Conops (Asiconops) braunsii, Krober, 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 : 307-309

Key 7: Afrotropical species of Conops (Asiconops) braunsii species-group.

1 First flagellomere longer than pedicel ( Fig. 39); apical aristomere with short broad base and long narrow apical tip ( Fig. 40); vertex narrow, about half as wide as frons, surrounded by semi-circular grooves ( Fig. 38); thorax and abdomen brown to orange-brown, with no distinct black markings; radial cell r 2+3 hyaline basally and slightly infuscated brown apically; basal radial cell br and basal medial cell bm hyaline, and almost completely without microtrichia; tergite 4 slightly greyish silver dusted all over, without a distinct dusting band at the hind margin; ♀ theca distinctly protruding, anterior surface without any setulae ........................................................................ C. bilineatus Camras, 2000

– First flagellomere shorter than pedicel; vertex usually broader, not surrounded by semi-circular grooves; other characters variable......................................... 2

2 Wing with pale base and obvious dark tip ( Fig. 37): radial cells r 1 and r 2+3 hyaline basally and brownish distally, basal radial cell br hyaline, radial cell r 4+5 almost completely dark brown, discal medial cell dm hyaline or at most inconspicuously darkened; all veins light orange-brown in basal half of the wing, vein R 1 completely orange-brown to tip ( Fig. 37); all tergites strongly golden dusted, at most with a narrow less dusted anterior margin ( Fig. 34); apical aristomere with broad base and short pointed tip only ( Fig. 36); legs orange-brown with only fore and middle tarsi black ( Fig. 34)........... C. aureomicans Kröber, 1933

– If apex of wing darker than base, then never with such light yellow colouration; veins less obviously light yellowish orange basally, vein R 1 usually not completely orange-brown; tergites not almost completely heavily dusted, at most with dusting stripes on the posterior margins; other characters variable ......... 3

3 Calypter black; abdomen shiny black. [based on original description] .............. ........................................................................... C. atroviolaceus Camras, 1962

– Calypter white to light yellowish white but never black; abdomen at least partly dusted................................................................................................................ 4

4 Basal radial cell br usually completely covered with microtrichia but at least anterior margin with distinct microtrichia; tibiae more or less black, and may be completely black, obviously contrasting with the orange bases of femora; radial cell r 4+5 uniformly tinged brown, without obvious contrast between brown area in front of vena spuria and hyaline area behind vena spuria; antennae usually completely, or at least mainly, black; scutum usually completely black; abdomen uniformly dusted, without stronger dusted hind margins; larger species, wing length 9.3–13.3 mm. [ Madagascar endemic] ..... C. stuckenbergi Camras, 1962

– Cell br mainly bare of microtrichia; tibiae never completely black, usually completely orange to orange-brown; antenna not completely black but usually completely, or at least mainly, orange-brown; other characters variable ................ 5

5 Wing hyaline with blackish patch confined to apical half of cell r 2+3 ( Fig. 24); scutum usually completely black, contrasting with orange to brown mediotergite and scutellum, light specimens may have brown margins on scutellum; abdomen typically black, light specimens may have brown abdomen; yellowish brown frons with a black midline, usually reaching from vertex to lunule ( Fig. 27); face with a distinct central black spot ( Fig. 26); arista as in Fig. 25: apical aristomere somewhat elongated, without obvious black tip or distinctly separated base; legs yellow to orange-brown, with black tarsi ................................. ..................................................................................... C. apicalis Kröber, 1915

– Wing more extensively brownish; scutum in most species brown, and may have a more or less large, diffuse, black central spot, which reaches neither lateral borders nor scutellum; abdomen brown or black; frons without black midline; face with or without black spot; arista different; legs more or less dark brown, no obvious contrast between tarsi and tibiae.................................................... 6

6 Characteristic wing colouration ( Fig. 46): crossvein dm–cu surrounded by brown, radial cell r 4+5 completely brown and basal radial cell br hyaline; thorax typically black with contrasting orange postpronoum, but lighter specimens with mainly orange-brown thorax can also occur; apical aristomere short, with a broad base and a short, narrower tip ( Fig. 48); femora orange-brown, usually with black apical tarsi; claws white with narrow and contrasting black tip ( Fig. 49); small species (wing length <8.5 mm) ............... C. rugifrons Karsch, 1888

– Different wing colouration: crossvein dm–cu not surrounded brown, radial cell r 4+5 usually lighter in posterior half and behind vena spuria, and basal radial cell may be slightly infuscated brownish or yellowish; thorax typically brown, if black then without contrasting orange postpronotum; other characters variable ......................................................................................................................... 7

7 Apical aristomere shortly pointed, with abruptly broadened base ( Fig. 55); abdomen slightly grey dusted all over, usually with only indistinct dusting bands on hind margins of tergites; tergite 2 with single long black setula laterally; ♀ theca as in Fig. 57. [ Madagascar endemic] ................ C. unicolor Kröber, 1915

– Apical aristomere narrow and elongated or short-pointed, without abruptly broadened base ( Figs 29, 45); abdomen heavily dusted or with distinct dusted bands at hind margin of tergites 2+3; tergite 2 with or without long black lateral setula; ♀ theca different. [ Species not recorded from Madagascar] ................ 8

8 Tergite 2 without long black submedial setulae ( Fig. 52); tergites 2+3 with clearly defined, distinct dusting bands at hind margins of almost uniform width, becoming slightly narrower laterally ( Fig. 52); tergite 4 in dorsal view obviously less dusted than tergites 5+6; thorax only slightly dusted; ♀ theca short ( Fig. 53)................................................................................ C. simplex Kröber, 1915

– Tergite 2 with submedial setulae that can be seen in dorsal view and are longer than diameter of hind tibia ( Fig. 32); tergites 2+3 without distinct dusting bands but entirely heavily dusted in anterior view; thorax may be heavily dusted in anterior view; ♀ theca long or short................................................................. 9

9 Antenna orange ( Fig. 44); apical aristomere less than twice as long than other two aristomeres together ( Fig. 45); proboscis orange, only labellum slightly darker brownish ( Fig. 41); paler species with postpronotum, hind femur and frons orange-brown ( Fig. 41); ♀ theca short ( Fig. 43)....................................... .................................................................................... C. braunsii Kröber, 1915

– Pedicel and first flagellomere black ( Fig. 30); apical aristomere about 3 times as long as other two aristomeres together ( Fig. 29); proboscis black apically ( Fig. 31); darker species with thorax with postpronotum black to dark brown, hind femora black at base and frons dark brown ( Fig. 28); ♀ theca long ( Fig. 33) ........................................................................ C. argentispatium Brunetti, 1929