsal inner edge of eye without discernible paired dark markings, same bluish-grey pruinose as rest of head; occiput similarly bluish-grey pruinose; paired black markings with dark setulae on upper occiput running down to occipital foramen, abutting posterior margin of eyes, flanking vertex; upper occiput otherwise with pale setulae; lower occiput with lateral margins with long dark setulae, and long pale setulae medially, these continue ventrally on head to mouthparts that have mix of pale and dark ventral setulae; frons bluish-grey pruinose, velvety-black from ocellar tubercle to lower half of eye; frons running almost parallel, widening only slightly towards antennal base; frons with mixed pale and dark setulae; face and gena bluish-grey with pale and darker setulae respectively; clypeus black with bluish-grey pruinosity, bare; face separated anteriorly from clypeus by shallow transverse suture, deeper sutures laterally; face not appearing to bulge laterally when viewed in profile; clypeus visible in profile, face not; antennal bases separated ca 1 × width of scape, with slight longitudinal groove running between; scape, pedicel orange to orange-brown with white pruinosity; 1 st flagellomere entirely orange or at least orange at base, brown apically, 2 nd flagellomere brown; scape and pedicel of similar size; 1 st flagellomere reniform, 2 × size of pedicel; 2 nd flagellomere arista-like; pedicel with dark dorsal and ventral setulae, similar in size, scape with only dark dorsal setulae; palpus velvety-black on apical half with scattered white pruinosity, orange on basal half, with dark setulae throughout; palpus ca 0.5 × length of proboscis; proboscis ca same length as head height; proboscis brownish on apical half, orange on basal half with long pale setulae dorsally, dark setulae ventrally. Thorax (Figs 7 ): Scutum shining black with two feint dorsocentral bluish-grey pruinose vittae running from pronotum to before scutellum; pronotum bluish-grey pruinose with long pale setulae; postpronotal lobe orange-brown, slight bluish-grey pruinose with long pale setulae; notopleuron bluish-grey pruinose with long pale setulae just behind postpronotal lobe and rest of surface with dark setulae; postalar wall and postalar callus brown with bluish-grey pruinosity; scutellum brown with bluish-grey pruinosity, apical margin yellow; scutum generally with short dark setulae with postsutural setulae longer than presutural setulae, especially prescutellar setulae; majority of pleura bluish-grey pruinose, except for anatergite, anepimeron, part of meron brown; all pleura that are bluish-grey pruinose have long pale setulae; anepimeron with long pale setulae, anatergite and meron bare; proepisternum and proepimeron with long pale setulae; anterior and posterior spiracles and surroundings brownish-yellow, bare; postspiracular scale yellow-brown; postscutellum brown. Legs : Fore coxa yellow with brown anterior surface, mid and hind coxae brown, all coxae with some degree of bluish-grey pruinosity on surface; fore coxa with dark setulae anteriorly and some interspersed with some pale setulae especially on posterior surface; mid coxa with long dark setulae on anterior surface, sparsely setulose along posterior margin; hind coxa with long dark setulae on anterior edge surrounding well-developed anterior apical point, lateral apical edges with long pale setulae; all trochanters yellow-brown with short pale setulae; fore femur yellow with apical dorsal surface dark brown, some brown markings at base; mid and hind femora dark brown, both yellow at extreme base and apex; fore and hind tibiae and tarsi dark brown, mid tibia and tarsi yellow; fore tarsal claws and pulvilli symmetrical, pulvilus and empodium of similar size; fore tarsi with long, somewhat curved sensory setulae along antero- and posteroventral surfaces, sensory setulae ca 2 × as long as tarsal segment is wide; all femora with pale setulae, some darker setulae on dorsal surface of fore femur; all femora with long pale setulae on apical ventral and posteroventral surfaces; mid femur with long pale setulae on ventral surface; all tibiae with short dark setulae; hind leg overall stouter than remaining legs; hind tarsal segments 0.9–1.0 × as long as hind tibia; tibial spur formula 0: 2: 2. Wing (Fig. 46 ): Brown suffused on apical half starting at R 4 + 5 fork, continuing along edge of wing to anal lobe; darker brown stigma and substigmal marking over apex of veins R 1 and R 2 + 3 and cells sc , r 1 , base of cell r 2 + 3 , crossvein r – m , bases of discal cell, cell m 3 and apex of cell br ; cell bm hyaline; veins dark brown; costa without distinct downward flexure over stigma; cell cua closed a short distance from wing margin; cell m 3 open, veins M 1 , M 2 , M 3 present; haltere stalk yellow, knob brown, with some short and dark setulae. Abdomen : Entirely dark brown, tergites and sternites without apparent darker markings; tergites with short black setulae on dorsal surface, long pale setulae laterally; tergite 1 with bluish-grey pruinosity, medially with a longitudinal suture, remaining tergites with similar pruinosity when viewed at an angle; sternites with long pale setulae similar to those on tergites. Terminalia (Fig. 81 ): Cercus dark brown with dark setulae; genital fork with distal apodeme ending broadly with shallow fork; median lobe with evenly curved edge; paired apical lobes slender, wider than arms, inner surface with clustered microtrichia at apex; arms gradually rounded; three shortly oval and sclerotized spermathecae. Etymology. Named after the type locality country, Liberia . Feminine adjective in the nominative singular case. Distribution. Liberia .