Anthrax midas Fabricius 1805

Anthrax midas Fabricius

Anthrax midas Fabricius, 1805, p. 124.—Kertész, 1909, p. 46.

Anthrax guianicus Curran, 1934, p. 362 [guianica].

Anthrax mexicanus Cole, 1957, p. 202.

MALE.—Integument generally black; femora, tibiae, and sometimes pleura reddish brown; eye margins silver pruinose, remainder of body brown to gray pruinose. Front with black setae and scales; setae on face mostly black, a few white setae below. Occiput with short black setae and linear scales, black above, white below; fringe of pile on posterior margin black above, white below. First antennal segment about 1.5 times longer than its apical width; second segment globular; third segment flattened mesolaterally, tapering gradually from base to styliform part, styliform part about equal to base; style about two-thirds as long as styliform part (Figure 95).

Discs of mesonotum and scutellum with fine black setae and linear black scales; lateral margins with woolly black scales and coarse black setae. Sternopleuron, mesopleuron, and anterior half of pteropleuron with fine black setae and brown, white, or mixed, linear scales and hairs. Prosternum and propleuron with white or mixed brown and white pile; anterior margin of mesonotum with mixed black setae and white or brown and white pile; postalar tuft of pile black. Anteroventral corner of hypopleuron with some fine, black or white hairs; metapleuron sometimes with fine brown or white hairs extending from behind spiracle to coxa. Anterior coxa with fine, brown and white hairs and scales, and black setae. Middle and hind coxae with linear brown scales and black setae, a few white scales sometimes present.

Wing (Plate 4e) brown basally, hyaline apically; pigment fading apically. Pigment filling all of cells C and Sc, and extending out to a line curving from vein R1 before tip of vein Sc through bases of cells R2+3, R5, and Cu1 to tip of vein 2A. Stigmatic area lightly pigmented. Basal angle of vein R2+3 with short spur; basal angle of cell R4 with long spur. R–m crossvein located at basal third of cell 1M2; contact of cells 1M2 and Cu1 slightly longer than width of base of cell Cu1. Wing not narrowed basally; cell 2A slightly wider than cell 1A. Calypter pigmented, fringe of hairs brown. Alula rounded posteriorly. Halter brownish black, knob yellow apically.

Scales on femora and tibiae entirely black, or posterior margins of fore and middle pairs with white scales; scales on hind tibia and basitarsus sometimes semierect. Middle femur with four to seven macrochaetae anteroventrally; anterior side with one or more macrochaetae postmedially. Hind femur with a complete row of macrochaetae anteroventrally and partial rows posteroventrally and anterodorsally.

Lateral margins of first abdominal tergum with dense white pile, a few black setae and recumbent white scales sometimes present posteriorly; lateral margins of terga two through five with dense black pile and setae. Posterior margin of first tergum and discs of terga two through five with sparse, fine black setae and linear black scales. Terga six and seven and sometimes lateral margins of five with dense, overlapping, elongate, posteriorly projecting, silver scales. Venter with sparse white scales and fine setae, white anteriorly, black posteriorly.

MALE GENITALIA (Figure 58).—Gonocoxites long and narrow, dorsal margins tapering gradually to ventral margins apically; apices narrowed in ventral view, infolded mesally to form flat lobelike structures; setae on gonocoxites evenly distributed basally beyond medial fold, apices bare. Basal segment of gonostylus oblong in lateral view, with dense tuft of setae internally at apex. Distal segment of gonostylus pyriform in ventral view, ovoid in lateral view, apex extending outward and downward; lateral and ventral surfaces with fine setae. Apex of epiphallus flattened dorsoventrally, apex broad and bluntly angled in dorsal view, short, sharp, recurved lobes present on each side midway between junction of dorsal bands and apex. Dorsal bands proximate mesally, with some setae before junction. Base of aedeagus narrow, tapering to junction with ventral bands before lateral lobes of epiphallus.

FEMALE.—Similar to male. White scales more extensive on pleura and fore and middle femora. Fringe of hairs on calypter often white. Scales and setae on anterior stema white, on posterior sterna black. Pigmentation of wing slightly more extensive, reaching base of cell 2M2. White scales on abdominal terga restricted to sides of five and six.

FEMALE GENITALIA (Figure 76).—Tenth tergum with 21 spines on each side. Ventral arm of ninth tergum more or less parallel basally, irregularly margined, and slightly expanded distally. Dorsomedial angle of sclerite on each side of gonopore produced dorsally as short, sharply rounded lobe; lateral arm broad, parallel sided, and truncate distally, ventral arm broad, twisted parallel to meson, and slightly curved outward. Spermathecal ducts about as long as bulbs; first section very short; middle section about two-thirds as long as apical section which is about two-thirds as long as bulb and broadened apically; bulb elongate tubular, about 2.5 times longer than wide, tapering basally and with a slightly enlarged, darker apical part.

DISTRIBUTION.—Anthrax midas occurs in equatorial and tropical forests from southern Mexico to southeastern Brazil (Map 15).

MAP 15.—Distribution of Anthrax midas

TYPES.—The holotype female of Anthrax midas Fabricius is in the Universitets Zoologiske Museum, Copenhagen, collection. According to Painter and Painter (unpublished notes) it is in fairly good condition although the antennae are missing. It carries the red type label and “A. midas, ex Am. Merid. Schmidt.” A homotype has been seen by the author.

The types of Anthrax guianicus Curran are in the American Museum of Natural History. The holotype is lacking its head; the allotype lacks one wing, four legs and its abdomen, and has its head glued on. The paratype female is in excellent condition. Curran reversed the sexes in his description.

The types of Anthrax mexicanus Cole are in the collection of the University of California at Berkeley. A paratype male in excellent condition has been seen by the author.