Anthrax minimaculatus Oldroyd 1937

Anthrax minimaculatus Oldroyd

Anthrax minimaculatus Oldroyd, 1937, p. 83.

MALE.—Basal antennal segments, legs, margins of thoracic pleura, and margins of abdominal segments reddish or orange. Front with black setae and linear gold scales. Face with mixed yellow and black setae and yellow scales. Occiput with fine yellow setae and yellow, gold and white scales; fringe of pile on posterior margin yellow with light tips. First antennal segment about 1.5 times longer than wide, cylindrical; second segment globular, slightly narrower than apex of first segment, base of third segment narrower than second segment, elongate globular, about three-fourths as long as styliform part, which is about 1.5 times longer than style.

Disc of mesonotum with fine black setae and mixed gold, yellow, and white, linear scales, few black scales medially on posterior half; lateral margins with longer, suberect, linear, gold, yellow and white scales, and coarse black setae and macrochaetae. Scutellum with gold, yellow and white, linear scales on margin and along mesal line, with linear black scales in submedial patches. Pile, setae, and scales on sternopleuron, mesopleuron, and anterior part of pteropleuron white, setae on last two yellow. Pile on presternum, propleuron, and anterior margin of mesonotum yellowish white, some black hairs on latter; postalar tuft of pile white. Metapleuron with few lanceolate, white scales above and behind spiracle, bare below. Coxae with yellow setae and black scales.

Wing (Plate 6e) largely hyaline, cells C and Sc subhyaline. Light-brown spots present at bases of cells R2+3, R5, R4, M1, and 2M2, postmedially in cell R1, extending from base of cell R1 to base of cell Cu1, and at bases of cells R, M, and 2A. Basal angle of vein R4 with long spur, but not connected to vein R2+3 to form sectoral crossvein. R–m crossvein at basal two-fifths of cell 1M2; contact of cells 1M2 and Cu1 about 1.5 times longer than width of base of cell Cu1. Cell 2A slightly broader than cell 1A, not narrowed basally; alula well developed, posterior margin convex. Calypter subhyaline, fringe of hair white. Stem of halter yellow; knob yellow basally, white apically.

Femora and tibiae with ovate white scales except for few yellow scales anteriorly toward apices of femora. Middle femur with complete anteroventral row of macrochaetae; hind femur with complete anteroventral and posteroventral rows and few scattered dorsally at apex.

Lateral margins of first abdominal tergum with yellowish-white pile, few brown hairs posteriorly; posterior margin with fine, curly, yellow and white scales. Lateral margin of second tergum with white setae and scales anteriorly, with black setae and long, lanceolate, brown and white scales posteriorly; terga three and four with black setae and lanceolate-truncate scales, black anteriorly and white posteriorly; lateral margins of remaining terga with fine white setae and sparse, short white scales. Discs of terga with fine black setae and linear and lanceolate scales, white and yellowish white in medial transverse band on two, in mesal longitudinal spots and posterolaterally on posterior segments, mixed gold, yellow and white elsewhere, few black scales submedially at middle of two and submedially along anterior margin of three and four. Venter with fine white setae and lanceolate scales.

MALE GENITALIA (Figure 129).—Gonocoxites broad basally, tapering with slight preapical emargination to broadly rounded apices in ventral view, narrow with acute apices in lateral view, medial sulcus narrow and shallow, deepening apically to separate distinct distal lobes; setae short, becoming sparse basally. Basal segment of gonostylus platelike, slightly rounded dorsally, extending to base of distal segment. Distal segment broadest mesolaterally, triangular basally, rounding dorsomedially to sharp apex; large, sharp, preapical tooth present laterally. Dorsal part of apex of epiphallus flattened dorsoventrally, with sharp, recurved basal spine; apex broadly rounded in dorsal view, mesal part raised and curved to apex in lateral view. Ventrolateral part of apex of epiphallus extending downward and backward from before apex, narrow, tapering, and sharp distally. Dorsal bands simple, with row of fine erect setae before and after junction. Epandrium simple, with coarse setae; cercus oblong dorsoventrally, entirely pale, with fine yellow setae.

FEMALE.—Similar to male, judging from Oldroyd’s description.

DISTRIBUTION.—Anthrax minimaculatus is known only from the type series from La Rioja, Patquia, Argentina.

TYPE.—The type female and 12 paratypes of Anthrax minimaculatus Oldroyd are in the British Museum. A photograph by R. H. and E. M. Painter shows the type female is in good condition. Although Oldroyd stated that the 12 paratypes were all females, the two paratypes loaned for study are males.