Two new species of Argyra Macquart (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Tropical Africa

Igor Ya. GRICHANOV

Grichanov, I.Ya. Two new species of Argyra Macquart (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from

Tropical Africa

A. robinsoni sp. n. from Kenya and A. kireichuki sp. n. from Ethiopia are described. A

key to three Afrotropical species of Argyra is given.

I.Ya. Grichanov, All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection, Podbelskogo 3, St.Petersburg-

Pushkin, 189620, Russia.

Key words: Diptera, Dolichopodidae, Argyra, Tropical Africa.

Introduction

The genus Argyra Macquart numbers about 100 mostly Holarctic species. Two doubtful

species were known from Afrotropical Region. Record of Palearctic A. discedens

Becker from Kenya (Dyte and Smith, 1980), probably, belongs to undescribed species

and should be excluded from the fauna of the Region. I have seen two females of

apparently two different undescribed species from Kenya and Congo (Kinshasa) in the

collection of the Royal Institute for Natural Sciences (Brussels). The second species, A.

amicta was described by Wiedemann (see 1830) in terms of only colour features and

could not be distinguished from several Palearctic species having silvery-white face and

dorsum, yellow legs and base of abdomen. However, silvery pruinosity of mesonotum

and abdomen and larger body distinctly differ this species from the two new ones

described here.

Holotypes and paratypes of the new species are deposited in the Natural History

Museums in London (A. robinsoni) and Budapest (A. kireichuki).

List of known Afrotropical species

Argyra Macquart, 1834

ARGYRA Macquart, 1834:456. Type-species: Musca diaphana Fabricius, 1775, by

designation of Rondani (1856:141).

amicta Wiedemann, 1824:39 (Dolichopus); 1830:228 (Porphyrops); Becker, 1923:16.

[Type in Zoological Museum, Universitets Copenhagen, not seen]. þGuineaþ.

kireichuki sp. n. Ethiopia.

robinsoni sp. n. Kenya.

Descriptions.

Argyra (Argyra) robinsoni sp. n.

(Figs. 1, 3)

Holotype. Male, Kenya: Aberdare Range, X.1934, B.M.E. Afr. Exp. B.M. 1935-203 /

Mt. Kinangop, 8000 ft., F.W. Edwards.

Paratypes. 2 females, same labels, but height 9000 ft. and one of the females with

collection date 25.X.1934.

Description. Male. Frons and face densely silvery-white pollinose. Face narrow, three

times as high as wide at clypeus. Occiput concave, bronze-black, grey pollinose. One

pair of long ocellar, short but strong vertical, and strong postvertical setae. Postocular

bristles black in upper part and white in lateral and lower parts of head. Eyes with short

white hairs. Antennae inserted above middle of head, black-brown, slightly longer than

height of head; scape with several dorsal setulae; pedicel simple, with dorsal and ventral

setulae; 1st flagellomere bare, blade-like, elongate, thrice as long as high at base; arista

subapical with microscopic hairs. Length ratio of scape to pedicel to first flagellomere to

arista, 10 : 5 : 35 : 31. Palpi and proboscis short, brown, with dark hairs.

Mesonotum dark-brown with metallic reflection; pleura densely greyish-white pollinose.

Propleura with at least one white hair. 1 h with 1 or 2 hairs, 1 ph, 2 ntpl, 2 ia, 2 sa, 1 pa

present. Six pairs of dorsocentral setae, acrostichals in one or two irregular rows.

Scutellum with two long and two short fine setae, dorsally bare.

Legs and coxae yellow, middle coxa with brown spot at base, apical segments of anterior

four tarsi darkened, posterior tarsus darker. Fore coxa anteriorly with yellow hairs at

base and five or six dark setae of various length in apical half. Middle coxa anteriorly

and apically with dark hairs and two long black external setae. Hind coxae with vertical

row of 3 or 4 fine black external setae decreasing in length ventrad. Hind trochanter with

one fine brown dorsal seta. Fore femora with elongate posterior hairs, not longer than

femur's diameter. Fore tibia with two inconspicuous dorsal setae. Length ratio of fore

coxa to femora to tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 40 : 66 : 67 : 45 : 15 : 11 :

8 : 9. Middle femora with one or two fine subapical anterior setae. Middle tibia with 3

anterodorsal, 3 posterodorsal and 3 to 5 ventral setae. Length ratio of middle coxa to

femora to tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 35 : 78 : 89 : 51 : 21 : 15 : 10 : 8.

Hind tibia with 3 anterodorsal, 4 posterodorsal, 3 or 4 ventral setae. Length ratio of hind

coxa to femora to tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 22 : 95 : 124 : 34 : 34 : 20 :

13 : 8.

Wing long and narrow, almost hyaline; veins yellowish-brown. R1 relatively short,

ending at basal 3/7 of wing. Ratio of parts of costa from humeral crossvein to M1+2, 77 :

105 : 33 : 15. R4+5 and M1+2 almost parallel at apex. M1+2 slightly undulate before

middle of apical part. Crossvein m-cu oblique; ratio of m-cu to apical part of CuA1, 24 :

55. Lower calypter yellow, with brown margin and light cilia. Halter yellow.

Abdomen mostly dark-brown with metallic reflection; yellow ventrally and laterally at

base, with light hairs and dark setae. 8th segment with 2 long fine posterior setae.

Hypopygium dark-brown, with light-brown appendages and dark hairs. Epandrium

rounded. Two strong epandrial setae just before the middle of ventral side of ventral

epandrial lobe. Two pairs of broad, massive epandrial (?) lobes. Ventral lobe parallel to

dorsal, with acute apex, small apicodorsal setula and two midlateral setae. Dorsal lobe

distinctly shorter than ventral, with narrowed, though rounded apex, two apicodorsal

setulae and one dorsal seta at apical third. Surstylus half as long as dorsal epandrial lobe,

narrow and curved ventrad in apical half, with rounded apex, three lateral setae in basal

half and one strong ventral subapical seta. Cercus short, narrowed apicad, with strong

dark, though shining light setae.

Female. Similar to male except lacking male secondary sexual characters. Face wide,

slightly narrowed below antennae, approximately twice as high as wide. Vertical seta

longer than in male. Antenna black; 1st flagellomere as long as high, with long arista.

Palpus black, grey pollinose. Middle coxa brownish in basal half; hind coxa dark at

base. Tergum 9+10 with 4 pairs of short thick acanthophorites; cercus short, with

rounded apex.

Length: male body without antennae 3.3 mm, female body 4.0 mm, antenna 0.9 mm, male

wing-length 3.8 mm, female wing-length 4.5 mm, male wing-width 1.3 mm, female

wing-width 1.7 mm.

Distribution. Kenya.

Etymology. The species is named for American dipterologist and botanist, Dr. Harold

Robinson.

Diagnosis. This new species together with the next one cannot be associated with the old

Afrotropical species, A. amicta (Wiedemann) from "Guinea". Becker (1923) included

the latter species in the Palearctic group comprising A. setulipes Becker, A. argentina

(Meigen), A. discedens Becker, and A. perplexa Becker and having silvery-white

mesonotum, although the author noted that the description by Wiedemann did not contain

reliable diagnostic characters. However, A. robinsoni is keyed to Palearctic A. spoliata

Kowarz and A. grata Loew (Parent, 1938; Negrobov and Stackelberg, 1969), strongly

differing from these and other Palearctic species in length of antenna as a whole, 1st

flagellomere and arista, setosed pedicel and many other features.
 
 

Argyra (Argyra) kireichuki sp. n.

(Figs. 2, 4)

Holotype. Male, Etiopia: Akaki river, Addis Abeba / 16.X.1980, leg. Demeter [HNHM].

Description. Male. Frons and face densely silvery-white pollinose. Face narrow, nearly

4 times as high as wide under antennae and nearly 5 times as high as wide at clypeus.

Occiput concave, bronze-green, grey pollinose. One pair of strong ocellar, vertical, and

postvertical setae. Postocular bristles black in upper part and white in lateral and lower

parts of head. Eyes with short white hairs. Antennae inserted above middle of head,

brown-black, slightly longer than height of head; scape with several dorsal setulae;

pedicel simple, with dorsal and ventral setulae; 1st flagellomere blade-like, elongate,

twice longer than high at base, with short hairs at apex; arista positioned at apical third of

dorsal side, with microscopic hairs. Length ratio of scape to pedicel to first flagellomere

to arista, 10 : 6 : 18 : 36. Palpi and proboscis short, brown, with dark hairs.

Mesonotum metallic green, weakly brownish pollinose; pleura including humeri densely

white pollinose. Propleura with one white seta and at least one white hair. Six pairs of

dorsocentral setae, short acrostichals in one or two irregular rows. Scutellum with two

long and two short fine setae, dorsally bare.

Legs and coxae yellow, middle coxa with brownish external spot, apical segments of

anterior four tarsi darkened; hind femur apicodorsally, hind tibia at apex and posterior

tarsus brown. Fore coxa anteriorly with yellow hairs at base and black setae of various

length in apical half. Middle coxa anteriorly and apically with black hairs and two long

black external setae. Hind coxae with vertical row of one strong and two short fine black

external setae. Hind trochanter with one dorsal setula. Fore femora with row of long

posteroventral cilia, the longest ones situated in apical half, exceeding diameter of femur

Fore tibia with two inconspicuous dorsal setae. Fore tibia, 1st and 2nd joints of fore tarsus

with double ventral row of elongate setulae as long as diameter of respective podomeres.

Length ratio of fore coxa to femora to tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 33 : 64

: 61 : 32 : 15 : 9 : 10 : 10. Middle femora with one fine subapical anterior seta and

ventral row of hairs nearly as long as diameter of femur. Middle tibia with 4

anterodorsal, 3 short posterodorsal and several inconspicuous ventral setae. Length ratio

of middle coxa to femora to tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 25 : 71 : 85 : 42 :

19 : 12 : 8 : 8. Hind femora with one fine subapical anteroventral seta Hind tibia with 5

to 8 short dorsal and several inconspicuous ventral setae. Length ratio of hind coxa to

femora to tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth), 25 : 88 : 104 : 27 : 23 : 15 : 10 : 8.

Wing long and narrow, greyish; veins yellowish-brown. R1 relatively short, ending at

basal 3/8 of wing. Ratio of parts of costa from humeral crossvein to M1+2, 60 : 105 : 26

: 12. R4+5 and M1+2 almost parallel at apex, both slightly convex in apical part.

Crossvein m-cu oblique; ratio of m-cu to apical part of CuA1, 19 : 41. Lower calypter

yellow, with brown margin and light cilia. Halter yellow.

Abdomen mostly dark-brown with metallic reflection, dark hairs and setae; 1st segment

yellow, 2nd to 4th with yellow lateral spots becoming smaller towards 4th tergite. Venter

mostly yellow. 8th tergite with 2 short posterior macrochaetae. Hypopygium dark-brown,

with light-brown appendages, dark hairs. Epandrium rounded. Two strong epandrial

setae at apicoventral angle of epandrium. Two pairs of broad, massive epandrial (?)

lobes with rounded apices. Ventral lobe parallel to dorsal, with several short setulae.

Dorsal lobe nearly as long as ventral, with three apicodorsal setae. Surstylus 4/5 as long

as dorsal epandrial lobe, narrow, pointed, curved ventrad, with strong ventral seta at

apical fourth. Cercus short, narrowed apicad, short setae.

Female unknown.

Length: male body without antennae 3.0 mm, antenna 0.95 mm, wing-length 3.2 mm,

wing-width 1.0 mm.

Distribution. Ethiopia.

Etymology. The species is named for Russian entomologist, Dr. A. Kireichuk.

Diagnosis. A. kireichuki is close to Palearctic A. grata Loew, differing in length ratio of

antennomeres, setosed pedicel etc. It differs from A. robinsoni in shorter 1st

flagellomere, longer arista, long cilia on fore legs, and other characters.

Key to Afrotropical species of Argyra Macquart (males)

1. Mesonotum and abdomen with silvery-white pollination (front view); size greater than

4 mm ................. A. amicta Wiedemann

-- Mesonotum and abdomen metallic, at most weakly brownish pollinose; less than 3.5

mm ................. 2

2. 1st flagellomere 3 times longer than high; arista shorter than 1st flagellomere; fore

tibia and tarsus without long ventral setulae ....................... A. robinsoni sp.n.

-- 1st flagellomere twice longer than high; arista twice longer than 1st flagellomere; fore

tibia and 1st--2nd segments of fore tarsus with elongate ventral setulae, as long as

diameter of corresponding podomeres ....................... A. kireichuki sp.n.

Acknowledgements

I express sincere gratitude to Dr. Laszlo Papp and Dr. Brian Pitkin for their kindness in

giving me the opportunity to study the collections of the Hungarian Natural History

Museum (Budapest) and the Natural History Museum (London).

References

Becker Th. 1923. Dipterologische Studien: Dolichopodidae. D. Aethiopische Region. Entomol.

Mitteilungen, 12, 1: 1--50.

Dyte C.E. & Smith K.G. 1980. Family Dolichopodidae. In R.W. Crosskey (ed.).

Catalogue of the Diptera of the Afrotropical Region. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London: 443-

-463.

Negrobov O.P. & Stackelberg A.A. 1969. Family Dolichopodidae. In G.Ya. Bei-Bienko

(ed.). Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR. Leningrad, Nauka, 5, 1: 670-

-751.

Parent O. 1938. Dipteres Dolichopodidae. Faune de France, 35. Paris: 1--720.

Wiedemann C.R.W. 1830. Aussereurop¤ische zweiflìgelige Insekten. Hamm., 2: 1--644.

[Remarks under figures]

Fig. 1. Argyra robinsoni sp.n. Apex of hypopygium, lateral view.

Fig. 2. Argyra kireichuki sp.n. Hypopygium, lateral view.

Figs 3--4. Argyra spp. Antenna, lateral view.

Fig. 3. Argyra robinsoni sp.n.

Fig. 4. Argyra kireichuki sp.n.