Africaterphis Schlinger 1968, new genus
Creators: name: Schlinger, Evert I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1968
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Acroceridae
Africaterphis

description: Africaterphis Schlinger, new genus <i>Terphis</i> species from Africa by various authors (not Erichson, 1840). <i>Type species: Terphis acroceroides Sabrosky (1950)</i>, by present designation. <i>Description:</i> Small flies (3-6 mm.), black or brown with distinct yellow or light brown markings. <i>Head</i> small, higher than long; eyes holoptic above and below antannae, apilose; antennae three-segmented, short, inserted on ventral forward margin of head: segment I hardly discernable underneath antennal tubercle, segment II round, short, covered with short pubescence; segment III swollen basally, extending into thin apical style from once to twice as long as base, ending without or with one to four short setae; two distinct sensoria present on swollen base of segment Ill; antennal tubercle small, weakly or strongly protruding out and over base of antennal segment I, shiny and bare, or with few long setae present on lateral ventral margin; frons inconspicuous, not projecting; postclypeus small hardly projecting below occipital margin; mouth parts small, only a short blunt rostrum visible; ocellar tubercle flat or somewhat raised laterally, with or without median ocellus, but lateral ocellus visible; occiput rugose, broad and swollen above, with distinct median depression behind ocellar tubercle. <i>Thorax</i> rugose with large irregular depressions most common on prothoracic lobes and on anterior part of mesonoturn; prothoracic lobes come close together behind head, but do not join, a deep groove which separates them continues back onto mesonotum; postscutellum visible under scutellum, but not greatly swollen; squama large, higher than head height, joined to thorax along upper 2/3 of anterior margin; legs short, slender; three pulvilli present; wing long, thin, weakly veined except along anterior margin; vein R 2+ 3 reaches margin well before apex, no longitudinal veins beyond R 2+ 3 reach wing margin, even R 4+ 5 and M 1 only distinct basally (venation as given in Schlinger, 1960a, fig. 24, for <i>Terphis gertschi</i> Sch.). <i>Abdomen</i> short, inflated, dorsum smooth or incisures present between segments; sternum flat or slightly convex, sternites separated from tergites; spiracles present in tergites II-VI, but apparently functional only in ll-IV; genitalia small, mostly concealed under caudal tergites. <i>Distribution:</i> The genus is now known only from Africa: Belgian Congo, Cape Province Southern Rhodesia and Portuguese East Africa. The two included species in <i>AJricaterphis</i> can be separated as follows: Mesonotum black with some indication or distinct yellow vittae starting behind prothoracic lobes and running to scutellum.... acroceroides (Sabrosky) Mesonotum black with brown spot behind prothoracic lobe.. gertschi (Schlinger)
description: Published as part of <i>Schlinger, Evert I., 1968, Africaterphis, a new genus for the African species of Terphis; and a redescription of the Brazilian genus Terphis Erichson (Diptera: Acroceridae), pp. 59-62 in ANNALS OF THE NATAL MUSEUM 20</i> on pages 61-62, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8345268
description: {"references": ["ERICHSON, W. F., 1840. Entomographien- -, pI. IV, Die Henopier, pp. 135 - 174, pI. 1, figs. 7 - 10. Morin Berlin.", "SABROSKY, C. W., 1950. A new genus and two new species of, and miscellaneous notes on African Acroceridae. Proc. Roy. ent. Soc. Lond. (B) 19: 47 - 52, figs. 1 - 2.", "SCHLINGER, E. I., 1960 a. A review of the South African Acroceridae. Ann. Natal Mus. 14 (3): 459 - 504, 29 figs."]}