Corresponding author: Andrew Liston (
Academic editor: Ralph Peters
The Afrotropical fauna contains five genera of
The Afrotropical species of
Our study aims to render the rich Afrotropical fauna of
Specimens were studied with Leica MZ12, Olympus SZX12, and Wild M8 binocular microscopes. Lancets and penis valves were examined with a Leitz Laborlux S transmitted-light microscope, and photographed through this with a Leica Wild MPS32 camera. The outlines for the illustrations of the dorsal and ventral parts of the male genital capsule, including the digitus and cuspis, were obtained using a Leo 1450VP scanning electron microscope. Details of the genitalia were filled in by hand while constantly cross-checking specimens through the microscope. Habitus photos of adults, and details of larvae, were mostly taken with a Leica DFC295 camera attached to an Olympus SZX12 microscope. Larvae were photographed immersed in ethanol, sometimes held in place with fine pellets of glass. Composite images with an extended depth of field were created using the software CombineZ5 (
Morphological terminology follows
Material examined is deposited in the following institutions:
Namibian
Other abbreviations
Holotype
Lectotype
Paratype
The only species included in
1 | Mesotibia and metatibia with preapical spine | 2 |
– | Meta- and mesotibia without preapical spine | 3 |
2 | Fore wing without crossvein 2r-m, and cells 1Rs and 2Rs fused, thus only three submarginal cells present, with the second very large; body usually entirely black |
|
– | Fore wing with crossvein 2r-m, and cells 1Rs and 2Rs present, thus four submarginal cells present, with the second not conspicuously larger; body usually bicoloured |
|
3 | Body and legs entirely black, with blue metallic lustre | |
– | Body extensively pale, with or without blue metallic lustre on black parts, or if entirely black at least tibiae pale marked | 4 |
4 | Interantennal area concave or plane, without interantennal carinae; fore wing with basal anal cell (1A) absent; especially in female head in dorsal view conspicuously narrow, about half as broad as thorax maximum width |
|
– | Interantennal area with two more or less conspicuously ridged interantennal carinae; fore wing with basal anal cell (1A) present; head in dorsal view not conspicuously narrow, about two thirds as broad as thorax maximum width |
|
Antenna has three articles (Fig.
Coloration black with more or less blue metallic lustre, and yellowish or yellow-orange markings. Body length from 5.3 to 15.3 mm.
1 | Abdomen entirely yellow or light brown (Figs |
2 |
– | Abdomen more or less bicoloured; yellow, orange and black, mostly with blue metallic lustre (Figs |
4 |
2 | Mesopleuron entirely yellow (Figs |
3 |
– | Mesopleuron dorsally blackish (Fig. |
|
3 | Antenna partly yellow (Fig. |
|
– | Antenna entirely black, propleuron dorsally and ventrally blackish margined, stigma unicoloured, black (Figs |
|
4 | Fore legs black with at most small areas of tibia dark brown (Fig. |
|
– | At least protibia light brown (Figs |
5 |
5 | Thorax entirely black (Figs |
6 |
– | At least lateral parts of pronotum pale (Figs |
7 |
6 | All femora mostly black (Fig. |
|
– | Meso- and metafemur yellow (Fig. |
|
7 | Legs black without blue metallic lustre, only protibia light brown (Fig. |
|
– | Femora black with blue metallic lustre, tibiae predominantly yellow (Figs |
8 |
8 | Costa and subcosta blackish (Figs |
|
– | Costa and anterior of subcosta yellow (Figs |
Figures
Head, thorax and legs black with blue metallic lustre. Wings strongly infuscate, intercostal area fuscous; substigmal spot inconspicuous; stigma, costa, subcosta and rest of venation black. Abdomen black with blue metallic lustre; at least terga 9/10 and ovipositor sheath yellow-orange.
Head enlarged behind eyes. Antenna 1.6× as long as maximum head width; flagellum enlarged towards apex, quadrangular in cross section, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae conspicuously more weakly compressed. Interior margins of eyes parallel-sided. Anterior margin of the clypeus circularly emarginate, supraclypeal area gently rounded and protruding up to ventral limit of interantennal carinae. Interantennal carinae obtusely ridged, strongly converging below, extending to the level of ventral margin of torulus. Frons, supraclypeal area and clypeus rugosely sculptured or densely punctate, weakly shiny, vertex and gena sparsely micropunctate, shiny; pubescence light brown. Metatibia distally conspicuously laterally compressed. Mesoscutum nearly impunctate, shiny; pubescence similar to that on head. Abdomen smooth and shiny. Valvulae 3: Figs
Length: 10.5–15.3 mm.
Figure
Similarly coloured to female, only tergum 8 and sterna 6–9 yellow-orange. Head very slightly narrowed behind eyes. Antenna 1.8× as long as maximum head width; flagellum not enlarged towards apex, quadrangular in cross section, flattened apically, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae more weakly compressed. Supraclypeal area scarcely protruding up to base of interantennal carinae. Interantennal carinae extending about one quarter of way to clypeus. Other characters as for female. Penis valve: Fig.
Length: 10.3 mm.
1 ♂, 7 ♀♀. Democratic Republic of the Congo: Luluabourg, P. Janssens (1 ♀) (
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone (Fig.
By its large size and distinctive coloration (infuscate wings; black body and legs, with only abdomen apically pale),
The coloration of the abdomen varies from the described typical (darker) form to the apical half of the abdomen yellow-orange with terga 5/6 medially more or less black. In these pale specimens sterna 2–4 are basally yellow-orange. This form with a more or less entirely yellow-orange apical half of abdomen was described under the name
Figures
Head and thorax black with metallic lustre. Pronotum yellow with anterior margin and medial area black. Legs black with blue metallic lustre; pro- and mesotibia entirely yellow, metatibia yellow with narrow blackish apex, basitarsomeres yellow with apex of meso- and metabasitarsomere blackish. Wings including intercostal area flavescent-hyaline; substigmal spot small and fuscous; stigma black; costa and subcosta yellowish; rest of venation blackish. Abdomen yellow-orange; terga 1–6(7) broadly black with blue metallic lustre; terga 8/9 entirely black, sterna 5–7 more or less black; valvifers 2 of ovipositor sheath black.
Head very slightly enlarged behind eyes. Antenna 1.4× as long as maximum head width; flagellum enlarged towards apex, quadrangular in cross section, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae conspicuously weaker compressed. Eyes slightly converging towards clypeus. Anterior margin of the clypeus broadly, shallowly, circularly emarginate. Supraclypeal area gently rounded, protruding up to ventral limit of interantennal carinae. Interantennal carinae obtusely ridged, converging below, extending to about the level of ventral margin of torulus. Frons, vertex, supraclypeal area and clypeus densely punctate, dull. Postocellar area and gena moderately densely micropunctate, shiny; pubescence whitish. Metatibia not distally laterally compressed (nearly circular in cross section). Mesoscutum punctation similar to gena, shiny; pubescence similar to that on head. Abdomen smooth and shiny. Valvulae 3: Figs
Length: 8.0–8.7 mm.
Figures
Similarly coloured to female, except narrow posterior margin of tergum 9 yellow, and tibiae entirely yellow.
Antenna 1.7× as long as maximum head width; flagellum not enlarged towards apex, about oval in cross section, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, outer carina conspicuously more weakly compressed, other carinae negligible. Supraclypeal area gently rising up to ventral limit of interantennal carinae. Other characters as for female. Penis valve: Fig.
Length: 7.3–8.3 mm.
13 ♂♂, 17 ♀♀. Kenya: Stony Athi, Biol[ogical] Survey 5-40 (1♀) (
Tanzania, Kenya (Fig.
Figures
Head black; flagellum dark brown. Thorax black; pronotum and tegula yellow. Legs black; anterior surface of protibia brownish yellow, posterior surface brown. Wings subhyaline including intercostal area; substigmal spot very small and slightly infuscate, costa and stigma light brown, subcosta and rest of venation brown. Dorsal surface of abdomen black with very slight metallic lustre; terga 3–5 yellow, tergum 5 medio-apically blackish spotted, terga 2/6 yellow laterally, sterna 3–6 yellow, sometimes with blackish markings medio-apically, sternum 9 with yellow apical half.
Head narrowed behind eyes. Antenna 2.0× as long as maximum head width; flagellum scarcely enlarged towards apex, triangular in cross section, somewhat flattened apically, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae more weakly compressed. Eyes slightly converging towards clypeus. Anterior margin of the clypeus shallowly circularly emarginate, supraclypeal area flatly rising up to base of interantennal carinae, interantennal carinae sharply ridged, scarcely converging below, extending about one third of way to clypeus. Vertex, frons and clypeus impunctate, shiny; gena with micropunctures, shiny; pubescence whitish. Mesoscutum nearly impunctate, shiny; pubescence similar to that on head. Abdomen shiny; terga 1–3 with irregular microsculpture, posterior margin of tergum 8 with large triangular membranous median depression. Penis valve: Fig.
Length: 5.5–6.0 mm.
Unknown.
Holotype: ♂. Labels: “Namibia, Brandberg, Mason Shelter,
Namibia (Fig.
Together with
Variability in colour pattern is scarcely noticeable in the two known specimens, except that tergum 5 as well as sterna 3–5 may be entirely yellow, and the pronotum may have a small ventro-lateral blackish spot.
Figures
Head black; labrum yellow. Thorax yellow with following black: mesoscutum except for a small lateral spot on lateral lobe adjacent to tegula; mesoscutellum and metanotum; dorsal and ventral margin of propleuron. Legs yellow; mesotibia very narrowly and metatibia broadly ringed blackish apically; mesotarsomeres with black apex, metatarsomeres black, with basal half of metabasitarsomere yellow. Wings bicoloured: basal half flavescent, apical half and intercostal area infuscate; substigmal spot fuscous and small; stigma, subcosta and venation in apical half black; costa and venation in basal half yellowish. Abdomen yellow.
Head parallel-sided behind eyes. Antenna 1.4× as long as maximum head width; flagellum enlarged towards apex, quadrangular in cross section, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae more weakly compressed. Eyes slightly converging towards clypeus. Anterior margin of the clypeus with shallow circular emargination, supraclypeal area slightly rounded, protruding up to base of interantennal carinae, interantennal carinae obtusely ridged, very slightly converging below, extending about to the level of ventral margin of torulus. Frons, supraclypeal area and clypeus moderately densely punctate, shiny; vertex and gena scattered micropunctate, shiny; pubescence yellowish. Anterior half of mesoscutum densely punctate, weakly shiny; posterior half nearly impunctate, shiny; pubescence similar to that on head. Abdomen smooth and shiny. Valvulae 3: Figs
Length: 7.8–9.0 mm.
Figures
Coloration similar to female except for a more or less large yellowish patch on clypeus and supraclypeal area. Sometimes mesoscutellum yellow only medially and on posterior half. Mesotibia entirely, mesotarsus nearly entirely yellow; metatarsomeres black ringed apically. Wings slightly infuscate throughout; stigma, subcosta and venation blackish, only costa yellowish.
Head slightly narrowed behind eyes. Antenna 1.9× as long as maximum head width; flagellum scarcely enlarged towards apex, scarcely flattened apically, slightly triangular in cross section; interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae much more weakly compressed. Other characters as for female. Penis valve: Fig.
Length: 7.3–7.7 mm.
Holotype: ♀. Labels: “Benin, Cotonou, on
Figures
Individuals of two instars were examined in detail: GBIF GISHym 21229, total length 13mm, head capsule width 1.4mm; GBIF GISHym 21236, total length 6mm, head capsule width 0.9mm. Mature larvae reach a length of about 25 mm. All examined instars extremely similar in coloration except that the abdominal prolegs are pale in later instars (Fig.
Head with frons mainly dark, and extensive partly confluent black patches on parietal region and vertex (Figs
Thoracic legs with six articles (Fig.
Entire surface of trunk with numerous very short, fine, pale setae. On dark-pigmented areas of thorax and abdominal segments 1, 2 and 10, setae are darker and longer. All three dorsal annulets of meso- and metathorax and abdominal segments 1–2 with row of small, dark-pigmented glandubae (Fig.
Abdomen strongly tapering caudally, ventral surface appearing flat in live specimens. Prolegs very small; developed on abdominal segments 2–6 and 10 (Figs
The trunk of the prepupa (Fig.
Larvae were found and reared by G. Goergen at the
Flight period: June to December, peaking in July and October especially shortly after the annual flushing of individual trees of
The new species name, a Latinised adjective, refers to the historical West African kingdom of Dahomey, the later Republic of Benin, in which the type locality is situated.
Benin (Fig.
Especially males of
General morphology of the larva is very similar to the
Figures
Head black with blue metallic lustre; antenna black. Thorax black with blue metallic lustre, except for yellow metapleuron. Legs dirty yellow to light brown with following black with more or less blue metallic lustre: coxae, trochanters, profemur, extreme apex of meso- and metatibia, protarsus, more or less distal tarsomeres of meso- and metatarsus. Wings strongly infuscate; intercostal area and small substigmal spot fuscous, stigma, costa, subcosta and rest of venation black. Abdomen yellow; terga 1/2 nearly entirely black, tergum 3 broadly black, tergum 4 blackish spotted medially.
Head very slightly enlarged behind eyes. Antenna 1.6× as long as maximum head width; flagellum not enlarged towards apex, triangular in cross section, scarcely flattened apically, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae weakly compressed. Eyes slightly converging towards clypeus. Anterior margin of the clypeus shallowly circularly emarginate, supraclypeal area scarcely protruding up to ventral limit of interantennal carinae, interantennal carinae sharply ridged, conspicuously converging below, extending about one quarter of way to clypeus. Frons, supraclypeal area and clypeus moderately densely micropunctate, shiny, vertex and gena sparsely micropunctate, shiny; pubescence brownish. Mesoscutum sparsely micropunctate, shiny; pubescence similar to that on head. Abdomen irregularly microsculptured, with conspicuous dense pubescence. Penis valve: Fig.
Length: 9.7 mm.
Unknown.
Holotype: ♂. Labels: “Coll. Mus. Congo., Territ[oire] de Sandoa, Gal[erie] forest[ière] Kawanga, 20.XI.1948, N. Leleup”; “
Democratic Republic of the Congo (Fig.
The genitalia preparation mentioned above (“Genit. ♂, H4-47”) was not available (personal communication from Stephane Hanot, collection manager at
Figures
Head black, including antenna. Thorax black. Legs black; tibiae whitish, apically slightly brownish, tarsi brownish. Wings hyaline with intercostal area slightly flavescent-hyaline; substigmal spot very small and slightly infuscate; costa light brown with basal half white, stigma, subcosta and rest of venation light brown. Abdomen yellowish brown; terga 1,2 black, terga 3–5 with small light brown median spot, tergum 5 additionally with light brown posterior margin, terga 6/7 brown; ventral surface of abdomen brown with yellow longitudinal median stripe.
Head parallel-sided behind eyes. Antenna 1.6× as long as maximum head width; flagellum scarcely enlarged towards apex, quadrangular in cross section, somewhat flattened towards apex, ventral surface with moderately compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae more weakly compressed. Eyes slightly converging towards clypeus. Anterior margin of clypeus shallowly, circularly emarginated; supraclypeal area roundly protruding up to ventral limit of interantennal carinae; interantennal carinae sharply ridged between antennae, converging below, extending about one third of way to clypeus. Vertex, frons, gena, clypeus and supraclypeal area sparsely micropunctate, shiny; pubescence whitish. Mesoscutum nearly impunctate, shiny; pubescence similar to that on head; lateral lobe of mesoscutum with narrow glabrous stripe. Valvulae 3: Figs
Length: 6.0 mm.
Figures
General coloration similar to that of female. Head and mesoscutum with slight metallic lustre; anterior margin of labrum brownish. Tarsi light brown. Costa almost entirely whitish. Abdomen blackish, tergum 3 yellowish with light brown median spot, terga 4/7 light brown, distal terga yellow; sterna 7/9 yellow.
Antenna 1.7× as long as maximum head width; apex of flagellum flattened, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina. Other characters as for female. Penis valve: Fig.
Length: 5.3 mm.
Holotype: ♀. Labels: “Namibia, Lüderitz, Scorpion Hill,
Paratype: 1 ♂: Namibia: Lüderitz Distr[ict], 10 km NW Rosh Pinah,
Namibia (Fig.
Figures
Head black; labrum yellow; antenna light brown with blackish apex and sharply compressed longitudinal carina. Thorax yellow with following black: mesoscutum except for a small median spot between lateral lobes on posterior margin, mesoscutellum and metascutellum. Legs yellow; metatibia and metatarsomeres moderately broadly blackish-ringed apically, tarsomeres 3/4 nearly entirely black. Wings including intercostal area slightly infuscate; substigmal spot weakly developed, stigma bicoloured with dirty whitish base and blackish apical half, costa whitish, subcosta except for apex adjacent to stigma and rest of venation blackish. Abdomen yellow.
Head slightly narrowed behind eyes. Antenna 1.6× as long as maximum head width; flagellum very slightly enlarged towards apex, triangular in cross section, scarcely flattened apically, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae weakly compressed. Eyes very slightly converging towards clypeus. Anterior margin of clypeus semi-circularly emarginate over its entire width; supraclypeal area very slightly rounded, protruding up to ventral limit of interantennal carinae, interantennal carinae obtusely ridged, converging below, extending to a little below ventral margin of torulus. Frons, supraclypeal area and clypeus densely punctate, weakly shiny, vertex and gena scattered micropunctate, shiny; pubescence whitish. Mesoscutum moderately densely punctate, shiny; pubescence similar to that on head. Abdomen smooth and shiny. Penis valve: Fig.
Length: 7.3 mm.
Unknown.
Holotype: ♂. Labels: “Nigeria, 14.V.2011, 26 km SEE Abuja,
The new species is named after Nigeria, the country in which the holotype was collected.
Nigeria (Fig.
Figures
Head black with following yellow: labrum, clypeus, supraclypeal area. Interantennal area light brown; antenna black with ventral surface brownish, base of scape yellow. Thorax yellow with following black: mesoscutum, metascutum, dorsal half of mesepisternum blackish. Legs yellow with following black: narrow apex of mesotibia, broad apex of metatibia, pro- and mesotarsomeres more or less blackish ringed apically, metabasitarsomere black ringed apically with following tarsomeres black. Wings slightly infuscate; intercostal area and very small substigmal spot infuscate; stigma, costa, subcosta and rest of venation blackish. Abdomen yellow.
Head parallel-sided behind eyes. Antenna 1.3× as long as maximum head width; flagellum conspicuously enlarged towards apex, quadrangular in cross section, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae conspicuously weakly compressed. Eyes very slightly converging towards clypeus. Anterior margin of the clypeus shallowly, circularly emarginated; supraclypeal area scarcely protruding up to ventral limit of interantennal carinae, interantennal carinae obtusely ridged, not converging below, extending about to level of ventral margin of torulus. Frons, supraclypeal area and clypeus sparsely micropunctate, shiny, vertex and gena densely micropunctate, subshiny; pubescence whitish. Mesoscutum irregularly microsculptured, subshiny; pubescence similar to that on head. Abdomen smooth and shiny. Valvulae 3: Figs
Length: 7.0 mm.
Unknown.
Holotype: ♀. Labels: “Kenya S. E., Tsavo, Voi env[ironment], 15.IV.2004, M. Snižek leg.”; “
The species is named after its collection locality, Tsavo National Park in Kenya.
Kenya (Fig.
Figures
Head black with blue metallic lustre. Thorax black with metallic lustre; pronotum yellow with anterior margin and medially black. Legs black with blue metallic lustre; pro- and mesotibia entirely yellow, metatibia yellow with moderately broad blackish apex, probasitarsomere sometimes with yellow base. Wings including intercostal area subhyaline; substigmal spot strongly infuscate but small; stigma, costa, subcosta and rest of venation black. Abdomen yellow-orange; terga 1–6 broadly black with blue metallic lustre; terga 7–9 entirely black, sternum 5 with broad black posterior margin, sterna 6/7 entirely black; ovipositor sheath with black valvifers 2.
Head very slightly enlarged behind eyes. Antenna 1.4× as long as maximum head width; flagellum enlarged towards apex, quadrangular in cross section, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, other longitudinal carinae conspicuously more weakly compressed. Eyes slightly converging towards clypeus. Anterior margin of the clypeus broadly, shallowly, triangularly emarginate; supraclypeal area nearly evenly rising up to base of interantennal carinae, interantennal carinae obtusely ridged, converging below, extending to about level of ventral margin of torulus. Frons, supraclypeal area and clypeus rugosely sculptured, dull, vertex densely punctate, dull, postocellar area and gena densely micropunctate, shiny; pubescence whitish. Mesoscutum moderately densely micropunctate, shiny; pubescence similar to that on head. Abdomen smooth and shiny. Valvulae 3: Figs
Length: 9.5 mm.
Figures
General coloration similar to that of female. Metatibia entirely yellow, sometimes interior surface of apex slightly blackish, basal tarsomeres of fore and mid legs extensively yellow. Sterna 5-9 black with blue metallic lustre, sternum 9 broadly yellow apically.
Antenna 1.8× as long as maximum head width; flagellum slightly enlarged medially, scarcely flattened apically, approximately oval in cross section, interior surface with sharply compressed longitudinal carina, outer carina conspicuously more weakly compressed, other carinae not developed. Other characters as for female. Penis valve: Fig.
Length: 7.2–7.8 mm.
Holotype: ♀. Labels: “Tanzania CE, SE Nbuyuni Baobab vall[ey]. [ca.
The new species name, a noun in apposition, refers to the well-known and widely distributed African ungulate, so named in several European languages.
Tanzania. The only known locality lies on the edge of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park (Fig.
Distribution map for
Distribution map for
Intraspecific variability is apparent in the coloration of the dorsum of the abdomen, where the black markings are medially more or less extensive, and the more or less extensively yellow coloured pro- and mesotarsi.
The regrettable current lack of knowledge on the host plant associations of the majority of Afrotropical
Our study aims to make possible the identification of part of the species-rich Afrotropical fauna of
The separation of the
The morphology of the larva of
We are most grateful to S. M. Blank (