Conops (Asiconops) ater, Macquart, 1844

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 : 295-296

Key 6: Afrotropical species of Conops (Asiconops) ater species-group.

1 Face and gena completely dusted ( Fig. 19); head completely orange-brown ( Fig. 18); no distinct dusting stripe on pleura from middle coxa to notopleuron; costa and subcosta usually light orange-brown, distinctly contrasting with dark brown radial veins ( Fig. 16), forms with completely dark wings can also occur; dark brown colouration of the wing usually reaching from wing base to the tip but may be restricted to a small band between radial vein R 1 and media M ( Fig. 16); scutum at least black medially, may be completely black; legs orange-brown with black contrasting tibiae; theca long ( Fig. 20); ♂ abdomen broad, tergite 2

more than half as wide as maximum width of tergite 4 ...................................... ..................................................................................... C. elegans Meigen, 1804

– Antennal grooves and parafacia dusted, remaining face and gena not dusted and therefore obviously contrasting; frons usually with black markings; more or less distinct dusting stripe from middle coxa to notopleuron; other characters variable ..............................................................................................................2

2 Thorax and abdomen reddish brown ( Figs 21, 23), scutum often with a more or less extended central black spot that can exceptionally reach lateral margins but not scutellum, mediotergite may be black, female abdomen may be largely black; hind tarsi orange-brown, obviously paler than black fore and middle tarsi; labium orange brown; wing as in Fig. 22: radial cells r 1 and r 2+3 becoming obviously darker apically, radial cell r 4+5 usually distinctly darker before vena spuria than behind vena spuria; anterior half of anepisternum only slightly dusted and therefore dusting stripe distinctly reaching up to notopleuron; tergite 4 at least with narrowly dusted hind margin, dusting becomes narrower laterally; ♂ abdomen broad, tergite 2 at apex slightly more than half as wide than maximum width of tergite 4 ( Fig. 23); large species, wing length> 7 mm .......................... ............................................................................ C. nubeculipennis Bezzi, 1901

– Thorax and abdomen mainly black, black colour on scutum always reaching to scutellum; hind tarsi as black or dark brown, as fore- and middle tarsi; labium black to dark brown; wing colouration different; tergite 4 without dusted hind margin or dusting at hind margin broader laterally; ♂ abdomen narrow, tergite 2 less than half of maximum width of tergite 4; usually smaller species, wing length <7 mm ....................................................................................................3

3 Wing as in Fig. 11: radial cells r 1 and r 2+3 only dark apically, basally as hyaline as basal radial cell; scutellum and postpronotum usually black to dark brown; anepisternum and anepimeron usually distinctly dusted and therefore any dusting stripe to notopleuron indistinct in most specimens; tergite 4 without any distinct dusting at hind margin................................................... C. ater Macquart, 1843

– Radial cells r 1 and r 2+3 completely dark ( Fig. 13); scutellum and postpronotum orange-brown; anepisternum and anepimeron mainly shining and therefore dusting stripe to notopleuron distinct; tergite 4 at least laterally with distinctly dusted hind margin ............................................................................................4

4 Black central stripe on frons reaching vertex ( Fig. 14); ♀ theca narrower: distinctly narrower than maximum width of tergite 6 ( Fig. 15); field of black setae on theca about as wide as high; smaller species, wing length up to 7 mm ...................................................................................... C. atratus Camras, 1962

– Black central stripe on frons not reaching vertex, almost with only lunula black; ♀ theca broader: distinctly broader than maximum width of tergite 6; field of black setae on theca wider than high; larger species, wing length of holotype about 8 mm ................................................................ C. simulans Camras, 1962