A review of the assassin-fly genus Laphyctis Loew , 1858 with descriptions of two new species ( Diptera , Asilidae , Laphriinae )

The asilid genus Laphyctis Loew, 1858 is revised. The genus is restricted to the Afrotropical Region where it has been confused with the more widely distributed Laphystia Loew, 1847, which currently has no Afrotropical representatives. Three previously described species are recognised: Laphyctis gigantella (Loew, 1852), type of the genus, Laphyctis argenteofasciata (Engel, 1929), reinstated from the synonymy of L. gigantella, and Laphyctis orichalcea (Lindner, 1973). Two new species are described, Laphyctis eremia sp. n. from Namibia and Laphyctis iota sp. n. from South Africa. The genus has a wide distribution ranging from northern Kenya to eastern South Africa and to western Namibia. Species are associated with dry, sandy habitats.


Introduction
There has been some confusion surrounding the asilid genus Laphyctis Loew, 1858 and the purpose of this contribution is to clarify its position as a recognised genus within the Afrotropical fauna and to revise the regional fauna.The taxonomic history of Laphyctis may be summarised by way of the following brief historical review: Note: It is worth noting that although Loew had not yet described Laphyctis, to which gigantella would be assigned, he was not tempted to place his new species in Laphystia.Loew (1858) -Briefly described Laphyctis with gigantella, from Inhambane (Mozambique) and Swakop (Namibia), being the only species allocated to the genus (therefore the type species of the genus).Loew (1860) -Elaborated on his description of Laphyctis comparing it with Laphystia and giving a full description of gigantella citing both male and female material from Mozambique (Inhambane) collected by Peters and Namibia (Swakop) collected by Wahlberg.He illustrated both the wing (his fig.42a) and antenna (his fig.42b).Loew (1862) -Merely listed Stichopogon gigantella from Mozambique.Bigot (1879) -Argued that, in his opinion, Laphyctis and Laphystia could not be separated.Becker et al. (1903) -Included Laphyctis and Laphystia as separate genera in their Palaearctic Catalogue.They did not list with certainty any species of Laphyctis, citing only (p.124) '? Erberi Schin.'With a footnote 'teste Loewio, in hoc genere dubia.' Kertész (1909) -Listed Laphyctis as a synonym of Laphystia in his world catalogue.Engel (1929) -Described Laphystia argenteofasciata, listing the unpublished name clausicella Herman as a synonym.He listed material from 'Brit.E. Africa [Kenya], Marstbed' and 'Saw Mills.S. Rhodesia [Zimbabwe]' without designation of a holotype, and illustrated the antenna (his fig.8).Hull (1962) -Included Laphyctis in the synonymy of Laphystia.He described Laphystiella as a new subgenus of Laphystia, with argenteofasciata as type species.
Note: In stating (page 76) 'Flies with comparatively long, fine pile and the marginal cell open in contrast to the Laphystia, sensu stricto, in which the marginal cell is closed or is closed in the margin' he, apparently unwittingly, used the same feature for Laphystiella that was used by Loew to characterise Laphyctis!Lindner (1973) -Described two new species of Laphystia from South West Africa (Namibia) -kochi (Gobabeb, Swakopmund) and orichalcea (Swakopmund).He also listed argenteofasciata from Gobabeb and, later in the same paper, gigantella from the same locality.Oldroyd (1974) -Discussed Afrotropical Laphystia, listing Laphyctis as a synonym, recognizing only gigantella, with argenteofasciata as a synonym, from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.He also described the monotypic genus Prytania from Namibia and Angola, with type species P. albida.Lindner (1976Lindner ( , 1978) ) -Merely listed Laphystia kochi and orichalcea from South West Africa (Namibia).Oldroyd (1980) -Catalogued Afrotropical Laphystia, listing Laphyctis as a synonym.
Note: Although he listed two species, albicans and gigantella, the entry for albicans (type species of Laphystotes Oldroyd, 1974) is incorrect and repeated under Laphystotes where it correctly belongs.He lists argenteofasciata and clausicella as synonyms of gigantella and neglected to list Lindner's, species described in 1973.Londt (1988) -Keyed the Afrotropical genera of Laphriinae.The taxonomic positions of Laphystia and Laphyctis were discussed and the latter name reinstated with Hull's, subgenus Laphystiella being a synonym.Note: Being unaware of Oldroyd's, (1980) error in listing albicans under both Laphystia and Laphystotes, albicans was incorrectly transferred to Laphyctis along with Lindner's, Namibian species.Geller-Grimm ( 2004) -In cataloguing world genera, lists Laphyctis as a valid genus, but incorrectly with Laphystiella as a subgenus.Özdikmen (2006) -Reported that Oldroyd's, Prytania was a junior homonym of the genus Prytania Debauche, 1938 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) and provided a replacement name -Prytanomyia.Londt and Dikow (2017a) -Revised Prytanomyia after discovering that Lindner's, Laphystia kochi was identical to Oldroyd's, albida and that it was not a Laphyctis.
At the commencement of this study there were, therefore, only two designated species of Laphyctis -the type species gigantella (Loew, 1852) and orichalcea (Lindner, 1973).Field work by the junior author in Namibia in 2012, where one of the new species described below as well as specimens of Prytanomyia were collected, instigated a closer look at the current knowledge and with the accumulation of 200 specimens in various collections there is an excellent basis for a revision of this distinctive genus.

Materials and methods
Terminology follows mainly that proposed by McAlpine (1981), Wootton and Ennos (1989, wing venation), Stuckenberg (1999, antenna), Dikow (2009), Cumming and Wood (2017) and Londt and Dikow (2017b).Specimens available for study are housed in the following institutions: The Natural History Museum, London, U.K. (BMNH); personal collection of Fritz Geller-Grimm, Frankfurt a.M., Germany Label data are usually cited as they appear on labels, lines of data being separated by a slash (/).Unique specimen identifiers, when available, are provided in brackets following the appropriate specimens.While more recently collected material is frequently provided with detailed information relating to locality and habitat, it has been necessary to attempt to establish reasonably accurate geographic coordinates for older or relatively poorly documented specimens in order to gain a better appreciation of distribution and Google Earth has been used to accomplish this.Information not appearing on labels is provided in square brackets.For illustration, wings were removed, placed in alcohol and flattened between glass microscope slides for photography before being reattached by means of clear nail polish.Terminalia were excised and macerated in hot Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), drawn with the aid of a drawing tube before being stored in a micro vile attached to the specimen's, pin.Wing measurements are given as the mean and length is measured from humeral crossvein to tip and breadth at widest level.The segmental length ratios of the antenna are given as scape (as 1): pedicel: postpedicel: stylus.
The distribution map includes Biodiversity Hotspots sensu Conservation International (Mittermeier 1998;Myers et al. 2000;Mittermeier et al. 2005).The specimen occurrence data are deposited as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) using the Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT) at the NMNH.The dichotomous, interactive key has been built with Lucid Phoenix and can be accessed on Lucidcentral and the junior author's, research web-site.
Diagnosis (based primarily on key characters used by Londt and Dikow (2017b)): Head: antennal stylus without long setulae; postpedicel much longer than scape and pedicel combined; scape less than twice as long as pedicel; mystax includes strong macrosetae largely restricted to ventral facial margin; frons approximately the same width at level of antennal insertion and vertex or only slightly diverging; compound eye more or less oval or posterior margin slightly sinuate in ventral quarter; face as wide or wider than width of one eye; anterior tentorial pits small, slit-like, inconspicuous ventrally.
Thorax: prosternum fused to proepisternum; thoracic macrosetae obvious and moderately well-developed; anepisternum without obvious strong macroseta on supero-posterior angle.Wing: R 2+3 ending in C, cell r 1 thus open on wing margin; cell r 5 open or closed; cell m 3 closed; alula usually well-developed.Legs: prothoracic tibia without any spine-like tibial processes (macrosetae may be present); pulvilli well-developed (as long as or a little shorter than claws).
Abdomen: abdominal tergite 2 less than four times as long as wide; sternite 1 confined beneath tergite 1; abdominal macrosetae obvious and moderately well-developed; male terminalia with distinct macrosetae on distal margin of gonocoxite (Fig. 41); female terminalia simple (T10 never divided and without acanthophorite spines).(Engel, 1929) Loew, 1852: Lindner, 1973: 85. Laphystia gigantella Loew, 1852: Oldroyd, 1974: 103;1980: 352.Taxonomy.There has been some confusion surrounding Laphystia argenteofasciata Engel, 1929 which was synonymised with Laphystia gigantella Loew, 1852 by Oldroyd (1974) and this synonymy was hinted at by Lindner (1973: 85).Engel (1929) based his description on three female specimens, one from 'Brit.E. Africa, Marstbed' and two from 'Saw Mills, S. Rhodesia'.We have studied two specimens from Marsabit (Kenya) which are, with little doubt, those seen by Engel.Apart from Engel's, misspelling of Marsabit, one specimen is actually a male.Based on a study of these Kenyan specimens we believe the species to be valid, and so it is here reinstated and allocated to Laphyctis.Engel (1929) did not designate types and so his material from Kenya and Zimbabwe must be considered syntypes.We have not seen Engel's, Zimbabwean specimens from Sawmills, which are unlikely to be conspecific with the Kenyan specimens examined, and so we here designate the Kenyan male as lectotype (unique identifier NHMUK010624209) and the female as paralectotype (NHMUK010624209).Decisions regarding Engel's, Zimbabwean specimens, the repository of which is not known to us, will have to be deferred to a future date.We have contacted staff at the Zoologische Staatssammlung in Munich (ZSMC), but did not obtain any information.There are two specimens of L. gigantella collected on 26 December 1919 at Sawmills in the BMNH that potentially could represent the specimens listed by Engel. Lindner (1973) recorded two males, identified as this species, from 'Gobabeb.2.-9.II.1970' (page 76) and later, in the same paper, three females, identified as gigantella (page 85), from the same collecting event.We have located this material in the SMNS and identified it as L. eremia sp.n. (see below).

Laphyctis argenteofasciata
Redescription.Based on all available material.General appearance as in Figs 7-12.
Head: Red-brown, but colour masked by strong gold-silver and silver-gold pruinescence, shiny white and pale yellow to orange setose.Antennae: variable, dark redbrown to orange, fine gold-silver pruinose, especially scape.Scape red-brown or yellowish, strongly pale yellow setose ventrally.Pedicel variable red-brown to orange, only a few small setae distally.Postpedicel orange proximally, red-brown distally, with narrow terminal cup-shaped style, opening somewhat oblique and enclosing a spinelike sensory element.Segmental length ratios = 1: 1.0: 2.3: 0.4.Face orange to dark red-brown, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence.Width of one eye: face ratio = 1: 1.1 (face slightly wider than width of 1 eye).Face projecting ventrally (Fig. 17), profile slightly convex, epistomal margin smoothly rounded distally (not pointed).Mystacal macrosetae moderately long, yellow to pale orange accompanied by shorter yellow and white setae.Mystax extending onto dorsal half of face.Frons and vertex dark red-brown, colour entirely masked by bright gold-silver pruinescence, fine pale yellow-white setose.Ocellar tubercle fine pale yellow setose (no macrosetae).Postocular (occipital) region dark red-brown, colour entirely masked by gold-silver and silver-gold pruinescence.Occiput with curved rows of c. 8 short, pale yellow macrosetae dorsally and many fine white setae, mostly ventrally.Palpi dark red-brown, 2-segmented, white setose.Proboscis straight, shiny dark red-brown, fine white setose proximally and distally.
Male terminalia (Figs 13-15): Genital bulb rotated clockwise through approximately 180°.T7-8 and S7-8 reduced and poorly defined.Epandrium large, almost twice as long as broad, bilobed in distal quarter, lobes distally somewhat truncated in dorsal view (Fig. 13).Proctiger moderately well-developed, projecting to similar level attained by epandrial lobes.Hypandrium poorly defined, subtriangular in ventral view, appearing as long as wide (Fig. 15), terminating at a point where opposing gonocoxites almost meet midventrally.Gonocoxites well-developed, approximately as broad and a little more than half as long as epandrium in lateral view, long, densely arranged macrosetae on distal margin of gonocoxite.Gonostyli moderately well-developed, subdivided at base into two lobes, a slender dorsal lobe, tapering gradually to a darkly sclerotized tip, and a stronger ventral lobe possessing a straight basal region and distal club-like end bearing a black seta-like spine.Phallus complex in structure, with a relatively slender basal region leading to a relatively large, terminal bulb tipped with three small prongs.

Copeland' (NMKE).
Distribution, biodiversity hotspots, phenology and biology.Widely distributed in Kenya, where the species straddles the equator (Fig. 56).A commonly collected species over a long period of time (Table 1).Not known to occur in any biodiversity hotspot (note: the central Kenyan locality (Samburu, 00°34'04"N, 037°31'24"E, Fig. 56) does not lie within the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot).Collected from October through to March (one record in January (Malaise Trap emptied on 1 January 1999) and none in February) (Table 2).Virtually nothing is known of the biology, but a few specimens, all Malaise trapped at four localities by R. Copeland, have data relating to the habitat occupied.It appears that the species favours 'Acacia Commiphora savanna'.The Kwandula Hill habitat is similar to Ukasi, but perhaps somewhat less hot with dry, deciduous shrubland (R. Copeland, pers. comm.).
Description.Based on all available material.General appearance as in Figs 28-33.
Head: Dark red-brown to black, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence, shiny white and pale yellow setose.Antennae: mostly dark red-brown, fine silver pruinose, especially scape.Scape strongly pale yellow setose ventrally.Pedicel almost asetose, only a few tiny setae distally.Postpedicel with broad terminal cup-shaped style, opening oblique and enclosing a spine-like sensory element.Segmental length ratios = 1: 0.7: 2.2: 0.4.Face dark red-brown to black, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence (except for extreme lateral margins of epistomal margin).Width of one eye: face ratio = 1: 0.94 (face slightly narrower than width of 1 eye).Face projecting strongly ventrally, epistomal margin medially distinctly pointed, facial profile plane (Fig. 18).Mystacal macrosetae shiny pale yellow, confined to narrow band along lower facial margin, not extending beyond ventral quarter of face.Dorsal region of face fine white setose.Frons and vertex dark red-brown to black, colour masked by dull gold-silver pruinescence, fine white setose.Ocellar tubercle fine white setose (no macrosetae).Postocular (occipital) region dark red-brown to black, colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence.Occiput with rows of c. 7 short, pale yellow macrosetae dorsally and many fine, shiny white setae, mostly ventrally.Palpi dark red-brown, 2-segmented, fine white setose.Proboscis straight, shiny dark red-brown to black, fine white setose proximally and distally.
Male terminalia : Genital bulb rotated clockwise through approximately 180°.T7-8 and S7-8 reduced and poorly defined.Epandrium large, almost  twice as long as broad in dorsal view, bilobed in distal quarter, tips of lobes somewhat pointed (Fig. 34).Proctiger short, deep, projecting only slightly beyond distal epandrial lobes.Hypandrium poorly defined, margins difficult to appreciate, especially in lateral view, weakly sclerotized, subcircular in ventral view (Fig. 36), slightly longer than wide, terminating at a point where opposing gonocoxites almost meet midven- trally.Gonocoxites well-developed, in lateral view approximately as broad and a little more than half as long as epandrium, broadly rounded distally, long, densely arranged macrosetae on distal margin of gonocoxite.Gonostyli subdivided at base into two lobes, a dorsal lobe, bent at almost 90° near its base which tapers gradually to a small down-curved distal tip, and a strong ventral lobe that has a straight basal region tipped by a down-curved terminal hook.Phallus with a slender basal region tipped with a relatively large, terminal, subtriangular bulbous head that is down-curved distally.
Female terminalia (Fig. 37): Relatively broad and dorsoventrally flattened.Segments 1-6 well-developed, segments 7-8 reduced.Subgenital plate moderately well-developed, almost twice as broad as long, with uniquely undulating, trifurcate distal margin.Distribution, biodiversity hotspots, phenology and biology.Widely distributed in Namibia with a single record from southern Angola (Fig. 56).A commonly collected species over a long period of time (Table 1).Not known to occur in any biodiversity hotspot.Collected from December through to April (Table 2).More recently collected specimens have been found resting on sandy surfaces in dry river beds or on dunes, often associated with habitats described as Acacia Woodland.The Otjiu (18°13'49"S, 13°16'25"E) locality apparently harbours both L. eremia sp.n. and L. orichalcea based on two collecting events in 1985 (late February) and 1929 (early March), respectively.
There are two prey records both collected at the Kuiseb River near Gobabeb and pinned with a small homopterous bug (Cicadellidae, 1♀ NMSA-DIP-71776) and with a female Orthactia gobabensis (Lyneborg, 1988)  Redescription.Based on all available material and photographs of holotype.General appearance as in Fig. 38.Head: Dark red-brown to black, but colour masked by strong silver-gold pruinescence, shiny white and yellow to pale orange setose.Antennae orange to dark redbrown, fine silver pruinose, especially scape.Scape orange, strongly pale yellow setose ventrally.Pedicel orange, asetose except for a few tiny setae distally.Postpedicel proximally orange, distally dark red-brown, with short broad terminal 2-segemented style with oblique terminal opening enclosing a spine-like sensory element.Segmental length ratios = 1: 0.8: 2.9: 0.8.Face dark red-brown to black, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence.Width of one eye: face ratio = 1: 0.94 (face slightly narrower than width of 1 eye).Face projecting ventrally, epistomal margin medially smoothly rounded, facial profile slightly convex (Fig. 19).Mystacal macrosetae shiny pale yellow to pale orange, confined to ventral quarter of face.Dorsal region of face fine white setose.Frons and vertex dark red-brown to black, colour masked by shiny gold-silver pruinescence, fine white setose.Ocellar tubercle fine white setose (no macrosetae).Postocular (occipital) region dark red-brown to black, colour masked by strong silver pruinescence.Occiput with rows of c. 7 short, pale yellow macrosetae dorsally and many fine, shiny white setae, mostly ventrally.Palpi dark red-brown, 2-segmented, fine white setose.Proboscis straight, shiny dark red-brown, fine white setose proximally and distally.
Distribution, biodiversity hotspots, phenology and biology.Fairly widely distributed in the southern parts of Africa being recorded with certainty from Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe (Fig. 56).A rarely collected species over a restricted period of time with the most recent collecting event dating to 1919 (Table 1).Two localities overlap with the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany (in KwaZulu-Na- tal, South Africa) and Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa (in Inhambane, Mozambique) biodiversity hotspots, but this species is not endemic to any particular biodiversity hotspot.Adults are clearly summer active, being collected in November, December and January (Table 2).Although specimens lack habitat information the species probably inhabits sandy areas such as lake shores, river banks and similar situations.Figs 20,26,39,[46][47][48][49][50]56 Etymology.Gr. iota = anything very small.Refers to the fact that this is by far the smallest species described in the genus.
Description.Based on all examined material.General appearance as in Fig. 39.Head: Dark red-brown, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence, shiny white and pale yellow setose.Antennae mostly red-brown, fine gold pruinose, especially scape.Scape red-brown, strongly pale yellow setose distoventrally.Pedicel redbrown with a few small setae distally.Postpedicel red-brown with distal 2/3 dark reddrown, with narrow terminal cup-shaped style, opening oblique and enclosing a spine-like sensory element.Segmental length ratios = 1: 0.8: 2.3: 0.6.Face dark red-brown, colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence (except for extreme lateral margins of epistomal margin).Width of one eye: face ratio = 1: 1.0 (face approximately equal in width to 1 eye).Face projecting ventrally, profile plane (Fig. 20).Mystacal macrosetae shortish pale yellow, not extending beyond ventral quarter of face.Dorsal region of face fine yellow setose.Frons and vertex dark red-brown, colour entirely masked by silver-gold pruinescence, fine sparse pale yellow setose.Ocellar tubercle sparse fine pale yellow setose (no macrosetae).Postocular (occipital) region dark red-brown, colour entirely masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence.Occiput with 2 curved rows of c. 12 short, pale yellow macrosetae dorsally and many fine white setae, mostly ventrally.Palpi dark red-brown, 2-segmented, pale yellow setose.Proboscis straight, shiny dark red-brown, fine yellow setose proximally and distally.

Laphyctis orichalcea
Head: Dark red-brown to black, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence, shiny white and pale yellow setose.Antennae mostly dark red-brown, fine silver pruinose, especially scape.Scape strongly pale yellow setose ventrally.Pedicel almost asetose, only a few tiny setae distally.Postpedicel with narrow terminal cup-shaped style, opening oblique and enclosing a spine-like sensory element.Segmental length ratios = 1: 0.9: 2.7: 0.8.Face dark red-brown to black, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence (except for extreme lateral margins of epistomal margin).Width of one eye: face ratio = 1: 1.06 (face slightly wider than width of 1 eye).Face projecting ventrally, profile plane (Fig. 21).Mystacal macrosetae short pale yellow accompanied by many shorter white setae, confined to narrow band along lower facial margin, not extending beyond ventral quarter of face.Dorsal region of face white setose.Frons and vertex dark red-brown to black, colour entirely masked by bright gold-silver pruinescence, fine pale yellow-white setose.Ocellar tubercle fine pale yellow setose (no macrosetae).Postocular (occipital) region dark red-brown to black, colour entirely masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence.Occiput with a curved row of c. 12 short, pale yellow macrosetae dorsally and many fine white setae, mostly ventrally.Palpi dark red-brown, 2-segmented, fine white setose.Proboscis straight, shiny dark red-brown, fine white setose proximally and distally.
Male terminalia (Figs 51-54): Genital bulb rotated clockwise through approximately 90°.T7-8 and S7-8 reduced and poorly defined.Epandrium large almost twice as long as broad, deeply bilobed in distal half (Fig. 51, note: distal end of left epandrial lobe and gonocoxite are broken off and missing).Proctiger large, welldeveloped, projecting slightly beyond epandrial lobes.Hypandrium poorly defined basally, projecting medioventrally as a dorsoventrally flattened, parallel-sided, slightly curved lobe (Fig. 54).Gonocoxites well-developed, broader in lateral view than epandrium, almost as long as epandrium, distal end equipped with strong, short macrosetae, moderately developed macrosetae on distal margin of gonocoxite.Gonostyli large, laterally compressed, broad in lateral view with dorsally directed distal end.Phallus well-developed, shaft as wide as gonostyli in ventral view tapering to a darkly sclerotized tip.
Type material.Holotype: Namibia: Erongo:  Lindner (1973) described the species on the basis of a single male, giving details as '1♂ von Swakopmund 10.-16. II.1970'.While he labelled his specimen 'Typus', he did not actually designate the specimen as holotype in his publication.As there were no other specimens it can be assumed that his single specimen is the holotype.Distribution, biodiversity hotspots, phenology and biology.Known from four localities in Namibia (Fig. 56).A rarely collected species over a restricted period of time with the most recent collecting event dating to 1990 (Table 1).Collected in January and February (Table 2).Not known to occur in any biodiversity hotspot.The Otjiu (18°13'49"S, 13°16'25"E) locality apparently harbours both L. orichalcea and L. eremia sp.n. based on two collecting events in 1929 (early March) and 1985 (late February), respectively.Nothing is known of the biology and while no habitat data are provided, Google Earth images suggest dry river beds where bushes and/or small trees occur.

Laphyctis sp. Figs 22, 56
Note.The following specimen is unique and probably represents an undescribed species.It is in poor condition and so we refrain from providing it with a name until additional material becomes available.Description.Based on the single female listed below.Head: Dark red-brown, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence, shiny white and pale yellow setose.Antennae mostly orange-brown, fine silver pruinose, especially scape.Scape pale yellow setose ventrally.Pedicel with only a few tiny setae distally.Postpedicel with narrow terminal cup-shaped style, opening oblique and enclosing a spine-like sensory element.Segmental length ratios = 1: 0.7: 1.9: 0.5.Face dark red-brown, but colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence (except for extreme lateral margins of epistomal margin).Width of one eye: face ratio = 1: 0.94 (face slightly narrower than width of 1 eye).Face hardly projecting ventrally, profile slightly convex (Fig. 22).Mystacal macrosetae shiny pale yellow, confined to ventral third of face.Dorsal region of face fine white setose.Frons and vertex dark red-brown, colour masked by dull gold-silver pruinescence, fine white setose.Ocellar tubercle fine white setose (no macrosetae).Postocular (occipital) region dark red-brown, colour masked by strong gold-silver pruinescence.Occiput with rows of c. 9 moderately long, pale yellow macrosetae dorsally and many fine, shiny white setae, mostly ventrally.Palpi brown-orange, 2-segmented, fine white setose.Proboscis straight, red-brown, fine white setose proximally and distally.
Distribution, biodiversity hotspots, phenology and biology.Known from a single locality in Zimbabwe (Fig. 56) and single collecting event (Table 1).The Sawmills (19°35'00"S, 28°02'23"E) locality apparently harbours both this undescribed species and L. gigantella based on two collecting events in 1926 (early December) and 1919 (late December), respectively.Not known to occur in any biodiversity hotspot.Collected in December (Table 2).Nothing is known of the biology.An online, illustrated version of this key is available at http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/phoenix/laphyctis/

Discussion
Laphyctis is a distinctive member of the Laphriinae and is confined to the Afrotropical Region (Fig. 56).The possession of an open cell r 1 clearly separates it from Laphystia which has a closed cell r 1 and is the type genus of the tribe Laphystiini.Laphyctis can furthermore be separated from Laphystia by the presence of long, densely arranged macrosetae on the distal margin of the gonocoxite in males (Fig. 41), which are not known in any Laphystia species (E.Fisher pers.comm.).Londt and Dikow (2017b) provided an identification key to all 148 Asilidae genera currently known from the Afrotropical Region.Now that the study of Laphyctis is completed, we realise that the key uses some features leading to Laphyctis that are incorrect.Couplet 76 (page 1120) states that cell r 5 is open leading to couplet 77 in which Laphyctis and Ericomyia Londt, 2015 are distinguished.Cell r 5 is open in three and closed in two Laphyctis species (see key above).Couplet 77 states that apical scutellar macrosetae are present in Laphyctis, but absent in Ericomyia.Apical scutellar macrosetae are present in two species (iota sp.n., orichalcea) and absent in three (argenteofasciata, eremia sp.n., gigantella as well as L. sp.).The online version of the key to Afrotropical Asilidae genera, which is accessible at http://keys.lucidcentral.org/keys/phoenix/Afrotropical_Asilidae_genera/, has been adjusted accordingly.We also make an updated written dichotomous key in PDF-format available at Figshare http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5977690 .
Two localities, Otjiu in northern Namibia and Sawmills in western Zimbabwe, harbour each two species occurring sympatrically.Both species pairs, Otjiu = L. eremia sp.n. and L. orichalcea, Sawmills = L. gigantella and L. sp., were collected at slightly different times of the active flying season at least seven years apart.Both localities are small settlements and the flies can certainly have been collected in the vicinity in slightly different habitats and we have no doubt that each collecting event resulted in a different taxon based on our morphological comparisons (see also identification key above in regards to Laphyctis sp.).
Species of Laphyctis are associated with dry, sandy habitats frequently supporting sparsely growing bushes and trees (Figs 1-2, 6).While they are commonly found resting on the ground they possess well-developed pulvilli and so probably also perch on stones and low vegetation (see Londt and Copeland 2017).Virtually nothing is known of their biology.All species are summer active in the adult stage (Table 2).Only Laphyctis iota sp.n. is endemic to a biodiversity hotspot sensu Conservation International (Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany) and L. gigantella occurs in both the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany and Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa hotspots while none of the other species occurs within any hotspot boundaries.
Loew (1847) -Described the genus Laphystia with the Palaearctic Laphystia sabulicola Loew, 1847 as type species.Note: An important defining character which would later be used to separate the genus from Laphyctis is clearly described on page 540 as follows 'die Marginalzelle am Flügelrande selbst geschlossen' [i.e.The marginal cell (cell r 1 ) is closed at the edge of the wing].Loew (1852) -Described Stichopogon gigantella from 'Mossambique' [= Mozambique].

Table 1 .
Collecting event summary for Laphyctis species.The holotype of L. gigantella has no collecting year and was collected prior to 1852.

Table 2 .
Phenology of Laphyctis species through number of specimens collected in each month.Months abbreviated starting with July.