Physocephala pubescens Brunetti 1925

Stuke, Jens-Hermann & Clements, David K., 2019, New conopid records from the Afrotropical Region (Diptera) - Part 3: Physocephalini, Bonn zoological Bulletin 68 (2), pp. 209-273 : 269-270

Physocephala pubescens Brunetti 1925

= Physocephala curta Kröber 1936

( Figs 147–151 )

Primary type material examined. ♂ lectotype of Physocephala pubescens Brunetti 1925 herewith designated: (1) “Syn - / type”; (2) “23.9.16 / Limbe / Nyasaland. / 4000′ (R. C. W.) / R. b. Wood / 684.”; (3) “ Physo. / pubescens / Brun Type ♂ / Det. E. Brunetti 1924”; (4) “Lec- totypus / Physocephala / pubescens ♂ / Brunetti, 1925 / des. Stuke 2019”; NHML .

♀ lectotype of Physocephala curta Kröber, 1936 here- with designated: (1) “Type / Ph. curta ♀ ”; (2) “Musée du Congo / Elisabethville / 1927 / Dr. M. Bequaert ”; (3) “ Physocephala / curta Krb. / det. Kröber 1935”; (4) “R. DÉT / L / 2992”; (5) “Type”; (6) “RMCA ENT / 000012182”; coll. MRAC .

Additional material. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: 1♂, no date, Elisabethville [Lubumbashi] [-11.664232 27.482626], det. as P. pubescens by Cam- ras 1962, leg. M. Bequaert, coll. FMNH ; KENYA: 1♀, ii.1932, Kijabe, det. as P. pubescens by Camras 1962, leg. van Someren, coll. NHML [ NHMUK010922169 ] ; 1♀, 20.iii.1949, Nairobi, det. as P. pubescens by Camras 1962, leg. G. Salt, coll. NHML [ NHMUK010922168 ] ; 1♂, 9.iv.1949, Nairobi, det. as P. pubescens by Camras , 2000, leg. G. Salt, coll. NHML [ NHMUK010922188 ] ; 1♀, 3.vii.1994, Nairobi , leg. R. Copeland, coll. NMKE ;

270 Jens-Hermann Stuke & David K. Clements

1♂, 12.viii.1966, Nairobi, 5400 ft, det. as P. pubescens by Smith , 1967, leg. G. R. C. van Someren, coll. NHML [ NHMUK010922186 ] ; 1♂, 2.i.1997, Nairobi, Kebete , 1800 m, leg. T. Romig, coll. PMHA ; MALA- WI: 1♂, 17.iii.1913, Nyasaland, Mlanje [= Mulanje], des. as syntype of P. pubescens , leg. S. A. Neave, coll. NHML [ NHMUK010922166 ] ; 1♂, 6.xi.1912, Nyas- aland, Mt. Mlanje [= Mulanje Massif], des. as syn- type of P. pubescens , leg. S. A. Neave, coll. NHML [ NHMUK010922165 ] ; 1 specimen, 1.x.1913, Nyas- aland, Mt. Mlanje [= Mulanje Massif], des. as syn- type of P. pubescens , leg. S. A. Neave, coll. NHML [ NHMUK010922164 ]; UNKNOWN LOCATION : 1♀, iv.1941, “ Mtowambo ”, det. as P. pubescens by Camras 1962, leg., coll. FMNH ; 1♀, viii.1943, [characters illeg- ible], det. as P. pubescens by Camras 1962, leg. H. J. A. Turner, coll. NHML [ NHMUK010922167 ] .

The material held under ‘ Physocephala pubescens ‘ at the NHML includes four syntypes of P. pubescens and two syntypes of P. curta . The former comprises a mixture of P. pubescens and P. caenostylata Kröber, 1936 . It is therefore necessary to designate a lectotype for P. pubescens and we herewith select a male syntype from Limbe which agrees with the species concept as here defined in order to prevent any change in the past usage of this name.

Stuke (2017a) incorrectly stated that Smith (1980) had synonymized P. curta with P. pubescens when in fact this was done by Camras (1962). Re-examination of the two P. curta syntypes held at NHML concluded that these also comprise multiple species. The female syntype from Elisabethville is identical with P. pubescens , and in order to prevent further confusion we herewith designate this specimen as the lectotype of P. curta . The second syn- type belongs to P. microvena Brunetti, 1925 and bears the labels: (1) “ Paratype / Ph. curta ♀ ”; (2) “Musée du Congo / Ituri: Blukwa / 10 - XI - 1928 / A. Collart”; (3) “Cotype”; (4) “ Physocephala ♀ / curta Krb. / det. Kröber 1935”; (5) “R. DÉT / M / 2992”; coll. MRAC. This spec- imen has, unusually, a distinctly developed radial-medial crossvein and could therefore easily be confused with other species.

Figures

Figs 147–151. Physocephala pubescens Brunetti 1925. 147. Frons, dorsal view (♂, Nairobi); 148. Mediotergite, posterior view (♂, Nairobi); 149. Arista, lateral view (♂, Nairobi); 150. ♀ theca, posteroventral view (♀, Nairobi); 151. ♀ theca, lateral view (♀, Nairobi).