Dasypogon quadratus Wiedemann, 1828

Londt, Jason G. H., 2010, A review of Afrotropical Acnephalum Macquart, 1838, including the reinstatement of Sporadothrix Hermann, 1907 and descriptions of two new genera (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), African Invertebrates 51 (2), pp. 431-482 : 440-441

Dasypogon quadratus Wiedemann, 1828

Wiedemann’s material ( Fig. 1 ), in good condition, was studied and compared with the andrenoides lectotype. The lectotype is almost identical, and only the slight differences recorded below were noted. There is no doubt that quadratus is a synonym of andrenoides (as suspected by Oldroyd in 1974).

Head: Antenna: Segmental ratios 1.0:0.9:3.1:0.2:1.4. Ocellar setae mostly yellowish. Thorax: Pronotal macrosetae brownish yellow. Mesonotal setae mostly mixed white and brown-yellow except for some uniformly coloured whitish clumps anteriorly. Scutellum with c. 20 yellowish apical macrosetae. Wing: 7.6× 3.5 mm. Membrane fairly extensively orange-brown stained. Only central parts of cells bordering wing margin distally unstained. Vein R 4 with short basal stump-vein. Abdomen: Terga fringed laterally with pale yellow setae extending along distal margins of terga for a short distance only. Genitalia dissected and studied (not illustrated as they are similar to those in Figs 24, 25 ).

Variation: Paralectotypes similar, but one is somewhat smaller than the other specimens, having a wing length of 5.1 mm.

Lectotype: SOUTH AFRICA: ♂ ‘ Capland / Krebs S. ’ [blue], ‘Type’ [orange], ‘Zool. Mus. / Berlin’ [cream] ( ZMHB).

Paralectotypes: 2♂ similarly labelled, 1♂ has an additional label ‘483’ ( ZMHB).

Notes: Wiedemann did not designate a holotype so his specimens are considered syntypes. For reasons of taxonomic stability I here recognise and designate a lectotype and two paralectotypes. There are 6♂ 1♀ specimens labelled as quadratus types in NHMW which are (like the specimens mentioned above under andrenoides ) simply labelled ‘ Cap b. sp’. There is also 1♂ without a type label, but with exactly the same ‘ Cap b. sp’ label, in ZSMC. As in the case of the andrenoides material mentioned above, I have no means of knowing whether these were available to Wiedemann, and so I prefer to consider them as having no type status. I have also seen the following specimen, assumed to be from South Africa: 1♂ ‘93’, ‘W’, ‘ Dasypogon / quadratus Wied / CGH. Dr Klug’ ( OXUM). The specimen carries a note reading ‘ This could be a / syntype, exchanged / with Mus. Berlin / A. C. Pont det. / 1998’. As confirmation of this suggestion cannot be provided, I also consider this specimen to have no type status.

Remark: Although D. andrenoides and D. quadratus were described in the same publication, as first reviser I elect to synonymise quadratus with andrenoides as the latter was described first.

Figures

Figs 1–5. Appearance of entire specimens: (1) Acnephalomyia andrenoides (Wiedemann, 1828) [lectotype ♂ Dasypogon quadratus Wiedemann, 1828]; (2) Afroholopogon futilis (Wulp, 1899) [lectotype ♂ Acnephalum futilis Wulp, 1899]; (3) Sporadothrix gracilis Hermann, 1907, ♂ from 65 km SE Noenieput; (4) Ammodaimon platythrix sp. n., holotype ♂; (5) Astiptomyia bikos sp. n., paratype ♀.

Figs24–34.Acnephalomyia andrenoides (Wiedemann,1828) male terminalia:(24, 25) Paralectotype, lateral and ventral; (26–28) Acnephalum cockerelli Curran, 1934 holotype, lateral and ventral; (29–34) Hypandrial variation, (29) 56 km N Beaufort West, (30) Besemgoedkop 31 km N Sutherland, (31) 9 km SW Millowmore, (32) Grahamstown, (33) 5 km E Aus, (34) 72 km S Aus. Scale lines = 1 mm.