Paragus azurea Hull, 1949

Stuckenberg, B. R., 1954, The Paragus Serratus Complex, With Descriptions Of New Species (Diptera: Syrphidae), Trans. R. Ent. Soc. Lond 105 (17), pp. 393-422 : 404-406

Paragus azurea Hull, 1949 .

This species was established by Hull on a female taken in Sokotra by W. R. 0. Grant. The male in the same collection was apparently overlooked, although its capture was recorded by Ricardo (1903:368), who also noted the bright metallic reflections of the thorax, the abbreviated condition of the mesonotal stripes in the male, and the absence of mesonotal stripes in the female. Grant added a note to the effect that the species was apparently scarce on the island.

A species with very long mesonotal pile and bright metallic reflections on the thorax. The mesonotal stripes are absent in the female, reduced in the male. The femora are banded with brown. The abdomen lacks sculpturation. There is a protuberance on each side of the epandrium near the lower, anterior corners.

Bale.-Head:Face yellow, a little creamy, with a quite heavy, silvery white pile and a few small punctures. Facial stripe dark ligneous brown, its upper fifth thin and nearly colourless. Oral tubercle piceous, and surrounded by a strip of black which merges on each side with the black border of the oral margins. Basal segment of antennae brunneous; second segment the darkest, being fuscous dorsally and with a small spot of dark reddishbrown below; third segment light crineous, darker dorsally, lighter on inner and ventral surfaces, rather elongated and cylindrical, and just over two-and-a-half times as long as first two segments together. Vertex fusco-piceouswith pale violaceous reflections. Outer two stripes of hair on each eye distinct, inner stripe twice as broad as any of the others, and less sharply defined. Thorax: Mesonotum shining black with strong blue reflections, and a few violaceous reflections on the sides. A pair of pale, abbreviated dorsal stripesthese not meeting anteriorly and ending posteriorly just past the transverse suture. Meaonotal pile long, erect and white. Punctures on mesonotum small and widely separated. Basal third of scutellum fusco-piceous,the rest yellow; these two colours separated by a narrow, indefinite line of pale brown. Nineteen scutellar teeth of unequal length, those in the middle only half length of those on outside; each tipped with brown. Legs: Posterior femora dark brown in the centre; basal quarter dark testaceous and the apical fifth creamy-yellow. Posterior tibiae creamy for a little more than basal third, remainder tawny with a narrow, dark, median band. Posterior metatarsi fusco-testaceous but suffused with dark brown, the following segments similar but lighter, the la& pale testaceous. Two anterior pairs of femora reddish-brown, with distal third creamy-yellow. Two anterior pairs of tibiae creamy-yellowfor a little more than basal half, pale testa.ceous elsewhere. Two anterior pairs of tarsi pale testaceoub. Wings: Hyaline, with a slightly clouded, yellow stigma. Subcosta yellowish-brown,its apex a little paler. Rest of veins ligneous brown, darker and a little heavier than in P. pusillus but not as dark or as heavy as in caprGxn-ni. Abdomen ( fig. 16 ): Resembles that of pusillus . Sides and knob-like protuberances of first segment, and shoulders and margins of second segment all piceous with dull blue reflections: this dark colour proceeds more narrowly down entire margin of second segment to end a t apical corners. Both first and second segments broadly translucent yellowish-brownover middle. Area between first two pairs of vittae irregularly dark reddish-brown and fusoous. Abdomen fusco-piceous behind the last pair of vittae except for an irregular reddish-brown, translucent patch which occupies about half of fifth segment and extends a little onto posterior part of fourth segment. Abdomen not carinate, angular, as if a little pinched, between vittae of third segment. Only a trace of a vitta on fifth segment; anterior vittae lie in shallow troughs that broaden very considerably laterally, and are somewhat indistinct against the pale colour of the second segment. Middle pair of vittae lie in very shallow and narrow troughs that do not widen laterally. Abdomen differs from that of P. eapricorni and pusillus in the complete lack of sculpturation, tergites being smooth except for numerous deep, round, widely separated punctures. Short reclinate black hairs and some longer white hairs present on first segment, absent on the following two, and present on fifth segment and posterior margin of fourth. Genitalia ( fig. 13 ): Epandrium rectangular, a little longer than deep;near the lower, anterior margin swollen into an anteriorly directed protuberance which is better developed on right side than on left. Cerci rounded and prominent. Styles flattened, with almost parallel margins, the upper margin sinuous, the lower slightly so; each style truncated apically and has upper distal corner produced. Inferior claspers moderately developed, rather ear-like with a slight ventral lobe, a somewhat pointed dorsal lobe, and a base nearly as broad as the whole. Superior claspers borne on broad lobes which have irregular margins. Penis-sheath brwdly rounded below, with a slight transverse groove, and entirely lacking the finger-likeprojection found in P.cupricorni and pusillus . Ejaculatory apodeme missing in the preparation.

Length 7.4 mm.

Allotype male, SOKOTRA: Hadibu Plains , 13.ii.1899, (W. R. 0. Grant). In the British Museum (Natural History), B.M. 1916-75 .

Remarks.-A very distinctive species on account of its long mesonotal pile, bright mesonotal reflections, and modified condition of the mesonotal stripes in both sexes. It is represented in Africa by the following subspecies, which seems to extend from Aden down the east coast as far south as Mozambique. The isolation of the typical €orm has probably accounted for its divergence from the continental stock.

Figures

FIGS.13-16.-(13) Hypopygium of allotype of Paragus azurm Hull. (14) Ejaculatory apodeme of male of scrupeus subsp. n. from Mozambique. (15) Abdomen of allotype of P. azurea. (16) Abdomen of allotype of serupeus subsp. n.