A brief review of the Afrotropical fauna of the subfamily Sciapodinae

(Diptera: Dolichopodidae) with descriptions of new species

Igor Ya. GRICHANOV

Grichanov, I.Ya. A brief review of the Afrotropical fauna of the

subfamily Sciapodinae (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) with

descriptions of new species

Sciapus endrodyi sp.n. from Ghana, Mesorhaga mahunkai sp.n.

from Tanzania are described. Keys to the Afrotropical sciapodine

genera and subgenera, and to the known species of Plagiozopelma

and Mesorhaga are given.

I.Ya. Grichanov, All-Russian Institute of Plant Protection,

Podbelskogo 3, St.Petersburg-Pushkin, 189620, Russia.

Key words: Diptera, Dolichopodidae, Sciapodinae, Sciapus, Mesorhaga,

Plagiozopelma, Tropical Africa.

Introduction

The world fauna of sciapodine genera was recently revised by

Bickel (1994). In his big work he proposed 21 valid genera, of which 8

occur in Afrotropical Region. Grichanov (1995, 1996a-g and this paper)

reviewed all African sciapodine genera, described two new genera, and

published catalogs and keys to their species from the Region. Now

ten genera are known from Afrotropical zoogeographical Region, of

which Ethiosciapus and Gigantosciapus are endemic for Continental

Africa and Madagascar, and Bickelia and Mascaromyia are confined to

West Indian Ocean islands. Catalogue and a key to all African genera

and subgenera are represented below.

Totally 196 Afrotropical species are known today (see Table).

Plenty of those species were briefly or incompletely described. Some

of them are known from females, others - only from males. Authors in

their descriptions often omitted important characters regarded

now as having generic level. That is why no less than 20 species are

awaiting to be synonymized or be declared Nominae Dubia in future

revisions of type material. A few dozens of species are probably left

undescribed.

The most interest distribution of species are as follows:

Chrysosoma leucopogon (Wiedemann) - Tanzania, Kenya (!), Madagascar,

Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius, Rodriguez, Aldabra, Maldives (!),

Chagos Archipelago, Burma, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, India, Indochina, Java,

Sumatra, Thailand, Queensland, New Caledonia, Tahiti; Mascaromyia

librativertex (Lamb) - Seychelles, Mauritius (!), Chagos Archipelago

(!); Bickelia subparallela Grichanov - Chagos Archipelago, Seychelles;

Amblypsilopus munroi (Curran) - South Africa, Namibia, Angola,

Mosambique, Sri Lanka; Amblypsilopus pallidicornis (Grimshaw) -

Seychelles, Hawaiian Islands, Society Islands, Marquesas Islands,

Guam, Belau, Taiwan.

Treating unidentified material from the collections of the Natural

History Museum, London (NHML), the Hungarian Natural History Museum

(HNHM), and Lund University (Lund), we found many interest sciapodine

species. In this paper descriptions of Mesorhaga mahunkai sp.n. from

Tanzania, Sciapus endrodyi sp.n. from Ghana and new records for known

African species are given. Catalogs and keys to known species of

Mesorhaga and Plagiozopelma are also present.

Holotypes of the new species are conserved in the Hungarian

Natural History Museum (Budapest), paratype of S. endrodyi is

deposited in the Natural History Museum (London).
 
 

Table. Number of species and distribution of Afrotropical Sciapodinae

_____________________________________________________________________

Genus Number of Possible Undescribed Geographical

Subgenus known synonyms species distribution

species (estimate) (estimate)

_____________________________________________________________________

Mesorhaga 3 3 0 1-3 Equatorial zone;

Madagascar

Sciapus 1 1 0 2-5 Ghana

Condylostylus 12 12 1 0-3 Africa south of 10 cent.

North; Madagascar

Mascaromyia 21 21 3 2-5 West Indian Ocean

islands

Bickelia 3 3 2 0-1 West Indian Ocean

islands

Amblypsilopus 43 41 4 5-9 Africa south of Sahara;

West Indian Ocean

islands; St.Helena

Chrysosoma

Chrysosoma 66 62 12 7-15 Africa south of Sahara;

West Indian Ocean

islands

Kalocheta 5 5 1 0-2 Equatorial zone

Gigantosciapus 11 11 3 0-3 West Africa; Equatorial

zone; Madagascar

Ethiosciapus

Ethiosciapus 8 8 2 0-2 Africa south of 5 cent.

North; Seychelles;

Madagascar

Bickeliolus 6 6 1 0-2 Africa south of Equator;

St.Helena; Seychelles;

Madagascar

Plagiozopelma 17 16 4 1-5 Tropical forests of

Africa & Madagascar

Total 196 35 18-55

_____________________________________________________________________

[1.X.1997] 3+1+12+21+3+41+62+5+11+8+6+16 = 189

List of Afrotropical genera and subgenera of Sciapodinae

Mesorhagini

Mesorhaga Schiner, 1868

Sciapodini

Sciapus Zeller, 1842

Condylostylus Bigot, 1859

Mascaromyia Bickel, 1994

Bickelia Grichanov, 1996a

Chrysosomatini

Amblypsilopus Bigot, 1889

Chrysosoma Guerin-Meneville, 1831

Chrysosoma Guerin-Meneville, 1831

Kalocheta Becker, 1923

Gigantosciapus Grichanov, 1996g

Ethiosciapus Bickel, 1994

Ethiosciapus Bickel, 1994

Bickeliolus Grichanov, 1996d

Plagiozopelma Enderlein, 1912

Key to Afrotropical genera and subgenera of Sciapodinae

1. Middle and/or hind femora with distinct anterior preapical setae..2

- Femora without strong anterior preapical setae....................3

2. Hind femora only with anterior preapical seta; propleuron without

strong ventral setae........................................Sciapus

- Both middle and hind femora with anterior preapical setae; propleuron

with more or less strong ventral setae.....................Bickelia

3. Vein M2 absent, without fold or indication on membrane; dorsocentral

bristles strong in both sexes; arista usually dorsal; strong

vertical seta present in both sexes; clypeus adjacent to margin of

eyes......................................................Mesorhaga

- Vein M2 present, even if as fold or indication on membrane; other

features various..................................................4

4. Both pairs of scutellar setae long; wing often with dark brown band;

arista dorsal or dorsoapical; pedicel with long dorsal and ventral

setae; frons of both sexes with raised mound bearing strong vertical

seta and sometimes numerous hairs.....................Condylostylus

- Scutellum usually with one pair of strong setae, lateral setae

short, hairlike or absent; frons with vertical seta present or

absent, but without vertical seta arising on setose mound; other

features various..................................................5

5. Arista usually apical on triangular first flagellomere; m-cu often

sinuous; arista usually long, and more than half body length in

females; male arista sometimes with apical flag; fore tibia often

with long setae...................................................6

- Arista usually distinctly dorsal on subrectangular first

flagellomere and rarely longer than head width, or if apical or

dorsoapical, then always with following characters: male arista

rarely with apical flag, tibial chaetotaxy often weak, especially

on males; m-cu usually straight..................................10

6. Vertical setae or hairs absent in both sexes, m-cu straight or

slightly convex, pleura usually yellow, first flagellomere very

long, frons and face narrow, acrostichal setae weak and short, all

tibiae and first tarsomeres with strong bristles in both sexes;

cercus simple........................................Gigantosciapus

- Strong (at least in female) or hairlike vertical setae present, m-cu

often sinuous, first flagellomere usually short, frons and face

usually broad, acrostichal setae often long.......................7

7. Crossvein m-cu usually straight, 2 or 3 long acrostichal setae

present, legs elongate, with a few major setae, male fore tibia

sometimes with strong curved posterior subapical seta; cercus

simple.........................................Amblypsilopus (part)

- Crossvein m-cu usualy sinuouse; tibiae often with major setae;

cercus usually deeply forked......................................8

8. Frons highly polished metallic blue-green; male frons bare or with

single weak vertical seta only; male scape often swollen and

vaselike; fore coxa with either 3-7 strong lateral spine-like setae

(stronger in females than males), or fore coxa with 3 strong black

distolateral setae....................................Plagiozopelma

- Vertex and frons usually with pruinosity; male frons often with

hairs on lateral slope; male scape rarely swollen and vaselike; fore

coxa without strong lateral spine-like setae; pedicel often with

long ventral and dorsal setae.....................................9

9. Male and female arista strongly flattened and strap-like with

hairlike apical part.........................Chrysosoma (Kalocheta)

- Arista usually simple, sometimes with apical flag..................

.......................................Chrysosoma (Chrysosoma s.s.)

10. Male cercus with distinctive sclerotized basal hook; male fore

basitarsomere flattened and forming ventral cushion with dense pale

pile; lateral scutellar absent..................................11

- Male cercus without sclerotized basal hook; other features various

................................................................12

11. Male with strong vertical seta; femora usually bare; cercus

usually with apical brush of long hairs; acrostichals short or

absent; alula reduced...................Ethiosciapus (Bickeliolus)

- Male with group of hairs laterally on frons; femora usually with

long black ventral hairs; cercus usually with short or long hairs,

but without apical brush; 3 long acrostichal setae; alula well

developed.........................Ethiosciapus (Ethiosciapus s.s.)

12. Male usually with some anterior dorsocentrals weak and hairlike;

vertical setae in males usually strongly reduced, or lateral frons

with dense hairs; female fore femora rarely with strong basoventral

setae; cercus usually simple..................Amblypsilopus (part)

- 4-5 dorsocentrals, all strong in both sexes; strong vertical setae

present either in both sexes or in females only; proclinate

vertical setae sometimes absent in males; cercus usually with two

strong ventral projections; female fore femora often with stout

basoventral setae......................................Mascaromyia

Mesorhaga Schiner

There is a first record of male Mesorhaga in Ethiopian Region. M.

mahunkai sp.n. could be comprised in canberrensis Group of Australian

Mesorhaga (Bickel, 1994), being separated by white hairs on ventral

postcranium, dark setae on lower calipter and hypopygium morphology.

The new species cannot be associated with known females of M. pauliani

and M. africana, strongly differing by wing morphology and legs

coloration.

List of Afrotropical species of Mesorhaga

africana Curran, 1927:264 - Zaire

mahunkai sp.n. - Tanzania

pauliani Vanschuytbroeck, 1952:137 - Madagascar

Mesorhaga mahunkai sp.n.

(Fig. 1)

Holotype. Male. Tanzania: Kwamgumi, Tanga region / 17.II.1987,

leg. Mahunka.

Description. Frons and face metallic blue-green, mostly gray

pollinose. A hair-like front vertical seta bends forward; ocellar

tubercle with a pair of strong bristles and a pair of weak posterior

hairs; 2 long and 2 shorter postvertical setae are positioned as a

linear continuation of the postocular setal row. Ventral postcranium

covered with irregular white hairs. Face narrowed, clypeus adjacent to

margin of eyes. Proboscis orange, palpi brown, with light hairs and

black apical seta. Antennae black. Pedicel with short dorsal and

ventral bristles. First flagellomere rounded, as long as its height.

Arista dorsal, microscopically haired. Length ratio of pedicel to

first flagellomere to it height to arista - 5:4:6:46.

Mesonotum and scutellum metallic blue-green, slightly gray

pollinose. Pleura bronze-black, gray pollinose. 5 dorsocentral

bristles, 3 acrostichals, 2 pairs of scutellar bristles. Most of

bristles broken.

Legs. Coxae dark-brown, gray pollinose, with light hairs and

brownish setae. Fore legs broken. Middle femora except apical fourth

and hind femora, narrow apex of hind tibia brown, second to fifth

segments of tarsi dark-brown, tibiae and basitarsomeres yellow. Middle

femora with fine brownish ventral hairs, as long as femora diameter.

Middle tibia bare, tarsus simple. Length ratio of middle coxa to

femora to tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth) - 2.5 : 6.8 :

9.8 : 6.4 : 2.4 : 1.6 : 0.9 : 0.9. Hind leg bare. Last tarsomere of

hind tarsus slightly flattened. Length ratio of hind coxa to femora to

tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth) - 1.8 : 9.0 : 12.0 :

4.0 : 3.7 : 2.3 : 1.7 : 0.9.

Wings hyaline, smokey in anterior half, veins brown. R2+3

straight. R4+5 gently curved to M1 at apex. M1 with gentle curvation.

Ratio of parts of costa between R2+3 and R4+5 to those between R4+5

and M1 - 42 : 7. M2 absent. Crossvein m-cu straight. Ratio of

crossvein m-cu to apical part of M1+2 (up to curvation) to apical part

of CuA - 25 : 45 : 37. Anal vein and lobe present. Lower calipter

brown, with dark setae. Halter stem yellow, halter knob brown.

Abdomen bronze-black, with short black hairs. First tergum with

narrow membranous excavation and a few long black disto-lateral

bristles. Fifth tergum ventrally swollen; sixth and seventh segments

shortened; first to sixth segments together nearly 4 times as long as

mesonotum. Hypopygium brown, epandrium elongate. Cercus mostly brown,

dorso-laterally with numerous long black bristles in the middle,

apically with 3 strong spines and thin ventral apophysis bearing soft

thin appendix on apex. Surstylus elongate, with four thin apical

lobes, each of them bearing 1-2 setae. Epandrial lobe long, flattened,

serrate at apex and bearing 2 setae in apical third.

Female. Unknown.

Length: body 3.7 mm; antenna 0.8 mm; wing-length 3.8 mm;

wing-width 1.3 mm.

Distribution: East Tanzania.

Diagnosis. The new species can be separated from other

Afrotropical species using the following key:

1. M1+2 with gentle curvation; apical part of CuA1 1.5 times as long

as m-cu; hind femora brown, hind tibia and basitarsomere yellow...

.......................................................M. mahunkai

- M1+2 with two nearly right angle bends; apical part of CuA1 no

longer than m-cu; hind basitarsomere brown or black..............2

2. Hind leg entirely black................................M. pauliani

- Hind femora brownish except yellow apex, hind tibia dark-yellow

except brownish apex, hind basitarsomere brownish......M. africana

Sciapus Zeller

There is a first reliable record of the genus Sciapus (sensu

Bickel, 1994) from Africa south of Sahara. S. endrodyi sp.n. is most

close to S. adumbratus Becker from Egypt, being separated by smaller

size, yellow and slightly pollinose thorax, hyaline wing, fold-like

M2, shorter hind basitarsomere and tibia, and probably by ornamented

middle tarsus. S. adumbratus has thickly pollinose thorax, dark spot

at wing apex, distinct M2, hind tibia twice as long as femora, hind

basitarsomere slightly shorter than second tarsomere (Becker, 1902).

Indication of S. adumbratus from Zaire (Vanschuytbroeck, 1959)

probably referred to the new species. Two Gambian females from the

collection of Lund University possibly belong also to S. endrodyi.

Records of Palearctic species such as S. longimanus Becker from Zaire,

Zimbabwe, and Madagascar and S. sylvaticus Becker from Madagascar

(Vanschuytbroeck, 1951, 1952, 1959) should be belonged to undescribed

species of Sciapus or Amblypsilopus.

Sciapus endrodyi sp.n.

(Fig. 2)

Holotype. Male. Ghana: Kumasi / 24.VI.1967, leg. Endrody-Y.

Paratype. Male with the same label.

Description. Frons black, gray pollinose. A strong long front

vertical bristle bends forward, 2 postverticals are positioned as a

linear continuation of the postocular setal row. Ocellar tubercle

with a pair of strong bristles. Ventral postcranium covered with

irregular white hairs. Face white pollinose, greatly narrowed in the

middle. Proboscis and palpi brownish-yellow, with light hairs, palpus

with short brown seta. Antennae shorter than height of head. Scape

and pedicel yellow, the last with short setae. First flagellomere

brownish, rounded, as long as its height, densely pubescent. Arista

dorsoapical, microscopically haired. Length ratio of scape to pedicel

to first flagellomere to arista - 3:3:5:24.

Mesonotum, scutellum and pleura yellow-brownish, slightly gray

pollinose. 5 dorsocentral bristles present, a few short acrostichals

in two rows, restricted to anterior half of mesonotum. Scutellum with

a pair of strong bristles and a pair of lateral hairs. All the

bristles brown-black.

Legs including coxae yellow. Fore and middle coxae with yellow

hairs and a few yellow apical setae. Hind coxa with a brownish

external seta. Fifth segment of all tarsi brown and slightly

flattened. Fore femora with 3 short light basoventral setae.

postero-dorsal bristle. Fore tibia and tarsus simple, but tibia with

small apical antero-ventral scale. Length ratio of fore coxa to femora

to tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth) - 3.3 : 5.1 : 4.9 :

3.6 : 1.3 : 0.8 : 0.8 : 0.6. Middle tibia with 1 short antero-dorsal

and 2 apical setae; basitarsomere with two apico-ventral setae.

Second, third and fourth tarsomeres each with a group of short but

strong ventral erect setulae. Length ratio of middle coxa to femora to

tibia to tarsus (segments from first to fifth) - 2.3 : 6.1 : 6.8 : 4.3

: 1.9 : 1.0 : 1.0 : 0.7. Hind femora with distinct anterior preapical

seta. Hind tibia and basitarsomere slightly thickened, with small

posterior apical scale. Length ratio of hind coxa to femora to tibia

to tarsus (segments from first to fifth) - 1.6 : 6.5 : 8.0 : 2.2 : 3.2

: 1.5 : 0.9 : 0.7.

Wings hyaline, veins yellowish-brown. R2+3 going parallel with

costa. R4+5 faintly curved to M1 in apical fifth. M1 with gentle arc

to apex. Ratio of parts of costa between R2+3 and R4+5 to those

between R4+5 and M1 - 12 : 3. M2 as evanescent fold on membrane.

Crossvein m-cu straight. Ratio of crossvein m-cu to apical part of

M1+2 (fork-handle) to apical part of CuA - 16 : 20 : 17. Anal vein

absent, anal lobe reduced. Anal angle obtuse. Lower calipter yellow,

with brown apex and dark hairs. Halters yellow with short thin stem.

Abdomen mostly yellow, with brownish borders of first four

tergums. First tergum with long dark disto-lateral setae. Unmodified

segments together nearly 4 times as long as mesonotum. Hypopygium

yellow, with short hairs. Apex of cercus and surstylus, base of

hypandrium brownish. Epandrium with massive ventral prominence bearing

disto-apical seta. Epandrial lobe with 1 long and 1 short setae.

Surstylus simple, with short apical setulae. Cerci fused at base, as

long as surstylus, pointed on apex, with strong basal setae.

Female. Unknown.

Length: body 2.2 mm; antenna 0.5 mm; wing-length 2.2 mm;

wing-width 0.6 mm.

Distribution: Ghana.

Bickelia Grichanov

See Grichanov (1996a) for diagnosis and key to species of

Bickelia. Bickelia is endemic genus from West Indian Ocean islands.

A number of males and females of B. subparallela Grichanov were

collected from Chagos Archipelago and Seychelles, while females of

other species, B. parallela (Macquart) and B. guerini (Parent) were

described from Mauritius. It is quite possible that all these species

will be synonymized, when males of Bickelia will be found on

Mauritius.

Bickelia subparallela Grichanov

Additional record. 5 males and 4 females, Seychelles: Mahe, Beau

Vallon, 24.III.-9.IV.1965, Tams and Nye, B.M. 1966-72.

Distribution: Chagos Archipelago, Seychelles.

Amblypsilopus Bigot

See Grichanov (1996e) for catalogue and key to species of

Amblypsilopus.

Amblypsilopus parilis (Parent)

Material examined. Male, RSA: Natal, Richards Bay, 28o46'S,

32o04'E, 24.X.1994, loc. 31, leg. R. Danielsson [Lund].

Diagnosis. A. parilis differs by the following combination of

characters. Face white pollinose; palpus and proboscis black; all

femora with two rows of short white ventral hairs in basal half; first

tarsomere of fore tarsus 2.65 times as long as second article and

nearly as long as rest; fore tarsus with simple setulae; middle tibia

and tarsus with short erected setulae. Cercus blackish, whip-like,

with light and dark dense hairs, at most 1/10 as long as cercus.

Epandrial lobe reduced, with its setae raising on the ventral side of

surstylus base.

Distribution: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zaire,

Nigeria.
 
 

Chrysosoma Guerin-Meneville

See Grichanov (1996f) for catalogue and key to species of

Chrysosoma.

Chrysosoma (Chrysosoma) gemmeum (Walker)

Material examined. Male, Gambia: Outside Abuko Nature Reserve at

Waterworks, in and at Lamin Stream, 25-26.II.1977. Loc. No. 6. UTM

28PCK215812 / Lund Univ., Syst. Dept., Sweden Gambia/Senegal.

Febr.-March 1977, Cederholm - Danielsson - Larsson - Mirestrom -

Norling - Samuelsson. Male, Senegal: in Forest 1 km NE Djibelor about

7.5 km SW Ziguinchor, swept along roadside, 8.XI.1977. UTM 28PCJ5687.

Loc. 29 / Lund Univ., Syst. Dept., Sweden Gambia/Senegal. Nov. 1977,

Cederholm - Danielsson - Hammarstedt - Hedquist - Samuelsson.

Diagnosis. C. gemmeum is associated with a group of species

having more than four long setae and a white preapical ring on middle

basitarsomere. Frons with one whitish vertical hair; fore

basitarsomere with ventral pile of short hairs; middle basitarsomere

with white ring covered with very short yellow pectination on dorsal

side. Cercus dorsally setose, with thin pointed apophysis in basal

half and leaf-like apical projection. Surstylus with fine apical setae

and distinct apico-dorsal dens.

Distribution. Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia (!), Senegal (!).

Ethiosciapus Bickel

See Grichanov (1996d) for catalogue and key to species of

Ethiosciapus.

Ethiosciapus (Ethiosciapus) flavirostris (Loew)

Material examined. 5 males, 9 females, RSA: Natal, Richards Bay,

28o46'S, 32o04'E [and "17 km NE Empangeni, Nseleni River, 28o42'S,

32o01'E"], 24.X.1994, loc. 31 [& 32], leg. R. Danielsson [Lund].

Diagnosis. Male with a group of hairs laterally on frons, 2 strong

posterior and hairlike anterior dorsocentral setae; 3 long

acrostichals. Fore coxa yellow except base, other coxae black; femora

yellow, with long black ventral hairs, fore tibia with 2 long

postero-ventral bristles; fore basitarsomere ventrally flattened.

Lower calipter with light cilia. Third sternum with 2 strong black setae.

Cercus yellow, with brown border on apex, pale ventral hairs and black

lateral and apical hairs, with thin basoventral hook. E. flavirostris

is very closely related to E. bicalcaratus Parent and the two species

can be separated using the following key:

1. Middle femora with a row of black ventral hairs no longer than

femora diameter; male cercus with apical hairs nearly as long as

cercus..............................................E. flavirostris

- Middle femora with a row of black ventral hairs 1.5 times longer

than femora diameter; male cercus with apical hairs approximately

half as long as cercus..............................E. bicalcaratus

Distribution. South Africa, Mozambique, ?Ethiopia.

Plagiozopelma Enderlein

The name Plagiozopelma was raised from synonymy by Bickel & Dyte

(1989) for a number of species, most of which were originally

described in Chrysosoma Guerin-Meneville. See generic diagnosis in

Bickel (1994). The genus occurs widely across the Oriental, African

and Australian tropics. Most Afrotropical species of Plagiozopelma are

confined to Equatorial zone. Below there are catalogue and first

key to Afrotropical species of Plagiozopelma.

List of Afrotropical species of Plagiozopelma

(for references see Dyte & Smith, 1980)

angulitarse Parent, 1933:18 (Chrysosoma) - Zaire

bequaerti Curran, 1926:2 (Chrysosoma) - Zaire, Uganda (!Male, Kalinzu

Forest, T.H.E. Jackson [NHML])

capilliferum Parent, 1933:22 (Chrysosoma) - Zaire

collarti Curran, 1927:249 (Chrysosoma) - Congo, Malawi, Uganda, Zaire

conjectum Parent, 1934:116 (Chrysosoma) - Ghana

daveyi Parent, 1939:261 (Chrysosoma) - Malawi

du Curran, 1929:2 (Chrysosoma) - Liberia, Zaire

flavum Vanschuytbroeck, 1962:353 (Megistostylus) - Madagascar

ghesquieri Parent, 1936:2 (Chrysosoma) - Zaire

grahami Parent, 1939:264 (Chrysosoma) - Ghana

inops Parent, 1929:202 (Chrysosoma) - Liberia, Benin, Tanzania, Zaire

lindneri Vanschuytbroeck, 1964:3 (Megistostylus) - Tanzania, n.comb.

nalense Curran, 1926:6 (Chrysosoma) - Zaire, Nigeria, Tanzania

njalense Parent, 1934:118 (Chrysosoma) - Sierra Leone

piliseta Parent, 1936:4 (Chrysosoma) - Zaire

ramiseta Parent, 1939:266 (Chrysosoma) - Sierra Leone, Zimbabve, Zaire

tritiseta Parent, 1929:271 (Chrysosoma) - Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria,

Zaire

Key to Afrotropical species of Plagiozopelma

1. Pleura yellow; all coxae yellow; m-cu straight..........P. njalense

- Thorax entirely dark..............................................2

2. Arista bare and simple............................................3

- Arista apically haired and/or flattened...........................8

3. All coxae yellow...........................................P. flava

- Posterior four coxae black or having broad black spot.............4

4. Cercus with thin basodorsal apophysis...................P. lindneri

- Cercus with ventral apophysis or simple...........................5

5. Vein m-cu straight; fore tibia without long setae..........P. inops

- Vein m-cu sinuate; fore tibia with long apical setae..............6

6. Cercus with short apical cilia...........P. nalense; P. angulitarse

- Cercus with long apical cilia.....................................7

7. Cercus with short basoventral apophysis; fore tibia with 1 long

apical seta.........................................P. capilliferum

- Cercus with long basoventral apophysis; fore tibia with 3-4 long

apical setae............................................P. piliseta

8. Fore tibia without long apical setae; arista with 3 flattened nodes

.......................................................P. tritiseta

- Fore tibia with a few long apical setae...........................9

9. Fore coxa without lateral spines; second tarsomere of fore tarsus

strongly sinuate.......................................P. conjectum

- Fore coxa with a row of lateral spines...........................10

10. Arista simple but having small apical brush of hairs....P. grahami

- Arista distinctly flattened.....................................11

11. Arista widely flattened at apex.................................12

- Arista narrow, lanceolate in apical half........................13

12. Fore tibia with long fine antero-ventral seta slightly beyond the

middle and two small one preceding it.................P. bequaerti

- Fore tibia with 2 ventral rows of fine cilia in middle part.......

.......................................................P. ramiseta

13. Cercus having ventral prominence in basal half and only short hairs

.....................................................P. ghesquieri

- Cercus with distinct basoventral apophysis......................14

14. Cercus with long apical hairs, as long as cercus.........P. daveyi

- Cercus with short hairs on apex.................................15

15. Arista with longest cilia in front of long flattened lamella;

third tarsomere of fore tarsus half as long as following one......

.......................................................P. collarti

- Arista with longest cilia on the short flattened lamella;

third tarsomere of fore tarsus as long as following one......P. du
 
 

Acknowledgements

I am sincerely grateful to Dr. Brian Pitkin, Dr. Laslo Papp, and

Dr. Roy Danielsson for their kindness in furnishing an opportunity to

study the collections of the Natural History Museum (London), the

Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest), and Lund University. Dr.

Daniel Bickel generously provided his valuable monograph.

References

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Remark under figures

Figs 1-2. Hypopygium, lateral view. 1, Mesorhaga mahunkai sp.n.

2, Sciapus endrodyi sp.n.