Suragina pauliani Stuckenberg 1965
Creators: name: Muller, Burgert S.
name: Swart, Vaughn R.
name: Snyman, Louwrens P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Athericidae
Suragina
Suragina pauliani

description: Suragina pauliani Stuckenberg, 1965
Figs 32, 33, 52
Suragina pauliani Stuckenberg, 1965: 96, figs 1, 2, 5, 6, 9–11; Stuckenberg 1980: 313.
Type material not examined.
Holotype: Madagascar: 1 ♂; [Vakinankaratra Region]; Manjakatompo Forest Station [Ankaratra Massif]; [19°21.00'S, 47°18.00'E]; 1700 masl; Jan. 1956; B. R. Stuckenberg leg.; (PBZT).
Type material examined.
Paratypes: Madagascar: 1 ♂; Ambatolampy District [Vakinankaratra]; Madagascar Centre, Col de Mahafompeno [Mahafompona Pass]; [19°23.97'S, 47°15.018'E]; 2200–2400 masl; 11–15 Dec. 1957; B. R. Stuckenberg leg.; [on yellow bordered label: Paratype Suragina pauliani Stuckenberg, 1965]; NMSA - DIP 028172) (NMSA). 1 ♂ 2 ♀; [Vakinankaratra]; Ankaratra Massif, Manjakatompo Forest Station; [19°21.00'S, 47°18.00'E]; 1700 masl; Jan. 1956; B. R. Stuckenberg leg.; (♂: NMSA - DIP 028173; 2 ♀: NMSA - DIP 028174, 158441) (NMSA).
Diagnosis.
A more compact and hirsute species compared to other Afrotropical Suragina. The males have the head narrowly dichoptic, with the frons distinctly velvety-black in appearance, much like in females. Suragina pauliani has its thorax brown for the most part, the abdomen orange-yellow with dark subtriangular dorsal and elongated lateral markings throughout. It differs from the other two Madagascan endemics in colouration: S. milloti is a mostly orange-yellow species and a comparatively more slender species, whereas S. bilobata Muller, sp. nov. is a blackish species with a unique bilobed 1 st flagellomere.
Redescription.
Measurements: Wing span: ♂ 6.6–7.5 mm; ♀ 7.8–7.9 mm; body length: ♂ 7.6–8.4 mm; ♀ 7.8–8.2 mm; wing span to body length ratio (avg.): ♂ 0.88; ♀ 0.99.
Male (Fig. 32).
Head: Brown colour, with grey pruinosity on majority of head; eye bare; narrowly dichoptic, frons at narrowest as wide as anterior ocellus, widening towards antennal bases; ommatidia of similar size; lateral edge of eye without indentation; ocellar tubercle slightly more elevated than frons, dark brown to blackish with some short dark setulae; vertex grey pruinose, dark brown when viewed posterodorsally, with long dark setulae; anterior ocellus larger than posterior pair; ocellar tubercle in front of dorsal margin of eye (margin less indented than in ♀); dorsal inner edge of eye without discernible paired dark markings; occiput with same greyish pruinosity as rest of head, except for paired narrow subrectangular dark brown almost black markings with short dark setulae on upper occiput, abutting posterior margin of eyes, flanking vertex; upper occiput with short dark setulae; lateral margins of occiput with pale setulae; lower occiput with long pale setulae, these continue ventrally on head to base of mouthparts that have similar long pale ventral setulae; frons dark velvety-brown from ocellar triangle down to a small area above antennal bases that is greyish; dark part of frons with conspicuous dark proclinate setulae, lower grey part of frons with some pale setulae; face and gena silvery-grey with pale setulae; clypeus brown with some greyish pruinosity, bare; face separated from clypeus by a prominent, deep suture on anterior and lateral edges; face not appearing to bulge laterally when viewed in profile; clypeus visible in profile; antennal bases separated ca 0.5 × width of scape, with slight longitudinal groove; scape, pedicel, 1 st flagellomere brown with some whitish pruinosity, 2 nd flagellomere brown; 1 st flagellomere reniform, only slightly larger than pedicel and scape; 2 nd flagellomere arista-like; scape and pedicel with dark dorsal setulae, pedicel with setulae dorsally and ventrally, scape with setulae only on dorsal surface; palpus blackish with some sparse greyish pruinosity, well-developed, ca 0.5 × length of proboscis, with dark setulae; proboscis blackish-brown with long dark setulae and some scattered shorter dark setulae.
Thorax: Brown ground colour; median dorsal surface of scutum with short dark setulae, postsutural surface with long pale setulae; postsutural setulae longer than presutural setulae; postpronotal lobe orange-yellow with long dark setulae; scutum mostly dark brown with two dorsocentral brownish-grey pruinose vittae running to middle of scutum in dorsal view; postalar wall and callus appearing orange-yellow; scutellum almost entirely orange-yellow except for brown basal margin, median surface with short dark setulae, apical margin with long pale setulae; pleura mostly blackish-brown with greyish pruinosity, except for posterior surface of anepimeron and entire katatergite that are yellowish-brown with similar pruinosity; notopleuron greyish pruinose with long dark setulae; area surrounding anterior and posterior spiracle orange-yellow, postspiracular scale orange-brown; anterior spiracle bare posteriorly; proepisternum, pronotum similar in appearance to aforementioned pleura; proepimeron, proepisternum, anepisternum, parts of anepimeron and entire katatergite with pale setulae; rest of pleura bare; postscutellum dark brown.
Legs: Fore and hind coxae brown on anterior surface and orange-yellow posteriorly; mid coxa brown on majority of surface, orange-yellow on apical posterior surface; all coxae with long pale setulae on anterior surface, in addition fore coxa has long pale setulae on posterior surface and hind coxa with long pale setulae on lateral apical edges, and with well-developed anterior apical point; all trochanters brown with short dark setulae; fore and mid femora entirely orange-yellow, hind femur orange-yellow with dark brown band on middle of hind femur; fore and mid tibiae orange-yellow and apically darker, hind tibia mostly dark brown, yellowish-brown at base and apex; fore and mid tarsi brownish, hind tarsi darker brown with more yellowish-brown terminal tarsal segments; fore and mid femora covered with pale setulae on almost all surfaces except for dorso-apical and posteroventral surface with some short dark setulae, hind femur with mixed long pale and dark setulae on dorsal and ventral surfaces, basally with long pale setulae, anteriorly with short setulae and posteriorly with longer setulae; hind leg overall stouter than remaining legs; fore tarsi covered with long sensory setulae along antero- and posteroventral surfaces, sensory setulae ca 2 × as long as tarsal segment is wide; fore and mid tibiae covered in short dark setulae, hind tibia with longer dark setulae; hind basal tarsal segment with long dark posterior setulae; fore tarsal claws asymmetrical, outer claw much larger than inner claw, foreleg empodium ca 2 × size of inner pulvillus, outer pulvillus ca 2 × length of inner, approaching size of outer claw; hind tarsal segments 1.1 × as long as hind tibia; tibial spur formula 0: 2: 2.
Wing: Overall slight light brown suffused appearance; with a dark brown stigma over area of veins R 1 and R 2 + 3 and cell r 1; veins brown; substigmal marking extends down over base of cell r 2 + 3, apex of cells br and bm, base of cells r 5 and m 2, crossvein r – m and basal third of discal cell; additional darker suffusion over majority of cell br; hyaline appearance in cell cua, apical two-thirds of discal cell, base of cell r 4, post basal half of cell r 5; costa without distinct downward flexure over stigma; cell cua closed a short distance from wing margin; cell m 3 open, veins M 1, M 2, M 3 present; haltere orange-yellow with a brownish knob and very short dark setulae.
Abdomen: Overall orange-yellow colour; tergites 1–5 with broad dark brown subtriangular median vittae, remaining tergites with only a slight median marking; tergites 1–3 with long pale setulae, remaining tergites with shorter dark setulae; tergites 1–7 with dark lateral markings and especially on tergites 1–5 with prominent long pale setulae; sternites orange-yellow with pale setulae; tergite 1 without median longitudinal suture.
Terminalia: Epandrium orange with dark setulae, hypandrium orange-brown, cercus blackish, both with dark setulae, terminalia not dissected.
Female (Fig. 33): Similar to ♂ except for the following:
Head: Widely dichoptic; dorsal margin of eye more indented than in ♂; vertex wider than in ♂, dorsal inner edge of eye brownish-grey pruinose, appearing as an extension of vertex surrounding ocellar tubercle; occiput with paired dark brown almost black subtriangular (more narrow and subrectangular in ♂) markings on upper occiput; frons similar in colour appearance to that of ♂ but at narrowest ca 1.6 × width of ocellar tubercle, widening slightly towards antennal base, gradually fading at edges into bronzy brown colour; face separated anteriorly from clypeus by shallow transverse suture, deeper sutures laterally; face slightly visible in profile; 1 st flagellomere comparatively much larger than in ♂; scape ca 2 × as long as pedicel; 1 st flagellomere ca 2 × as long as pedicel.
Thorax: Scutum slightly lighter than in ♂, otherwise with similar appearance; postpronotal lobes with similar dark setulae as in ♂ but lobe with long pale setulae as well; pleura reddish-brown with grey pruinosity, with similar patterning as in ♂ just lighter; postspiracular scale orange in colour; scutellum with only pale setulae.
Legs: Coxae similar to ♂, just overall lighter in colour; hind fermur with median band light brown; fore and mid legs yellow with tarsi brownish, but basal two-thirds of basitarsi yellowish; fore tarsal claws symmetrical; hind leg with general orange-yellow colour on segments, including tarsi; hind femur with mix of short pale and dark setulae compared to ♂; hind tarsal segments 0.9 × as long as hind tibia.
Wing (Fig. 52): Overall brownish suffusion, with upper third of wing somewhat darker suffused, stigma also markedly lighter compared to ♂; no prominent dark suffused substigmal markings running longitudinally on wing as in ♂.
Abdomen: Similar pattering and colour as ♂; lateral dark markings on tergites appearing as more uniform and continuous dark marginal line.
Terminalia: Cercus orange-brown with pale setulae; terminalia not dissected.
Distribution.
Madagascar.
description: Published as part of Muller, Burgert S., Swart, Vaughn R. & Snyman, Louwrens P., 2024, Revision of Afrotropical Suragina Walker, 1859 (Diptera, Athericidae), pp. 247-327 in African Invertebrates 65 (2) on pages 247-327, DOI: 10.3897/afrinvertebr.65.140524