Psilota atra (Fallén, 1817)

Prokhorov, A. V., Popov, G. V. & Zaika, M. I., 2018, New Records Of Hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) From Ukraine. Ii. Brachyopini And Merodontini, Vestnik Zoologii 52 (2), pp. 125-136 : 133-134

Psilota atra (Fallén, 1817) ( FIgs 34–36, 38 )

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d. Ukraine. Kyiv Region: Kyiv, Theophania Park , 50.34 N 30.48 E, 25.04.2016, 1 ♀ (M. Zaika); Kotsiubynske env., 50.47 N 30.30 E, clearing in mixed forest, 17.05.2017, on flowers of Crataegus sp. , 1 Ơ, 2 ♀ (A. Prokhorov) .

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, through France to Spain and the Mediterranean, and in Central Europe to Northern Italy, Montenegro, Greece (including Crete), Romania and Cyprus, N Africa ( Morocco) ( Peck, 1988; Smit & Vujić, 2008; Speight, 2017; Mielczarek, 2018), Ukraine (first record).

Diagnosis. Male differs from similar P. anthracina Meigen, 1822 (fig. 37–39) by the distinctly swollen apical part of the hind femur (fig. 36) bearing a well-developed longitudinal ridge with setulae posteroventrally (in P. anthracina hind femur almost not swollen and “without a ridge posteroapically ” ( Speight & Sarthou, 2017), though this ridge is rather poorly developed but visible, as on fig. 39). Besides this, both species can be easily differentiated based on male genitalia. Genitalia of both species are prepared and compared with figures in Smit & Vujić (2008). Also it is necessary to pay attention that in the key ( Speight & Sarthou, 2017) P. atra male with “1 st basal cell of wing almost entirely devoid of microtrichia”, while the specimens from Kyiv Region have the cell br of wing c. 20% covered with microtrichia. Morphological features of females of P. atra from Kyiv completely correspond with those in a brief description of this species by Smit & Vujić (2008). Is differs from P. anthracina females by the anepisternum predominantly with pale pile, at most some black hairs on anterior anepisternum ( Smit & Vujić, 2008) (in P. anthracina , anepisternum predominantly with black pile, at most a few pale hairs at the posterior margin of anepisternum), but in P. atra this feature varies ( Speight & Sarthou, 2017).

We are very grateful to Volodymyr Roshko (Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod), for his kind assistance in organizing a collecting trip to Zakarpattia Region in 2017. We also thank Valery Korneyev (Institute of Zoology, NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv) for valuable scientific and editorial comments.

Figures

Figs 34–39. Psilota atra (FIgs 34–36, 38) and P. anthracina (from Zakarpattia) (FIgs 37, 39): 34, 37 — habitus of the males, dorsal view; 35 — habitus of the female, dorsal view; 38 — habitus of the male, lateral view; 36, 39 — hind femur of the male, anterolateral view (arrow shows the longitudinal ridge).