A review of the afrotropical genus Gonioscelis Schiner, 1866 (Diptera: Asilidae), with descriptions of new species
Author
Londt, Jason G. H.
text
African Invertebrates
2004
2004-12-31
45
21
124
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.7666901
2305-2562
7666901
Gonioscelis batyleon
sp. n.
Figs 21–23
,
144
Etymology: Gr.
batyle
– dwarf (female) +
leon
– lion. Refers to the small size of this tawny predator.
Description: Based primarily on
holotype
ơ (BMNH).
Head
:Antennal scape brown-orange, pedicel orange-brown, postpedicel dark red-brown, setae mostly yellow except for some dark red-brown ones ventrally. Facial swelling poorly developed, mystax uniform pale yellow-white, weaker between gibbosity and antennal sockets. Frons and vertex thinly silver pruinose. Ocellar tubercle apruinose with dark red-brown
oc
. Occiput dark red-brown, gold-silver pruinose except for two apruinose areas behind vertex, setae pale yellow-white. Proboscis and palpus orangebrown, pale yellow-white setose.
Thorax
: Brown-orange with dark red-brown markings, thinly silver-gold pruinose. Mesonotum with three longitudinal thinly pruinose stripes, central one being longest. Postpronotal lobes brown-orange, not contrasting with adjacent mesonotum, with few pale yellow-white setae. Mesonotal setae mostly pale yellow-white:
ac
not evident; approx. 6 pairs
dc
dark red-brown anteriorly, just extending anterior of transverse suture; 3
npl
(most anterior brown); 2
sa
; 2–3
pa
. Scutellum brown-orange, with 2 pale yellowwhite
mrg sct
. Wing length
6.1 mm
(
paratype
5.4 mm
), membrane mostly yellowbrown. Legs: Mostly brown-orange except for much of anterior surface of prothoracic femur and anteroventral aspects of mesothoracic femur which are dark red-brown, macro setae dark red-brown, minor setae pale yellow-white. Prothoracic coxa brown-orange, silver-gold pruinose, white setose; femoral spur bluntly pointed (angle approx. 60°).
Abdomen
: Tergites orange-brown to brown-orange (anterior tergites darker than posterior ones), gold-silver pruinose, fine yellow-white setose. Sternites brown-orange, thinly gold-silver pruinose, fine yellow-white setose.
Terminalia (
Figs 21–23
): Long
ep
(i.e. lobes project beyond tip of proctiger), tapering gradually distally, with a few strong terminal macrosetae;
gcx
with two inwardly directed distal projections and fine setae;
hyp
in ventral view slightly longer than broad, tapering rapidly to mid-length before broadening slightly and terminating in a pair of macrosetose lobes separated by a space approximately equal to width of each lobe.
Variation: Little evident. Female unknown.
Type material:
KENYA
: 2 ơ (
holotype
and
paratype
), ‘
Meneghetti
/ 2-1943 /
Nairobi
[
01°17'S
36°49'E
]’, ‘Pres. by / Coryndon Mus. / B.M. 1961-696’ (
BMNH
)
.
Type
locality:
Kenya
:
Nairobi
.
Distribution, phenology and biology (Tables 1–2,
Fig. 144
): Known only from the
type
locality, both specimens being collected in February.
Similar species:A member of the large and widely distributed group of species possessing a poorly defined facial gibbosity.Although sharing a similar hypandrial shape to species like
feijeni
,
hadrocantha
and
whittingtoni
,
batyleon
can be readily distinguished from these and other supercially similar species using other features of the male genitalia.