Eremohaplomydas desertorum Bequaert 1959
Creators: name: Boschert, Claire
name: Dikow, Torsten
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Mydidae
Eremohaplomydas
Eremohaplomydas desertorum

description: Eremohaplomydas desertorum Bequaert, 1959 GBIF: https://www.gbif.org/species/1591416 Eremohaplomydas desertorum Bequaert, 1959 Figs 4-9, 56 Diagnosis. The species is distinguished from congeners by the overall brown colouration, the greatly expanded metathoracic femora, the apubescent abdominal tergites 3-8 in females, and the restricted distribution in the northern Namib Desert. Description. <b> Female. <i>Head</i></b> : black, facial gibbosity brown, in general grey to light brown pubescent, white setose, regular, cylindrical setae; width distinctly greater than thorax (at postpronotal lobe), interocular distance on vertex same as at ventral eye margin; vertex between compound eyes ± horizontally straight, medially only slightly below dorsal eye margin, vertex light brown pubescent, white setose; ocellar triangle apubescent; facial gibbosity distinct, well-developed and discernible in lateral view, mystax covering entire facial gibbosity, white; parafacial area approximately as wide as ¾ width of central gibbosity (at same level); frons not elevated, light brown pubescent, white setose; occiput grey pubescent, yellowish to light brown setose, median occipital sclerite yellowish macrosetose; pocl macrosetae absent; postgena sparsely grey pubescent, long, sparsely white setose; clypeus comprised of single sclerite, entirely sclerotized medially, flat to protruding (convex) ventrally, ventrally expanded, anterior to proboscis (almost covering it), laterally connected to face by sclerotized cuticle; proboscis very short, vestigial, knob-like, brown; labellum indiscernible, length indiscernible, sclerotization indiscernible; maxillary palpus cylindrical, brown, longer than proboscis. <i>Antenna</i>: brown; scape white setose dorsally, asetose ventrally; pedicel white setose dorsally and ventrally; postpedicel indiscernible (broken). <i>Thorax</i>: dark brown, predominantly light brown pubescent; scutum uniformly black, surface microrugose (slightly rugose ‘imitating’ pubescence), predominantly light brown pubescent, broad sublateral stripes (interrupted by transverse suture) and narrow paramedian stripes merging postsuturally and not reaching posterior margin apubescent, scutal setation comprised of long white to yellow setae in pubescent areas; dc setae presuturally white, postsuturally absent, acr setae absent, lateral scutal setae white, npl setae 0, spal setae 0, pal setae 0; proepisternum apubescent medially, grey pubescent laterally, long yellowish macrosetose; proepimeron grey pubescent, asetose, antepronotum antero-medially smooth (without any indentation); lateral postpronotum short yellowish setose; postpronotal lobe yellow, white pubescent, short yellowish setose; scutellum light brown pubescent, discal scutellar setae absent, apical scutellar setae absent; mesopostnotum light brown pubescent, asetose; anatergite light brown pubescent, asetose; katatergite light brown pubescent, long white setose, elevated and smoothly convex; anepisternum light brown pubescent, anteriorly asetose, posteriorly asetose, otherwise asetose; katepisternum light brown pubescent, asetose; anepimeron light brown pubescent, single long yellowish seta dorso-medially; katepimeron light brown pubescent, asetose; meron light brown pubescent, asetose; metakatepisternum large; metanepisternum light brown pubescent, asetose; metepimeron brown (same color as T1), light brown pubescent, short white setose, ± flat, infra-halter sclerite absent. <i>Legs</i>: light brown to brown, setation comprised of white setae, yellow macrosetae; pro coxa sparsely grey pubescent, long yellowish macrosetose; mes coxa sparsely grey pubescent, long yellowish macrosetose; met coxa laterally unsclerotized (membrane between coxa and metakatepisternum clearly visible), sparsely grey pubescent, long yellowish macrosetose; met trochanter sparsely setose medially; pro + mes femur brown, met femur brown, distinctly clubbed for nearly entire length, macrosetose with thickened spine-like macrosetae on protuberances in 1 antero-ventral and 1 postero-ventral rows, 2-3 macrosetae distally in anterior row, postero-ventrally long white, appressed setose; pro tibia straight; mes tibia straight; met tibia laterally arched, met tibia cylindrical with distinct ventral keel terminating into distinct spur, macroseta at tip of spur, almost reaching tip of 1st tarsomere, postero-laterally short white, appressed setose; pro + mes tarsomere 1 approximately as long as individual tarsomeres 2, 3, or 4, met tarsomere 1 as long as individual tarsomeres 2, 3, or 4; pulvillus reduced, ½ length of well-developed claw; setiform empodium absent. <i>Wing</i>: length = 9.9 mm; slightly brown stained throughout, veins brown, microtrichia absent; cells r1, r4, m3, + cua closed, r5 open; C terminating at junction with R1; Sc long, terminating in C proximal to r-m; R4 terminates in R1; R5 terminates in R1; auxiliary vein (R3) at base of R4 absent; R4 and R5 widest apart medially; r-m distinct, R4+5 and M1 apart, connected by crossvein; M1 straight at r-m (not curving anteriorly), M1 (or M1+M2) terminates in C; base of M3+M4 present, M3+M4 not terminating together in C (not reaching wing margin), M4 and CuA split proximally to m-cu (cell m3 narrow proximally); CuP straight, cell cup wide, CuP and wing margin further apart proximally than distally; alula entirely reduced (nearly straight wing margin); halter light brown, pubescent, dorsally asetose, ventrally yellow setose. <i>Abdomen</i>: brown, setation comprised of scattered short white setae, T2-4 parallel-sided and not constricted waist-like, T surface entirely smooth; T1-6 dark brown with light yellow posterior margin narrowest medially, T7 dark brown; T1-2 sparsely grey pubescent, T3-7 apubescent; T1-7 short white setose; S1-7 brown; S apubescent; S1-7 sparsely short white setose; bullae on T2 oval, small, yellow, surface entirely smooth, T2 surface anterior to bullae smooth. &amp;female; abdomen and genitalia: densely arranged anteriorly directed setae present on T7-8 and S7-8; T8 anterior apodeme indiscernible (not dissected), auxiliary spiracle indiscernible (not dissected); T9 formed by wide, rectangular sclerite with median protuberance; T9+10 entirely fused (sclerites indistinguishable), T10 divided into 2 heavily sclerotized acanthophorite plates; 6 acanthophorite spines per plate. <b> Male. <i>Head</i></b> : black, facial gibbosity yellow, in general densely grey pubescent, white setose, regular, cylindrical setae; width distinctly greater than thorax (at postpronotal lobe), interocular distance on vertex same as at ventral eye margin; vertex between compound eyes ± horizontally straight, medially only slightly below dorsal eye margin, vertex grey pubescent, white setose; ocellar triangle apubescent; facial gibbosity distinct, well-developed and discernible in lateral view, mystax covering entire facial gibbosity, white; parafacial area approximately as wide as ¾ width of central gibbosity (at same level); frons not elevated, grey pubescent, white setose; occiput grey pubescent, white setose, median occipital sclerite yellowish macrosetose; pocl macrosetae absent; postgena sparsely grey pubescent, long, sparsely white setose; clypeus comprised of single sclerite, entirely sclerotized medially, flat to protruding (convex) ventrally, ventrally expanded, anterior to proboscis (almost covering it), laterally connected to face by sclerotized cuticle; proboscis very short, vestigial, knob-like, brown; labellum indiscernible, length indiscernible, sclerotization indiscernible; maxillary palpus cylindrical, brown, longer than proboscis. <i>Antenna</i>: brown; scape white setose dorsally, asetose ventrally; pedicel white setose dorsally and ventrally; postpedicel cylindrical in proximal &amp;frac13;, symmetrically bulbous in distal 2/3, ≥ 3.0 times as long as combined length of scape and pedicel, asetose; apical seta-like sensory element situated apically in cavity on postpedicel. <i>Thorax</i>: dark brown, predominantly grey pubescent; scutum uniformly black, surface microrugose (slightly rugose ‘imitating’ pubescence), predominantly grey pubescent, broad sublateral stripes (interrupted by transverse suture) and narrow paramedian stripes merging postsuturally and not reaching posterior margin apubescent, scutal setation comprised of long white to yellow setae in pubescent areas; dc setae presuturally white, postsuturally absent, acr setae absent, lateral scutal setae white, npl setae 0, spal setae 0, pal setae 0; proepisternum apubescent medially, grey pubescent laterally, long yellowish macrosetose; proepimeron grey pubescent, asetose, antepronotum antero-medially smooth (without any indentation); lateral postpronotum short yellowish setose; postpronotal lobe yellow, white pubescent, short yellowish setose; scutellum sparsely grey pubescent, discal scutellar setae absent, apical scutellar setae absent; mesopostnotum grey pubescent, asetose; anatergite grey pubescent, asetose; katatergite grey pubescent, long white setose, elevated and smoothly convex; anepisternum sparsely grey pubescent, anteriorly asetose, posteriorly asetose, otherwise asetose; katepisternum sparsely grey pubescent, few white setae posteriorly; anepimeron sparsely grey pubescent, single long yellowish seta dorso-medially; katepimeron sparsely grey pubescent, white setose; meron sparsely grey pubescent, asetose; metakatepisternum large; metanepisternum grey pubescent, asetose; metepimeron brown (same color as T1), grey pubescent, short white setose, ± flat, infra-halter sclerite absent. <i>Legs</i>: light brown to brown, setation comprised of white setae, yellow macrosetae; pro coxa sparsely grey pubescent, long white macrosetose; mes coxa sparsely grey pubescent, short white setose; met coxa laterally unsclerotized (membrane between coxa and metakatepisternum clearly visible), sparsely grey pubescent, short white setose; met trochanter sparsely setose medially; pro + mes femur brown, met femur brown, distinctly clubbed for nearly entire length, macrosetose with thickened spine-like macrosetae on protuberances in 1 antero-ventral and 1 postero-ventral rows, 2-3 macrosetae distally in anterior row, postero-ventrally long white, appressed setose; pro tibia straight; mes tibia straight; met tibia laterally arched, met tibia cylindrical with distinct ventral keel terminating into distinct spur, spur almost reaching tip of 1st tarsomere, postero-laterally short white, appressed setose; pro + mes tarsomere 1 approximately as long as individual tarsomeres 2, 3, or 4, met tarsomere 1 as long as individual tarsomeres 2, 3, or 4; pulvillus well-developed, as long as well-developed claw, and as wide as base of claw; setiform empodium absent. <i>Wing</i>: length = 5.6-7.6 mm; slightly brown stained throughout, veins brown, microtrichia absent; cells r1, r4, m3, + cua closed, r5 open; C terminating at junction with R1; Sc long, terminating in C proximal to r-m; R4 terminates in R1; R5 terminates in R1; auxiliary vein (R3) at base of R4 absent; R4 and R5 widest apart medially; r-m distinct, R4+5 and M1 apart, connected by crossvein; M1 straight at r-m (not curving anteriorly), M1 (or M1+M2) terminates in C; base of M3+M4 present, M3+M4 not terminating together in C (not reaching wing margin), M4 and CuA split proximally to m-cu (cell m3 narrow proximally); CuP straight, cell cup wide, CuP and wing margin further apart proximally than distally; alula entirely reduced (nearly straight wing margin); halter light brown, pubescent, dorsally asetose, ventrally yellow setose. <i>Abdomen</i>: brown, setation comprised of scattered short white setae, T2-4 parallel-sided and not constricted waist-like, T surface entirely smooth; T1-7 brown with narrow yellow posterior margin; T sparsely grey pubescent; T1-7 short white setose; S1-7 light brown; S apubescent; S1-7 sparsely short white setose; bullae on T2 oval, small, yellow, surface entirely smooth, T2 surface anterior to bullae smooth. &amp;male; <i>abdomen and terminalia</i>: T1-7 well-developed, entirely sclerotized, T8 postero-medially weakly sclerotized, with anterior transverse sclerotized bridge connecting lateral sclerites; T7-8 anteriorly with 2 lateral apodemes; T8 auxiliary spiracle present; S6 regular, without any special setation postero-medially; S8 simple plate, entire (undivided) ventro-medially, not fused to T8 dorso-laterally; epandrium formed by 2 sclerites, separated medially and fused anteriorly, distally in dorsal view blunt, evenly rounded; subepandrial sclerite without lateral or median protuberances; hypandrium concave, cup-shaped, entirely sclerotized ventrally, entirely fused with gonocoxite, forming a gonocoxite-hypandrial complex, supra-hypandrial sclerite absent; gonocoxite simple, short, hook-like, without median or lateral protuberance, gonocoxal apodeme absent; 2 functional phallic prongs, short and wide, medio-distally connected, parallel or diverging laterally, distally straight or only diverging slightly laterally; phallic epimere absent; lateral ejaculatory process absent; ejaculatory apodeme formed by single dorso-ventrally oriented plate; ventro-median margin of parameral sheath heavily sclerotized (appearing entirely closed); parameral sheath long, sperm sac entirely covered; sperm sac appearing weakly sclerotized. Type locality. Namibia: Kunene: Orupembe (= Anabib), 24 km S (18°23'00"S, 012°13'00"E, -18.38333, 12.21667). Material examined. Namibia: Kunene: 1&amp;female; Kaokoveld, Orupembe, 24 km S, 18°21'21"S, 012°28'35"E, 1951-06-09, Swedish South Africa Expedition (MZLU-2143:1, Holotype, MZLU); 2&amp;male; Kaokoveld, Orupembe, 18°09'37"S, 012°33'44"E, 1951-06-07 - 1951-06-09, Swedish South Africa Expedition (MZLU-2143:2, MZLU-2143:3, Paratypes, MZLU). Distribution, biodiversity hotspots, phenology, and biology. Known only from two localities in the northern Namib Desert in Namibia (Fig. 56). A rarely collected species known only from three specimens from two collecting events in 1951 (Table 1). The species is not known to occur in any currently recognized biodiversity hotspot. Adult flies are active in June in early winter (Table 2), which is a time following a moister period and lower temperatures in this part of the Namib Desert (data for Anabib, Namibia, see https://www.worldweatheronline.com/anabib-weather/kunene/na.aspx). Nothing is known of the biology. Remarks. The size difference among the three known specimens is quite significant. The &amp;female; holotype (wing length 9.9 mm) is much larger than the two &amp;male; paratypes (wing length 5.6-7.7 mm) and represents the largest fly in the genus <i>Eremohaplomydas</i>.
description: Published as part of <i>Boschert, Claire &amp; Dikow, Torsten, 2022, Taxonomic revision of the mydas-fly genera Eremohaplomydas Bequaert, 1959, Haplomydas Bezzi, 1924, and Lachnocorynus Hesse, 1969 (Insecta, Diptera, Mydidae), pp. 19-75 in African Invertebrates 63 (1)</i> on page 19, DOI: 10.3897/afrinvertebr.63.76309