Hydrotaea fasciata Stein, 1913

Vikhrev, Nikita E., 2024, Review of Hydrotaea dentipes species group (Diptera, Muscidae), Amurian Zoological Journal XVI (4), pp. 1008-1020 : 1014-1015

Hydrotaea fasciata Stein, 1913

Figs. 2–3

Type material examined: syntype, ♀, Africa or., Katona 904, Kilimandjaro ( ZMHU) .

Other material examined: ETHIOPIA: Amhara Reg. , 15.8 km NEE Debre Birhan, 9.74 º N, 39.66 º E, 2940 m, 28.04.2015, O. Gorbunov, 3♂, 2♀ ; Oromia Reg.: 9 km S of Goba, Bale Mts. , 6.933 º N, 39.951 º E, 3070 m, 19– 20.03.2012, N. Vikhrev, 16♂, 15♀ ; Goba env, 7.024 º N, 39.98 º E, 2700 m, garden 6– 11.12.2023, N. Vikhrev, 9♂, 5♀ ; Addis- Ababa , 9.00 º N, 38.73 º E, 2330 m, 10.01.2021, N. Vikhrev, 1♀ (all ZMUM).

Distribution. Known from Ethiopia, mostly from altitudes above 2000 m, described from N Tanzania, ‘Kilimanjaro’ with an unknown exact locality and altitude. Pont ( Pont 2024) also reported it for S Africa and Uganda.

Descriptive notes. Initially Stein’s type series consisted of 1♂ and 5♀, presently only 1♀ is stored in ZMHU. Available sources of information on H. fasciata are restricted to the original description ( Stein 1913: 505) and the key to African Hydrotaea by Emden ( Emden 1943: 80–81). Meanwhile, a representative series of this species in ZMUM allowed me to clarify some points.

Male, body length 7–7.5 mm, rarely 6 mm. Head. Eyes with long and dense hairs. Distance between eye margins more than width of antenna. Fronto-orbital plates matt-black. Aristal hairs shorter than basal diameter of arista. Thorax with an Anthomyia -like pattern, though it is not very distinct: dirty-black spots on dirty dark grey background with vague borders. Thoracic pattern better visible in posterodorsal view, worse in dorsal view as is shown in Fig. 3. Presutural part of scutum with a median (actually consists of two almost fused spots) and two lateral black spots; postsutural part of scutum also with a median and two lateral black spots; median spots wider than lateral ones; median spots fused with each other; lateral spots separate. Scutal chaetotaxy: 2+4 dc; 2 prst ac; notopleuron entirely hairy; prealar seta absent; katepimeron bare. Wing with vein M slightly curved forward at apex. Calypters yellow, halter black. Legs. f1 with apical tooth; t1 emarginated in basal half, without p seta. f 2 in basal half with: 3–4 outward directed a setae; 5–6 spinulose v setae; 6–7 spinulose pv setae. t2 with 2–4 pd and 1(2) ad. f3 near apex with 3–4 long av and 2–3 pv. t3 densely setulose: 4–5 av, a row of ad (1–3 near apex strong), 1 strong pd, 5–7 pv. Abdominal tergites 3 and 4 dirty-grey dusted, with black median vitta and black band at posterior margin.

Females smaller than males, body length 6–7 mm. Eyes with short but dense hairs. Thoracic pattern as in male but much more distinct (Fig. 2), borders between black spots and grey background much sharper than in males. Prealar seta absent as in male (usually present in females of the H. dentipes group). Frons wide. Fore leg not modified. f2 without long setae. t3 with 3 av, 3 ad, 1 pd, without pv.