About wrongly assigned Afrotropical Dichaetomyia specimens resembling Dichaetomyia ovata (Stein) (Diptera: Muscidae), with descriptions of four new species

Descriptions of four new Afrotropical muscid species confusingly similar to Dichaetomyia ovata (Stein) (Diptera: Muscidae)

“…In the identification table [1] for incorrectly assigned specimens similar to D. ovata, Dichaetomyia congoa sp. n. leads to Dichaetomyia niovata Zielke, 2023.…”

“…The mid and hind femur each have a row of posteroventral setae in the basal part of the femur, which are not present in D. ovata. Following the recently compiled differentiation criteria for the previously incorrectly assigned D. ovata specimens [1] , the holotype of Dichaetomyia ghanuga sp. n. is closest to the species D. niovata.…”

“…Dichaetomyia ovata and Dichaetomyia rutila were both described as separate species by Stein [8] in 1918. However, D. rutila was initially treated by van Emden as a variation and later as a subspecies [1] of D. ovata. Since the publication of the Catalogue of Afrotropical Muscidae [9] ), the two taxa have been considered conspecific.…”

“…n. is indeed similar to D. ovata and it is understandable that the female was assigned to the corresponding collection box. Even using the key [1] for D. ovata (Stein) and D. ovata (Stein)-specimens of authors, Dichaetomyia nigeriana sp. n. still most resembles the original D. ovata.…”

“…A large fly usually more than 10 mm long, predominantly shiny yellow to pale brownish-yellow with a dusted white marking on the anterior part of thorax and with shiny yellow extremities, belonging to the subgenus Panaga Curran, 1928. In a recent publication it was now reported that several specimens identified in previous years as D. ovata and registered as such in different entomological collections are in fact representatives of hitherto unknown new species [1] . Studying Muscidae in the entomological collection during a visit to the Natural History Museum in London, UK, the D. ovata specimens present there were examined and compared with recent findings on the differences between specimens of D. ovata (Stein) and D. ovata (Stein) of authors.…”