Biology
Philoliche (Philoliche) rubiginosa was described by Travassos Santos Dias (1966) based on one female specimen. This species has not been mentioned by any subsequent author other than its appearance in the Afrotropical catalogue of Diptera (Chainey & Oldroyd 1980). Travassos Santos Dias (1966) gives its distribution as the southern parts of Mozambique. Based on my own collections and a few specimens in NMSA, SAMC, and the BMNH, I can extend the species range to the Maputaland region of South Africa near St. Lucia, KZN. It is likely due to the previously understood distribution (Travassos Santos Dias 1966), that Usher (1972) did not mention this species in her review of the South African tabanids. The lack of recognition of this species by Usher (1972) probably also explains why no subsequent workers have considered P. rubiginosa and, therefore, misidentified this species as P. (P.) elegans based on the grey coloration of the scutellum in both species.
Distribution
Southern Mozambique and northeastern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Maputaland Centre).
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