Saropogon rubriventris Wulp 1899
Creators: name: Londt, Jason G. H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 1997
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Asilidae
Saropogon
Saropogon rubriventris

description: <i>Saropogon rubriventris</i> Wulp, 1899 Figs 26-27 <i>Saropogon rubriventris</i> Wu 1p, 1899: 83. Wulp (1899) described this species on 'a single female from Lahej' (13°01 ' N: 44° 54' E) collected by Col.]. W. Yerbury in South Yemen. The OXUM has sent me this specimen (listed below), which must be considered the holotype. Redescription: Based on holotype 9. <i>Head</i> (Figs 26-27): Face brown-yellow, gold pruinose; frons, vertex and occiput dark red-brown, gold pruinose except for transverse band across vertex, including most of ocellarium, which is shiny apruinose. Setae of vertex and frons black, occiput pale yellow. Antenna pale brown-yellow; setae black; proportional lengths of segments - 1: 1.3: terminal segments missing. Width of eye: width of face ratio 0.7: 1. Mystax white; composed of <i>ca.</i> 25 setae arranged in 2 rows along lower facial margin. Palpus brown-yellow. Proboscis brown-yellow proximally. red-brown distally, straight. <i>Thorax:</i> Mesonotum red-brown, darker mid-dorsally, postpronotal and postalar lobes brown; strongly gold pruinose. Macrosetae yellow-white: 2-3 npl; 3-4 spal; 2 pal; <i>ca.</i> 3-4 pairs dc postsuturally; pronotal lobes lacking macrosetae. Scutellum brown; 2 pale yellow marginal macrosetae; disc asetose, gold pruinose. Pleura brown-orange with darker red-brown patches, gold pruinose; katatergite with <i>ca.</i> 13 scattered yellowish setae. Wing: 7.7 x 2.8 mm; cell m3 and cup open; membrane unstained, transparent; microtrichia absent except at tip and along margins. Halter: Yellowbrown. Legs: Uniform brown-yellow, tarsi slightly darker; setlle yellow and dark redbrown, the latter mostly on tarsi. <i>Abdomen:</i> Terga red-yellow, sterna brown-yellow, T 1 red-brown anteriorly, T2-T7 with anterolateral dark red-brown spots, hind margins of T2 and T3 silver pruinose; macrosetae pale yellow, confined to lateral parts of Tl. Material examined: Type (OXUM): SOUTH YEMEN: 1 &amp;female; <b>holotype,</b> 'Type / v.d. Wulp / Trans. Ent. Soc. / 1899, page 83-4'; ' So W. Arabia / 15 miles N. W. of / Aden, Lahej / Capt. Mar. 10.95 [1895] / &amp; pres. 1899 by / 1. W. Yerbury'; '1899 / 7689 '; 'Type Dip: 180 / <i>Saropogon</i> / <i>rubriventris</i> / van der Wulp / Hope Dept. Oxford'. Relationships: Wulp compared the species with S. <i>vestitus</i> Wiedemann, saying it differed only in the closed condition of the fourth posterior wing cell (i.e. m3). Efflatoun (1937) states that both open and closed character states are found in <i>vestitus,</i> suggesting that <i>rubriventris</i> is probably a synonym of <i>vestitus.</i> The situation is further complicated by the fact that the unique <i>rubriventris</i> holotype was collected at the same locality recorded for <i>incisuratus,</i> although 18 days earlier. It is, therefore, possible that this female may be that of <i>incisuratus,</i> which is known only on males. If this is true, <i>incisuratus</i> demonstrates far greater sexual dimorphism than appears to be found in any other species known to me. Sexual dimorphism may, however, also occur in <i>vestitus,</i> as this species is also known only on females <i>(Note:</i> Theodor (1980) mentions the possibility that S. <i>aegyptius</i> may represent the male). Yet another possibility exists, and that is that <i>jugulum</i> (Loew, 1847) could be the male of <i>rubriventris</i> (? = <i>vestitus)</i> as Efflatoun (1937) reports numerous males having been obtained at many localities at which <i>vestitus</i> females were found. Quite clearly these issues need to be resolved before taxonomic stability can be achieved. For the present I retain the status quo for the afrotropical taxa, pending modem revision of the palaearctic fauna.
description: Published as part of <i>Londt, Jason G. H., 1997, Afrotropical Asilidae (Diptera) 29. A review of the genus Saropogon Loew, 1847 (Dasypogoninae), pp. 137-157 in ANNALS OF THE NATAL MUSEUM 38</i> on pages 151-152, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8322154
description: {"references": ["WULP, F. M. VAN DER 1899. Asilidae from Aden and its neighbourhood. Transactions of the EntomoLogicaL Society of London 1899: 81 - 98.", "EFFLATOUN, H. C. 1937. A monograph of Egyptian Diptera. Part V. Family Asilidae (Section II). Memoires de la Societe Royal Entomologique D ' Egypte 4 (3): 199 - 443,5 colour plates.", "THEODOR O. 1980. Diptera: Asilidae. Fauna Palaestina, Insecta II Jerusalem: The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities."]}