Synolcus armstrongi Londt 2012, sp. n.
Creators: name: Londt, Jason G. H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Asilidae
Synolcus
Synolcus armstrongi

description: Synolcus armstrongi sp. n.   Figs 5, 30–34, 78, 89  
Etymology: Named for Dr Adrian Armstrong, of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, whose collecting activities led to the discovery of this species.  
Description:  
 Male.   
 Head: Blackish, strongly gold-silver pruinose, white, pale yellow and black setose.Antenna: Dark red­brown to blackish, fine gold­silver pruinose, scape and pedicel black (ventral) and mixed black and pale yellow (dorsal) setose, postpedicel with few black and yellowish setae dorsally; mean segmental ratios (n= 5) 1:0.9:1.6:1.2 (0.2:0.9:0.2), i.e. pedicel slightly shorter than scape, postpedicel about 1.5 times length of scape, stylus a little longer than scape. Face: Blackish, strongly gold-silver pruinose. Mystax pale yellow (ventral) and black (dorsal), setae slightly better developed ventrally. Frons and vertex: Blackish, gold-silver pruinose, frons black and white setose laterally, ocellar tubercle black setose. Occiput: Blackish, strongly silver pruinose, black (dorsally) and pale yellow (centrally and ventrally) setose.   
 Thorax: Dark red-brown to blackish, silver, gold-silver and dark red-brown pruinose, black and pale yellow setose. Prothorax:Dark red-brown to blackish, gold-silver pruinose, pale yellow setose (including macrosetae, but there may be 1–2 black macrosetae). Mesonotum: Dark red-brown to blackish, gold-silver pruinose with dark red-brown pruinose median band and lateral patches, macrosetae mixed black and pale yellow, minor setae blackish (mainly anteriorly) and pale yellow-white (mainly posteriorly). Macrosetae: acr and dc fairly well-developed posterior of transverse suture, dc extend weakly anterior to suture, 2 npl (mixed black and pale yellow), 2 spal (mixed black and pale yellow), 3 pal (pale yellow only). Scutellum: Blackish, strongly gold-silvery pruinose, disc pale yellow setose, 1 pair pale yellow apical macrosetae. Pleura: Dark red-brown to black, silver to gold-silver pruinose, weakly pale yellow setose except for strong ktg. Legs: Cx blackish, gold-silver pruinose, pale yellow setose; cx 3 with 2 lateral macrosetae. Tro dark red-brown, moderately pruinose, weakly pale yellow setose. Fem uniform dark red-brown to black, major setae pale yellow (1–2 small black ones at distal end of fem 1), minor setae pale yellow. Tib extensively orange with distal end dark red-brown, major setae mostly black (few pale yellow), minor setae pale yellow and black. Tar blackish, major and minor setae pale yellow (dorsally) and black (ventrally). Wing (Fig. 5): Veins mostly dark red-brown, anterior veins more orange-brown proximally, membrane transparent (slight yellow appearance due to microtrichiae). Cell sc lacking sc–r. Cells r 1 & r 2+3 moderately expanded and displaying corrugations. Wing length × breadth (mean, n =5) 10.9 (10.4–11.6) × 4.5 (4.2–4.9) mm. Haltere: Orange with pale brownish proximal end.   
 Abdomen: Blackish, gold-silver pruinose, pale yellow setose. T1 fairly uniformly gold-silver pruinose, 4 pale yellow macrosetae laterally accompanied by many pale yellow setae. T2–8 gold- silver pruinose, pale yellow setose (including 1–7 macrosetae). S similar to T.   
 Terminalia (Figs 30–34): Epand in lateral view (Fig. 30) not projecting very far beyond proct, with a distinctive ventrally directed lobe a little beyond half length and with somewhat bilobed appearance; epand lobes in dorsal view narrowly separated proximally. S8 normal (lacking special development) and not projecting distally. Hypd and goncx clearly seen in ventral view. Hypd moderately well-developed, deeply indented medially (allowing base of aed to be seen, Fig. 32). Gonst elongate with upturned distal tip in lateral view (Fig. 33). Aed fairly robust distally with somewhat S-shaped tip (Fig. 34).   
 Female: Essentially similar to male. Wing length × breadth (mean, n= 3) 11.5 (10.8– 12.4) ×4.1 (3.6–4.5) mm (length and range similar to male, but not expanded and therefore narrower). Terminalia (Fig. 78): Ovipositor laterally compressed, somewhat knife-like and moderately elongate (about twice as long as deep).   
Holotype: ♂ SOUTH AFRICA: ‘ South Africa / KwaZulu­Natal / Karkloof Nat. Res. / 29°18'7"S / 30°12'28"E / 16/1/2001 ’, ‘ A. Armstrong & P. Ngwenya / NCI Record ID: 162181 / Grassland’ [Google Earth altitude 1677 m].  
Paratypes: 1♂ 1♀ same data as holotype but ‘162182’; 1♂ same data as holotype but ‘162183’ (with prey Hemiptera, Pentatomidae); 1♂ same data as holotype but ‘162184’ and ‘Grassland montane / Plateau’; 1♀ same data as holotype but ‘162185’ and ‘Grassland / Plateau’; 1♂ 1♀ ‘ South Africa / KwaZulu­Natal / Minerva Private Nat. Res. / 29°47'10"S / 30°12'18"E / 11/1/2000 ’, ‘A. Armstrong, Wakelin, Oelleman / NCI Record ID: 163179 / Grassland mistbelt / Summit’ [Google Earth altitude 1496 m].  
Distribution, phenology and biology:A KwaZulu-Natal endemic collected at two nature reserves (Fig. 89). Adults fly during the mid­summer month of January (Table 1). Label data and Armstrong (pers. comm.) indicate that this species inhabits grassland adjacent to indigenous forest. A single prey record is available, viz. Hemiptera (Pentatomidae).
description: Published as part of Londt, Jason G. H., 2012, The genus Synolcus Loew, 1858, with descriptions of new species (Diptera: Asilidae), pp. 661 in African Invertebrates 53 (2) on pages 674-676, DOI: 10.5733/afin.053.0206, http://zenodo.org/record/7918573