A review of the type material of the Southern African genus Stenobasipteron Lichtwardt, 1910 (Diptera: Nemestrinidae), with transfer of two species to Prosoeca Schiner, 1867
Author
Barraclough, David A.
text
Zootaxa
2005
2005-12-13
1094
1
41
51
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1094.1.3
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.1094.1.3
11755334
5051350
376EAC7C-0A79-40A6-B9A8-B9BC5D83F9C1
Stenobasipteron arnoldi
(
Fig. 1
)
Stenobasipteron arnoldi
Bequaert, 1925: 8
.
Holotype
♀
:
ZIMBABWE
:
Mt Bambata
/ Matopos /
S. Rhodesia
/
23. 3. 1924
/ Rhodesia /
Museum;
Stenobasipteron
/
arnoldi
/ type
♀
J. Beq. / J. Bequaert det;
TYPE
[rectangular red card]. The
holotype
(in
NMBZ
) is in fairly good condition, although the body is extensively greasy.
Discussion: I have examined the female
holotype
from the Matopos in southwestern
Zimbabwe
, west of
Bulawayo
. The habitat was likely to have been dry savanna (Mwabvu, pers. comm.), which is known to be poorly sampled throughout Southern Africa. The female
paratype
appears to be lost, and is not present in the Museum of Comparative Zoology in Harvard, where Bequaert deposited much of his type material.
Bequaert’s original description is comprehensive and detailed, although his discussion of species affinities is spurious (this so noted in his own hand, in pencil, in the margin of my reprint from the Natal Museum library). Bequaert stated that
S. arnoldi
was very close to
S. gracile
, based on material of the latter species available to him (he did not study the
type
material of
S. gracile
). Unfortunately his material of
S.
gracile
belonged to
S. difficile
, to be placed in
Prosoeca
(see below). In fact
S. arnoldi
is distinct from both species. It is readily distinguished from
S. gracile
(see species key) and is obviously distinct from
S.
difficile
which I have placed in
Prosoeca
.
S. difficile
has obvious erect vestiture on abdominal terga 3 and 4, unlike
S. arnoldi
which has inconspicuous, recumbent vestiture on these tergites, characteristic of other
Stenobasipteron
species.
The two species differ in several other characters, the most important being that of mesonotal and scutellar vestiture. The scutellar disc and much of the posterior twothirds of the mesonotum are bare in
S. arnoldi
, but have prominent erect vestiture in
S. difficile
.