Ancylorhynchus nyukinus : Speiser 1910
Creators: name: Londt, Jason G. H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Asilidae
Ancylorhynchus
Ancylorhynchus nyukinus

description: Ancylorhynchus nyukinus Speiser, 1910   
Figs 15, 45, 102–104, 149  
 Ancylorhynchus nyukinus: Speiser 1910: 89; Oldroyd 1980: 360 (catalogue).   
 Ancylorrhynchus nynkinensis: Hull 1960: 217 (misspelling).   
Redescription:  
 Female (based on holotype. Condition: Excellent; left antenna broken off beyond pedicel; terminal tarsomere missing from left prothoracic leg.).   
 Head: Orange-brown to dark red-brown, silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow setose. Antenna (Fig. 15): Scape and pedicel orange, pale yellow setose, postpedicel brown-orange proximally becoming dark red-brown distally, tipped with obliquely positioned pit-enclosed spine-like sensory element (terminal stylus ‘segment’ absent). Segmental ratios: 1:0.4:5.6. Face brown-orange, strongly gold pruinose except for lateral margins of epistomal margin, mystax shiny pale yellow occupying ventral ½ of face. Frons and vertex dark red-brown, fine silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow setose; ocellar tubercle posteriorly orange-brown, fine pale yellow setose. Occiput dark red-brown, uniformly strongly silver-gold pruinose, entirely pale yellow setose. Palpus orange, pale yellow setose, terminal palpomere swollen, apex with terminal sensory pit. Proboscis dark red-brown, pale yellow setose.   
 Thorax: Dark red-brown to blackish with orange areas dorsally, fine gold-silver pruinose, pale yellow setose. Prothorax predominantly orange-brown (dark red-brown laterally), fine silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow setose. Mesonotum black except for orange postpronotal lobes and surrounding area, lateral margins, postalar lobes and posteromedial area, fine silver-gold pruinose, fine moderately long pale yellow setose. Mesonotal macrosetae (pale yellow when present): dc pale yellow confined to posterior to transverse suture, c. 3 npl, 1 spal, 2 pal. Scutellum orange with narrow dark red-brown anterior margin, fine gold-silver pruinose, disc sparsely pale yellow setose, hind margin with c. 4 pale yellow weakly developed macrosetae accompanied by minor setae. Pleura entirely dark red-brown, silver-gold pruinose, setae pale yellow confined to anepst, kepst and ktg. Anatg and mes pnot dark red-brown, contrasting with mainly orange scutellum. Legs: cx orange to dark red-brown, silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow setose; tro orange (tro 2 with yellow setae ventrally); fem, tib and tar orange except for terminal tarsomeres that are dark red-brown, entirely pale yellow setose, claws dark red-brown with orange proximal parts. Wings (Fig. 45): 8.9× 3.4 mm. Veins orange to brown. Membrane extensively microtrichose (some proximal cells partly bare), distal cells brownish (from about level of r–m crossvein), proximal cells more transparent. Haltere orange with brown base.   
 Abdomen: Predominantly blackish with orange areas, fine silver-gold pruinose, pale yellow setose. T1 blackish with broad gold-silver pruinose posterior margin; T2 blackish with orange patches posterolaterally and along posterior margin, strongly silver-gold pruinose posterolaterally; T3–4 dark red-brown to black with orange posterior margins, weakly silver pruinose except for small areas posterolaterally; T5–6 blackish with broad orange posterior margins, uniformly silver pruinose; T7–8 and terminalia orange, apruinose. Sternites similar to tergites but orange areas more extensive.   
Paratype: The ♀ paratype is essentially similar to the holotype except that the antennae are entirely orange as is the scutellum. It is slightly smaller (wing 7.7×3.0 mm).  
 Male.   
Similar to, but generally darker than female, the mesonotum being almost entirely black except for postpronotal and postalar lobes.  
 Genitalia (Figs 102–104, Voi, Kenya): Epand bifid, forming pair of relatively slender lobes that project beyond levels attained by other genital structures. Lobes closely abut proximally, being straight and lying parallel to one another. Proct simple, dorsally situated cerc not clearly demarcated (poorly sclerotised), appearing fused proximally. Goncx well developed, outer lobe projecting posteriorly to narrowly rounded distal end; dorsal finger-like process well-developed projecting posteriorly to almost level of epand. Gonst hardly compressed, dorsally directed, distal end curved anteriorly. Hypd well-developed, proximal region suboval, distal region tapering posteriorly to upwardly directed hind margin of complicated form. Aed largely hidden within undissected genitalia.   
 Variation: A fairly consistent species with little variation of note. Kampi-Ya-Samaki ♂ has slightly differently shaped hypand considered to be acceptable variation.   
 Holotype (examined): ♀ TANZANIA: ‘Meru [Mt Meru, 03°13'S: 36°40'E] / Nieder.’, ‘Sjöstedt. 1905’, ‘24 nov.’, ‘Type! / Ancÿlorhÿnchus / nÿukinus m. / P. Speiser det.’ (NHRS).   
 Paratype (examined): ♀ TANZANIA: ‘Meru / Nieder.’, ‘Ngare na / nyuki’, ‘Sjöstedt’, ‘jan.’, ‘ Ancÿlorhÿnchus / nÿukinus m. / P. Speiser det.’ (NHRS).   
 Note: In describing nyukinus Speiser (1910: 90) states ‘ 2♀ aus der Meru - Niederung, das eine am 24. November, das andere im Januar am Flusse Ngare na nyuki gevangen.’ While not stating that these are types this must be inferred from the label on one of the specimens. I therefore accept the specimen which has the word ‘ Type!’ on its label as the holotype, and the other as a paratype.   
 Other material examined: KENYA: 3♂ 5♀ ‘Kenya Kampi-Va- / Samaki (Lake Baringo) / 00°37'N: 36°02’E 980m / 30.v.–2.vi.1980 / B. Lamoral Malaise’ (NMSA); 1♂ ‘Kenya: Kajiado Dist. / Nguruman area 700m / 01°50’S 36°56’E / Coll: I. Abu-Zinid / Date: 11.iii.1990 ’ (NMSA); 1♀ ‘Kenya: Kajiado Dist. / Nguruman area 700m / 01°50’S 36°56’E / Coll: I. Abu-Zinid / Date: 13.iii.1990 ’ (NMSA); 1♀ ‘Kenya: Tsavo Nat. / Park. Kitani Lodge [03°00'S: 37°59'E] / 2600’ 29 xii.69 / M.E. Irwin & / E.S. Ross’ (CASC); 1♂ ‘Brit. E. Afr. / Voi [03°3'S: 38°34'E] / 8–10 iii 1912 / S.A. Neave’, ‘Sammlung / F. Hermann’, ‘Br. O. Afrika / Ancylorrhyn - / chus / nyukinus / Speiser [pink]’, ‘ Ancylorrhynchus / nyukinus Sp. / det. E. O. Engel ♂ ’ (ZSMC); 1♂ 1♀ ‘Voi / Brit E. Africa [British East Africa = Kenya]/ 21–23.iii.1911 / 1800 ft / S.E. Neave’ (BMNH); 1♀ ‘Voi / Brit. E. Africa / 21–23.iii.1911 / 1800 ft / S. A. Neave’ (BMNH); 1♂ ‘Kenya 15–18. vii.87 / Samburu [03°46'S: 39°17'E] Buffalo / Springs H.R. Feijen’ (NMSA); 1♀ ‘Kenya / B.T. Parsons’, ‘Maungu [research station, 03°33'S: 38°45'E] / 16 Ja 69 / BTP’ (BMNH). SOMALIA: 1♂ ‘Somaliland: Crioavo [illegible], Scarp / 1000 ft 12/1/54 / Desert Locust Survey’ (BMNH). TANZANIA: 1♂ ‘Tanzania. Hdqtrs. [headquarters] / Lake Manyara Nat. / Pk. ca. Mto wa Mbu [03°21'S: 35°51'E] / xi.27.1969 flight / trap, dry tropical / forest. M.E. Irwin / and Edward S. Ross’ (CASC).   
Distribution, phenology and biology: Fairly widely distributed in East Africa (Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania) (Table 1) being collected both south and north of the equator (Fig. 149). The species has been collected in November–January, March and May–July (Table 2). The biology is largely unknown, but label data suggest that this is a species inhabiting woodland and savanna biomes.  
 Similar species:A member of the nomadus species-group with close similarities to similis.
description: Published as part of Londt, Jason G. H., 2011, A review of Afrotropical Ancylorhynchus Berthold, 1827 (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), pp. 471 in African Invertebrates 52 (2) on pages 509-510, DOI: 10.5733/afin.052.0214, http://zenodo.org/record/7917250