Revision of the genus Euscelidia Westwood, 1850 (Diptera: Asilidae: Leptogastrinae)
Author
Dikow, Torsten
text
African Invertebrates
2003
2003-12-31
44
2
1
131
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.7911189
2305-2562
7911189
Euscelidia venusta
sp. n.
Figs
41, 64E
–I
Etymology:
Latin adjective
venustus
= beautiful, elegant; refers to the beautiful appearance.
Diagnosis: The species is distinguished from congeners by the orange-red anterior margins on the sct, few microtrichia on the wings, and features of the ơ terminalia (hypd bent upwards, d aed shea with two short lat pr aed, lat apod bifurcated).
Description:
Head:
Black; fc silver pruinose, fc gib indistinct, mystax white, many macrosetae; prob and plp brown-black, setae white; oc tr apruinose dorsally; occ silver pruinose, setae white;
Antennae
- scp brown, without setae, white pruinose; ped brown, brown setae ventrally and dorsally, white pruinose; pped light brown, white pruinose proximally and ventrally; apsel brown.
Thorax:
Predominantly orange-red; ppro peg large, silver pruinose; sct orange-red, white pruinose, longitudinal stripe medially, not reaching posterior margin, and 2 lateral longitudinal stripes, originating medially not reaching posterior margin, black, black stripes and a spot anterior to lateral stripes apruinose, white setae on lateral and posterior margins; macrosetae: black, 1 npl s, 1 spal s; sctl white pruinose, ds sctl s and sctl s long, brown;
Legs
- yellow to brown; fem proximally yellow, brown distally, setae white, meta fem clubbed, club brown ventrally and dark brown dorsally; pro and meso tib brown, yellow stripe not reaching tip anteriorly, meta tib laterally brown, yellow stripes not reaching tip anteriorly and posteriorly; first tar yellow proximally, brown distad, remaining tar brown, setae black; emp minute;
Wings
- hyaline, brown stained, few microtrichia in distal half, veins brown; ptero distinct, brown; cell d terminating in 2 veins; hlt brown.
Abdomen:
Black; T predominantly brown pruinose, anterior, lateral, and posterior margins grey pruinose, T2 with apruinose ring medially, T1 with long brown setae laterally, T
2 in
proximal third with white setae laterally, remaining T with short white and yellow setae, S1 apruinose in proximal half, remaining S apruinose proximally, grey and light brown pruinose distally; ơ
terminalia
Figs 64E–I
- sur pointed distally, lobe ventrally; hypd bent upwards, divided into 2 short lobes; lat pr aed short; lat apod bifurcated.
Type material -
The
ơ
holotype
is labelled ‘
SOUTH AFRICA
:
Natal False Bay
Park Res. ca
27 58'S
:
32 22'E
Sand Forest
J. Londt
23–24.iv.1988
40 m
Mpophomeni Trail area
/
HOLOTYPE
Euscelidia venusta
sp. nov.
det.
T. Dikow
2001 (red label)’.
The
specimen is double mounted (minuten in block of foam), is in very good condition, and is deposited in the
NMSA
.
3^^ 8ơơ 1?
paratypes
have same labels as
holotype
except ‘
PARATYPE
Euscelidia venusta
sp. nov.
det.
T. Dikow
2001 (yellow label)’.
All
specimens are double mounted (minuten in block of foam), are in good to very good condition, and are deposited in the
NMSA
.
Type
locality and distribution (Fig. 41):
South Africa
,
KwaZulu-Natal
,
False Bay
Park, ca. 2758'S
32 22'E
.
Kenya, South Africa
,
Zimbabwe
.
Material
examined:
KENYA
: 1^
Godoni forest
, 419'S 3925'E,
19.viii.1975
;
1 ^
Tiwi
beaches, 014'S
39 36'E
,
14–23.viii.1975
;
ZIMBABWE
: 1 ơ
Matopos National Park
, 2033'S
28 30'E
,
1–2.iv.1968
.
Depository
:
USNM
,
ZMUC
.
Remarks: This species has a very large distribution. The Kenyan material are only females, however, I am confident that these specimens belong to this species. Male specimens are necessary to verify this distribution.