Anthrax bellulus Philippi 1865

Anthrax bellulus Philippi

Anthrax bellulus Philippi, 1865, p. 675 [bellula].—Kertész, 1909, p. 30.—Oldroyd, 1938, p. 84.—Stuardo Ortiz, 1946, p. 96 [bellula].

Spongostylum inappendiculatum Bigot, 1892, p. 351 [Spogostylum].—Kertész, 1909, p. 58.

Anthrax inappendiculatus.—Edwards, 1930, p. 172.—Stuardo Ortiz, 1946, p. 93.

Anthrax imitans.—Edwards, 1930, p. 172 [not Schiner, 1868, misidentification].

MALE.—Body mostly black, legs orange or with dorsoapical parts of femora dark red; apices of sterna broadly orange, of terga narrowly orange. Front with black setae and scattered, lanceolate white scales. Lower half and lateral margins of face with mixed black and yellow setae; upper half of face bare below antennae. Occiput with fine, scattered setae, black on upper two-thirds, white below; scales linear, gold along eye margins on upper third, white elsewhere; fringe of pile on posterior margin black behind gold scales, white elsewhere. First antennal segment about as long as apical width; base of third segment slightly narrower than second segment, bulbous, constricting abruptly to a styliform part which is about as long as base and about twice as long as style.

Disc of mesonotum with fine black setae; linear scales white in medial stripe which divides a round patch of black scales on posterior half, black and orange laterally on anterior half; lateral and posterior margins with woolly, semierect, linear white scales, and black setae and macrochaetae. Scutellum with fine black setae and linear scales, gold along margins, black on disc, few white scales anterolaterally and posteromedially. Stemopleuron, mesopleuron, and anterior part of pteropleuron with white pile and linear scales, gold and black macrochaetae dorsally on last two. Prosternum, propleuron, and anterior margin of mesonotum with yellow and white pile, some black setae on latter; postalar tuft of pile yellow. Metapleuron with patches of linear scales dorsally and ventrally behind spiracle. Coxae with black and yellow setae and linear and lanceolate white scales.

Wing (Plate 6g) hyaline with light brown spots at bases of cells R2+3 and R5, R4, M1, 2M2, in cell R1 above base of sectoral crossvein, running from base of cell R1 to base of cell Cu1; and at bases of cells R, M, and 1A; spots occasionally reduced or absent at bases of cells R4, Ml, and 2M2; base of wing and cells C and Sc light brown. Sectoral crossvein usually present, without angles and spurs. Basal angle of vein R2+3 with long spur. Contact of cells 1M2 and Cu1 about three times longer than width of base of cell Cu1. R–m crossvein about halfway to apex of cell 1M2; vein R2+3 arising basad about length of r–m crossvein. Cell 2A greatly narrowed basally; alula reduced, posterior margin straight. Calypter subhyaline, fringe of hairs brown above, white below. Stem of halter brown, darker above, with few white scales at base; knob dark brown, tip yellow.

Scales on femora mostly white, some black ones anterodorsally on apical halves, especially on fore and middle pairs. Scales on tibiae white. Middle femur with row of macrochaetae anteroventrally; hind femur with anteroventral row of macrochaetae and some scattered anterodorsally toward apex.

First abdominal tergum with white pile laterally and linear, curly white scales along posterior margin. Lateral margins of terga two through four with scattered black setae and long, erect, lanceolate-truncate scales, mostly black anteriorly on segments, yellowish-white posteriorly; lateral margins of terga five, six, and seven with ovate-truncate, yellowish-white and white scales along posterior margins. Discs of terga two through seven with scattered black setae and linear scales, black in submedial patches posteriorly on two and anteriorly on three and four, white anteriorly on two, longitudinally along meson, and posterolaterally, especially on posterior terga, scales mostly gold elsewhere. Venter with light-yellow setae and lanceolate white scales.

MALE GENITALIA (Figure 133).—Gonocoxites broad in ventral view, narrow apically in lateral view; apices gradually rounded to rounded mesal angles in ventral view; mesal sulcus narrow; lateral margins unsclerotized apically; setae scattered over apical four-fifths. Basal segment of gonostylus simple, slightly convex dorsally in lateral view, with few fine setae apically. Distal segment of gonostylus projecting distally, a flat plate curving upward and outward with acute distal and lateral angles apically. Dorsal part of apex of epiphallus with raised transversely rounded mesal ridge, basal angle rounded in dorsal view, acute in lateral view; apex sharply rounded in lateral view, extending beyond tip of aedeagus. Ventrolateral part of apex of epiphallus extending downward and backward from dorsal part, unmodified. Dorsal bands simple, narrow after junction. Base of aedeagus tubular, narrow, tapering gradually to apex. Epandrium simple; each cercus ovoid with blunt ventroapical angle in lateral view, with fine, dense setae giving velvety appearance.

FEMALE.—Similar to male.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figure 123).—Tenth tergum with about ten spines on each side. Ventral arm of ninth tergum narrow, acute apically, posterior margin curled toward meson medially. Dorsomedial angle of sclerite on each side of gonopore large, projecting dorsomedially as a broadly rounded lobe, broader than lateral arm which is slightly curved upward apically; ventral arm slightly curved laterad above, with sharp ventral point. Each duct of spermathecae about twice as long as bulb; first sections short, unsclerotized; second section about 1.5 times as long as bulb, sclerotized and covered with granular pubescence; third section short, clear; bulb ovoid with short stem.

DISTRIBUTION.—Only three specimens of this species have been seen by the author. One is labeled “Chile. A. Faz,” the second “Perales. 1–26,” and the third “Perales. 1–25” and “Valparaiso, Chile. A. Faz.” No specific type-locality is given, although it probably is the province of Santiago, Chile, since most of Philippi’s types came from there. The specimen referred to below as inappendiculatus was collected at Majada Blanca, Manquehua, Coquimbo, Chile. This species probably occurs diroughout central Chile and possibly in western Argentina.

TYPES.—The type of Anthrax bellula Philippi, which was presumably in the Santiago Muesum, has not been seen by the author. The specimens at hand agree perfectly with the description, however, and, as Philippi stated, bellulus cannot be confused with any other Chilean species. Philippi makes no mention of the presence of a sectoral crossvein on the wing, but from his description it may be inferred. Of the specimens examined, two have the crossvein present and the other has it present on one wing but not on the other.

According to notes by R. H. and E. M. Painter, the type female of Spongostylum inappendiculatum Bigot is in the Bigot collection of the British Museum. It is headless, as Bigot stated, but is otherwise well preserved. It carries the label “Spogostylum inappendiculatum Inédit. n. sp. Quinze Août 1888. J. Bigot, Chili.”

A specimen in the collection of the author from Coquimbo, Chile, agrees well with the redescription and photograph of the type furnished by Dr. and Mrs. Painter. The two specimens apparently differ from typical specimens of bellulus only in having the pigmentation on the wings reduced with the spots at the bases of cells R4, M1, and 2M2 absent or represented by faint clouds. Further collecting may show that bellulus and inappendiculatus are separate taxa, but with the limited number of specimens available, it seems best to regard them as one species.