Atherigona (Atherigona) australis Deeming & Kirk-Spriggs 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Deeming, John C.
name: Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Muscidae
Atherigona
Atherigona australis

description: Atherigona (Atherigona) australis Deeming, sp. nov.
Figs 1–4
Etymology: The specific epithet australis is a noun in apposition, from the Latin, meaning “southern” and refers to the austral distribution of the species.
Description: Male. Body length: ca 3.0 mm, wing length: 3.2 mm. All setae and setulae black, aside from setulae clothing truncate apex of palpus.
Head: Colouration black, creamy white on face and anterior part of gena, frontal vitta black, slightly paler on fore margin, fronto-orbital plate creamy white; ocellar triangle and postocular strip pale grey, occiput with more weakly and darker pruinescence; frontofacial angle ca 90°; anterior three orbital setae proclinate, fourth inclinate, fifth reclinate; clypeus and sclerites of proboscis shiny black; antenna with scape and pedicel ferruginous, postpedicel and arista black; palpus yellow.
Thorax: With black and grey pruinescence, apart from postpronotal lobe, lower 1 / 2 of metanotum shiny, propleuron and anterior spiracle yellow; scutum without darker lines along dorsocentral setae; proepisternum with one moderate seta and setula, this latter longer than two minute proepimeral setulae; weak lower katepisternal seta inserted slightly nearer to more posterior of two dorsal setae. Legs: Yellow, fore tibia apically weakly infuscate, fore basitarsus black; fore femur with strong preapical posteroventral seta and row of 3–4 weak posterodorsal setae; fore tarsus without specialised chaetotaxy; mid femur with well-developed posterior preapical seta; hind tibia with usual anterodorsal, anteroventral and posterodorsal setae short and widely spaced. Wing: Membrane hyaline, veins yellow; radial–medial crossvein (r–m) slightly basad to mid-point of discal medial cell (dm); veins R 4+5 and M 1 slightly convergent towards wing tip; calypters whitish with yellow rims; haltere yellow.
Abdomen: Colouration yellow, tergite 3 with pair of long, incurved black markings; tergite 4 with pair of much smaller oval maculae; hypopygial prominence (Figs 3, 4), with raised pilosity dorsally; trifoliate process (Figs 1, 2), with all lobes black, lateral lobes without flanges on inner surfaces, becoming yellow basally, stem pale, 31 / 2 × as long as median lobe.
Female: Unknown.
Affinities. As the hypopygial prominence is weakly indented on the medial line it could be considered as being either bifurcate or knob-like, according to one’s personal interpretation. Since the apical indentation is so shallow, it is here regarded as the knob-like category. Taking all factors into consideration, its nearest congener is likely A. (s. str.) steeleae Emden, 1940.
Type material examined: Holotype ♂, “ Namibia: Rundu Dist. / Katara Okavango R. / 17°48'56''S 18°53'38''E / 20–23.i.1998 / [A.H.] Kirk-Spriggs & [E.] Marais / malaise traps [printed] // Namibian National / Insect Collection / National Museum / P.O. Box 1203 / Windhoek, Namibia [printed; blue card] // HOLOTYPE ♂ / Atherigona (s. str.) / australis sp. nov. / J.C. Deeming 2024 [printed; red border]” (NMNW; type series #661). In good condition, micro-pinned and staged; dissected, male terminalia in micro-vial pinned beneath specimen. Paratypes [all labelled: “ PARATYPE ♂ / Atherigona (s. str.) / australis sp. nov. / J.C. Deeming 2024 [printed; blue border]”: 1♂, “ Namibia: Opuwa Distr., Ekuju / village: Kunene R. / 17°19'30''S 13°48'56''E / 11–12.x.1999 / [A.H.] Kirk-Spriggs [T.] Pape [W.] Hauwanga / Malaise trap, riverine forest”; 1♂, “ Namibia: SKELETON COAST / PARK / Kunene River mouth / 17°15'97''S 11°46'83''E [= 17°15.97'S 11°46.83'E] / 10.ii.1998 / E. Marais / Malaise trap sample”; 3♂, “ Namibia: WEST CAPRIVI Pk. / Susuwe: Kwando R. / 17°45'54''S 23°21'10''E / 20–21.x.1999 / [A.H.] Kirk-Spriggs [T.] Pape [W.] Hauwanga”; 1♂, Namibia: “WEST CAPRIVI PK. / Kwando River Susuwe / 17°45'37''S 23°20'55''E, 28.ix–02.x.1998 / A. H. Kirk-Spriggs / Malaise trap dry woodland” (all NMNW; type series #661).
description: Published as part of Deeming, John C. & Kirk-Spriggs, Ashley H., 2024, A contribution to the knowledge of Namibian Atherigona Rondani (Diptera: Muscidae), with the descriptions of four new species and two new subspecies, pp. 501-535 in Zootaxa 5536 (4) on page 506, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5536.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14239209