Conops (Asiconops) ferruginosus Kröber, 1915

Stuke, Jens-Hermann, 2019, New conopid records from the Afrotropical Region (Diptera: Conopidae). Part 2: Conopinae excluding Physocephalini, Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 49 (2), pp. 277-349 : 309-311

Conops (Asiconops) ferruginosus Kröber, 1915

( Figs 58–60)

Conops ferruginosus Kröber, 1915 b: 40 .

Conops concolor Brunetti, 1925: 107 , n. syn.

Conops atrimanus Kröber, 1939: 379 , n. syn.

Conops bicingulatus Camras, 2000: 223 , n. syn.

Conops tschirnhausi Stuke, 2012: 77 [substitute name for Conops fraternus Kröber, 1933: 285 ], n. syn. Conops ferrugineus , misspelling auct.

Holotype of Conops ferruginosus KrÖber, 1915 (examined): ♀ bearing labels: (1) “3036”; (2) “ Conops ♀ / ferruginosa KrÖb. / O. KrÖber det. 1914”; (3) “Type”; (4) “Zool. Mus. / Berlin” ( ZMHB) . Syntype of Conops concolor Brunetti, 1925 (examined): ♂ bearing labels: (1) “ Syn- / type”; (2) “ Mlanje , / Nyasaland / 14.II.1913 / S.A. Neave ”; (3) “Press. by / Imp. Bur. Ent. / Brit. Mus. / 1924 - 306”; (4) “ Conops / concolor / Brun. Type ♂ / Det. E. Brunetti 1924”; (5) “BMNH(E)# / 248975” ( NHML) .

Syntype of Conops concolor Brunetti, 1925 (examined): ♀ bearing labels: (1) “ Syn- / type”; (2) “ Mlanje , / Nyasaland / 3.II.1913 / S.A. Neave ”; (3) “Press. by / Imp. Bur. Ent. / Brit. Mus. / 1924 - 306”; (4) “ Conops / concolor / Brun Type ♀ / Det. E. Brunetti 1924”; (5) “BMNH(E)# / 248976” ( NHML) .

Holotype of Conops fraternus KrÖber, 1933 (examined): ♂ bearing labels: (1) “ Holotype ”; (2) “Type”; (3) “Durban, / Natal / 6 – 3 21 / C. N. Barker / Stella [written perpendicularly] / 2643 [written perpendicularly]” (4) “Press. by / Imp. Inst. Ent. / Brit. Mus. / 1932-143”; (5) “ Conops ♀ [sic!] / fraternus Krb / det Kröber 1931”; (6) “ Conops ♂ / rondanii Bzzi / det KrÖber 1931”; (7) “BMNH(E)# / 248977” ( NHML).

Holotype of Conops atrimanus KrÖber, 1939 (examined): ♀ bearing labels: (1) “S. O. Kamerun / UamGebiet / G. Tessmann S.G. / bei Bosum [written perpendicularly] / 29.6.14 [written perpendicularly]”; (2) “ Conops apicalis / var atrimanus Krb. / det. KrÖber 1938” ( ZMHB).

Holotype of Conops bicingulatus Camras, 2000 (examined): ♂ bearing labels: (1) “B5 / 246”; (2) “ Tanzania / 19 / Ex. Coll. W: H. Potts. / B. M. 1967-472”; (3) “ Holotype ♂ / Conops (Asiconops) / bicingulatus / Camras” ( NHML).

Material examined: Benin: 1♂, Ahozon, forest area [6°22'57.59"N 2°09'15.92"E], sweepnet, i.2006, G. Goergen ( IITA); 1♂, Togbota, sweep netting on flowers, 17.i.2018, G. Goergen ( IITA). Burundi: 1♂, Bubanza, Musigati, Mirwa, 1450 m, 21.vi.1953, F.J. François, det. as C. brunnipennis by Janssen 1954 ( ISNB). Central African Republic: 1♂, Uamgebiet, Bosum [probably Bozoum; 6°19'N 16°22'E], 11–20.iv.1914, Tessmann, det. as C. brunnipennis by Camras 2000 ( ZMHB). Democratic Republic of Congo: 1♂, Banana [6°00'S 12°20'E], ix.1915, Expedition Lang-Chapin, det. as C. rondanii by Curran ( MRAC); 1♂, Eala, v.1932, H.J. Brédo, det. as. C. apicalis by KrÖber 1935 ( MRAC); 1♂, Eala, iii.1932, H.J. Brédo, det. as. C. brunnipennis by Camras 1962 ( MRAC); 1♀, Eala, 15.x.1931, H.J. Brédo, det. as. C. platyfrons by Camras 1962 ( MRAC); 1♂, Kisantu, 1928, R.P. Vanderyst, det. as. C. apicalis by KrÖber 1935 ( MRAC); 1♀, Kisantu, 1927, R.P. Vanderyst, det. as. C. apicalis by KrÖber 1935 ( MRAC); 1♂, Kwango,Atene, no date, Charlier, det. as. C. brunnipennis by Brunetti 1925 ( MRAC); 1♂, Sankuru, Djeka, 1955/1956, R. Roiseux, det. as C. nigritarsis by Stuke 2003 ( MRAC). The Gambia: 2♂, Banjuls, B. B. Hotel, 5.ii.1987, G.G.M. Schulten ( RMNH). Kenya: 1♀, Takaungu [3°42'S 39°49'E], 20 m, 17.ix.2005,A. Freidberg (SMNHTAU); 1♂, Witu, 28.ii.1912, S.A. Neave, des. as cotype of C. castaneus , det. as C. castaneus by Camras 1999 ( NHML NHMUK 013644296); 1♂, Witu, 15.xii.1913, S.A. Neave, des. as cotype of C. castaneus ( NHML NHMUK 013644294); 1♂, Coast Province, 10 km W Malindi [UTM 37 M 615633 9643613], 100 m, 24.v.2006, P. Cerretti, D.Avesani, G. Carpaneto, G. Nardi ( PMME); 1♀, Coast Province, 10 km W Malindi [UTM 37 M 615633 9643613], 100 m, hand net, 24.v.2006, P. Cerretti, D. Avesani, G. Carpaneto, G. Nardi, det. as C. bicingulatus by Mei 2006 ( PMME); 1♀, Coast Province, Galana river near Tsavo East National Park, Sala Gate [UTM 37M526558 9660100], 153 m, hand net, 23.v.2006, D. Avesano, G. Carpaneto, G. Nardi, P. Ceretti ( PMME); 1♂, Coast Province, N edge of Arabuko Sokoke forest [UTM 37 M 607257 9644873], 83 m, 28.v.2006, P. Cerretti, D.Avesani, G. Carpaneto, G. Nardi ( PMME); 1♀, Garissa County, Boni Forest, 300 ft, xi.1945, J.Adamson, det. as C. frontalis by Camras 1962 ( NHML NHMUK 010922055). Malawi: 1♂, Nyasaland, Cholo [= Thyolo District], 9.xii.1916, R.C. Wood, des. as syntype of C. castaneus ( NHML NHMUK 013644295); 1♂, Nyasaland, Mlanje [= Mulanje], 21.iv.1913, S.A. Neave, det. as. C. brunnifrons by KrÖber ( NHML NHMUK 013644304). Mozambique: 1♀, 15 km S Guro [17°33'S 33°16'E], 800 m, 30.xi.2005, Kadlecová ( CULSP); 1♂, Delagoa Bay, 20.iv.1983, det. as C. bipunctatus by KrÖber 1926 ( MLUH). Senegal: 1♀, Abéné, 24.iii.1991, M. Kraus ( ZSM). Tanzania: 1♀, Nyasasee [Lake Nyasa], Langenburg [=Tukuyu], 9–19.viii.1898, Fülleborn, det. as C. brunnipennis by Stuke 2003 ( ZMHB); 1♀, ‘Tanzania’, no date, W.H. Potts, allotype of C. bicingulatus ( NHML NHMUK 010922060); 1♂, ‘Tanzania’, no date, W.H. Potts, paratype of C. bicingulatus ( NHML NHMUK 010922058); 1♂, ‘Tanzania’, no date, W.H. Potts, paratype of C. bicingulatus ( NHML NHMUK 010922059).

Remarks: When Brunetti (1925) described C. concolor he did not mention KrÖber’s work of 1915. His description of the species and the type material fits completely the material of C. ferruginosus , and therefore Conops concolor Brunetti, 1925 is considered a junior synonym of Conops ferruginosus Kröber, 1915 (n. syn.).

The holotype of C. atrimanus is also conspecific with C. ferruginosus and therefore Conops apicalis var. atrimanus KrÖber, 1939 is also treated as a junior synonym of C. ferruginosus Kröber, 1915 (n. syn.).

Conops bicingulatus was described by Camras (2000) from Tanzania. The holotype and the paratype fit completely the concept of C. ferruginosus as presented here, and therefore, C. bicingulatus is placed in synonymy under C. ferruginosus Kröber, 1915 (n. syn.). The female paratype of C. bicingulatus has an obviously longer theca than in any other specimen of C. ferruginosus . The shape of the theca is usually an important taxonomic character, but in this case, I interpret the theca of the paratype as an individual aberration. If, however, more specimens with this character become available in future this interpretation may need to be revised.

The holotype of C. fraternus is conspecific with C. ferruginosus and therefore its replacement name Conops tschirnhausi Stuke, 2012 has to be treated as a junior synonym of C. ferruginosus Kröber, 1915 (n. syn.).