Astiptomyia bikos Londt 2010, sp. n.
Creators: name: Londt, Jason G. H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Asilidae
Astiptomyia
Astiptomyia bikos

description: Astiptomyia bikos sp. n.
Figs 5, 11, 18, 23, 61–63, 68
Etymology: From Greek bikos (a cup); noun in apposition. The name refers to the cupshaped hypandrium possessed by this species.
Description (Based primarily on holotype. Condition: Excellent.):
Head: Dark red-brown to black, mainly white setose, some silver pruinescence on face and frons. Antenna (Fig. 18): Orange-brown except for dark brown proximal part of style. Segmental ratios 1.0:1.2:3.3:0.3:1.8 – scape and pedicel subequal in length, macrosetae of pedicel pale translucent yellowish, longer than postpedicel; postpedicel almost twice as long as scape and pedicel combined; style 2-segmented, tipped with spine, subequal in length to scape and pedicel combined. Face dark red-brown to black, mystax ventrally dense white, dorsally sparse yellowish (narrow asetose strip below antennae). Frons, vertex and postocular region dark red-brown to black, short white setose; angle subtended by eye margins at level of frons/vertex c. 12°. Proboscis orange-brown white setose. Palpus 2-segmented, brown-orange, white setose.
Thorax: Dark red-brown to black. Pronotum white setose. Mesonotum fairly sparsely white setose except for four longitudinal asetose strips posteriorly. Lateral macrosetae well developed (3 npl, 2 spal, 2 pal), white. Pleura shiny apruinose, largely asetose except for white katatergals and dorsally situated anepisternals (there are 2 large macrosetae posteriorly). Katepisternum white setose. Scutellum shiny black apruinose with poorly developed transverse, subapical groove. About 28 quite short white apical macrosetae, disc asetose. Legs: Mostly orange-brown, femora dark red-brown dorsally, white setose, major setae erect, minor setae longish, recumbent. Ventral parts of tar and terminal end of tib short, black setose. Claws long black (about as long as tarsomere 5); empodia slender, yellow, about half length of claws; pulvilli minute (Fig. 23). Haltere brown-orange. Wing (Fig. 11): 3.3× 1.5 mm. Veins orange-brown, entirely lacking microtrichiae. Membrane transparent, unstained. Vein R 4 without basal stump-vein.
Abdomen: Terga broader than long, T1 mostly dark red-brown to black, T2–T6 orange-brown. Terga apruinose but entirely pitted by setal sockets. Terga with recumbent white setae laterally, these extending for a short distance along distal margins of terga. Large areas of terga appear asetose, but are covered with tiny blackish setae. Sterna brown-orange, finely gold pruinose, sparsely short, white setose. Terminalia largely withdrawn between T6 and S6. Genitalia (Figs 61–63): Epand moderately well-developed, slightly longer than half length of goncx, distally somewhat truncate and hardly if at all incised medially. Proc fairly short (about half length of epand), jutting out to about level achieved by goncx (lateral view). Exterior lobe of goncx broadly rounded proximally, tapering distally to finger­like distal projection; interior lobe shortish (juts out to about same level as external lobe). Hypd rather short, cup shaped, broadly rounded basally, tapering rapidly to short, pointed, upwardly directed distal end.
Variation: Paratypes agree well with holotype but are slightly larger (mean wing length 4.2 mm). Mystax of ♀ denser and whiter in dorsal part. Coloration of thorax and abdomen generally more orange. Most of the paratypes have more apical scutellar macrosetae (mean number 30). Entire ♀ as in Fig. 5.
Holotype: ♂ NAMIBIA: ‘ South West Africa 2315Db / S.E. corner of Namib Desert / Park, nr. Knamhoek farm, 860m / 15-II-1974, ME. Irwin / vegetated, moving dunes’ (NMSA).
Paratypes: 5♀ same data as holotype (NMSA).
Distribution, phenology (Table 3) and biology: Known only from the type locality (Fig. 68) and collected only in February. Nothing is known of the biology of this species.
description: Published as part of Londt, Jason G. H., 2010, A review of Afrotropical Acnephalum Macquart, 1838, including the reinstatement of Sporadothrix Hermann, 1907 and descriptions of two new genera (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), pp. 431-482 in African Invertebrates 51 (2) on pages 466-467, DOI: 10.5733/afin.051.0212, http://zenodo.org/record/7913777