Hesse (1969) described this species as follows: Body with the abdomen stouter, especially in females, less constricted at tergites 2 and 3, also mainly black; antennae also pale orange yellowish; the following parts reddish : clypeus, greater part of proboscis, humeral tubercle, a small spot on thorax anteriorly on inner side of tubercles (very much smaller and less extensive than in var. hesperus), postalar calli (but not across base of thorax), propleural tubercle to a very much lesser extent, area below wing-bases along upper margin of pteropleuron and sutures (not entire pteropleuron, metapleuron and upper part of metasternum as in hesperus), an apical discal spot on tergite 6, greater part of tergite 7 above, more extensive in females, and entire genital segments in both sexes (tergites 2 and 3 being entirely dark in both sexes, or only very dark piceous reddish on sides in males, not contrasting reddish as in Hesperus); hind margins of tergites 2-6 in males and 2-4 in females ring-like yellowish, but distinctly narrower, less conspicuous, and those of 5 and 6 in males slightly more reddish yellowish; venter much darker, even basally, and hind margins of sternites more obscurely yellowish, and those of 2 and 3 in females not so conspicuous as in females of Hesperus; legs in both sexes also mainly pale yellowish, but the front femora scarcely or less extensively darkened apically, only slightly so on inner side. Integument of disc of thorax relatively more coarsely rugulose, especially along sides and the two submedial streaks; puncturation on abdomen above distinctly coarser and slightly less dense, the individual punctures larger and towards apex distinctly less dense, more separated; puncturation on venter coarser, but sparser. Vestiture with the hairs on head in front relatively shorter, more so in 2, similarly coloured in $, but in 2 shortish tufts on sides of antennal insertions orange fulvous, not whitish, and short ones on sides of clypeus also mainly orange fulvous; sericeous whitish hairs across middle of tergite 1 distinctly shorter and sparser in both sexes; hairs on metasternum and middle and hind coxae fulvous reddish, not sericeous whitish or yellowish as in hesperus. Head with the antennae very similar, also distinctly shorter than thorax (excluding scutellum); segment 1 about 2.00-2.25 times length of 2; segment 3 also a little longer than club; latter however thickened from about middle, not beyond middle; proboscis relatively longer, as 75:71, but also shorter than vertical length of an eye. Wings with a similar type of pattern but appearing much darker, even more so in females, the hinder half distinctly more infuscated, the alula, anal and axillary and third posterior cells and hind border distinctly uniformly tinted brownish, not so clear as in var. hesperus, though a streak in middle of discoidal cell and more than hinder half of first posterior cell are also clear as in latter; veins as in hesperus, but fuscous borders in darkened middle parts in 2 darker, more intense. Genital segments of females with apical part of last sternite relatively narrower, slightly depressed medially; oviscape similar. Hypopygium of males with the lobes of tergite 9 distinctly more acute apically; prongs of sternite 9 slightly longer, relatively broader towards their bases in ventral view. Length of body: about 22.0-24.5 mm; Length of wing: about 17.0-21.5 mm.

Type locality: South Africa, Eastern Cape in Willowmore

South Africa.

Southern Karoo, Willowmore (Dr. Brauns, January 1922) (Male holotype); Georgida near and southwest of Willowmore in Little Karoo (Dr. Brauns, January 1927) (Female allotype).

The information below was extracted from Cannings and Scudder (2005): Dipterans are primarily aerial insects and the mesothorax, which bears the only pair of wings, dominates the thorax - the prothorax and metathorax are greatly reduced. The legs are normally rather simple and are used primarily for perching; in some groups, they are modified for prey capture or for signaling during courtship. The tarsi are nearly always 5-segmented. The functional wings are membranous and their pattern of veins is critical in fly classification and identification. During the evolution of flies, there has been a trend towards a reduction in veins, especially in the rear half of the wing – changes that evidently relate to improvements in two-winged flight. The hindwings, present in most other insects, are reduced in Diptera to small, club-like organs, called halteres, used for stabilising flight.

Herbivore - Nectarivore (nectar-eating)

The flies in this family are not known to hunt, catch or prey upon other insects as asilids do. They are however known to imbibe on the flower nectar especially Afroleptomydas and Cephalocera (Hesse 1969).

Like the others, flies in the Mydidae family begin life as an egg, which hatches into a grub-like larva. Most of the fly life is spent in the larval stage, mainly eating and growing, as well as molting several times. Some flies may spend at least a year as a larva. The next stage is a pupa, during which the insect transforms into its final stage, emerging from the pupa as a winged adult, able to mate and reproduce. In many species, males stake out positions at favourable egg-laying sites and wait for females to arrive (Hesse 1969).

Karoo