Atherigona (Atherigona) mulleri 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 mulleri

description: Atherigona (Atherigona) mulleri Deeming, sp. nov.
Figs 9–12
Etymology: The specific epithet mulleri is a noun in apposition, named in honour Burgert S. Muller, in recognition of his contribution to the taxonomy of Afrotropical Atherigona.
Description: Male. Body length: ca 3.0 mm; wing length: 3.0 mm. Golden yellow species with vibrissa, adjacent setae, weak genal setulae and apical papal setulae golden; remaining setae and setulae and arista black; median part of scutum and scutellum weakly infuscate, with heavily grey pruinescence; anaterite and metanotum black, the latter shiny in lower 2 / 5 of height; tergites 3 and 4 with pair of small, round dark maculae.
Head: With frontofacial angle slightly less than right angle; parafacial broad, almost as broad at level of vibrissa as at insertion of arista, but not as broad as genal height.
Thorax: With 1 long and 1 short proepisternal seta; proepimeral setula minute; weak, short ventral katepisternal seta inserted slightly closer to insertion of more anterior of two dorsal setae. Legs: Fore leg with row of 4–5 fine setulae, both anteriorly and posteriorly, these longer than tarsal diameter; fore femur with preapical posteroventral seta longer than 2 preapical posterodorsal setae; mid femur with strong posterodorsal preapical seta; mid tibia with short posterior seta at mid length; hind femur with row of short, weak anterodorsal setae; hind tibia with strong preapical dorsal seta, anterodorsal seta at 0.4 of its length and ventral and posterodorsal setae at mid length. Wing: Membrane hyaline, with yellow veins and even distribution of microtrichia, absent in basal costal cell (bc); calypters hyaline with yellow rims; haltere yellow.
Abdomen: Tergites 3 and 4 with pair of small, dark maculae; hypopygial prominence (in lateral view) (Fig. 12), with simple, rounded knob-shape (in dorsal view) (Fig. 11), slightly projecting, with slight medial concavity, pilose above; trifoliate process (Figs 9, 10), with lobes black, pale on stem and hood, median lobe with basal 3 / 4 broad and apex constricted, apex less than 1 / 2 as broad as at base, lateral lobes each with prominent flange on inner surface, outer surface bearing fine dark pilosity, stem 21 / 2 × as long as lobes.
Female: Unknown.
Affinities: The golden vibrissae, male fore tarsus bearing long setae anteriorly and posteriorly and the yellow pleura separate the new species from all other described species.
Type material examined: Holotype ♂, “ Namibia: OPUWA DIST. 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 [printed] // Namibian National / Insect Collection / National Museum / P.O. Box 1203 / Windhoek, Namibia [printed; blue card] // HOLOTYPE ♂ / Atherigona (s. str.) / mulleri sp. nov. / J.C. Deeming 2024 [printed; red border]” (NMNW; type series #663). In good condition, micro-pinned and staged; dissected, male terminalia in micro-vial pinned beneath specimen. Paratype ♂, same data as holotype, except: // “ PARATYPE ♂ / Atherigona (s. str.) / mulleri sp. nov. / J.C. Deem
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 pages 518-519, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5536.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14239209