Pipiza luteitarsis Zetterstedt, 1843

Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Sne Ž Ana & Polić, Dubravka, 2008, A review of the luteitarsis group of the genus Pipiza Fallén (Diptera: Syrphidae) with description of a new species from the Balkan Peninsula, Zootaxa 1845, pp. 33-46 : 40

Pipiza luteitarsis Zetterstedt, 1843

( Figs. 1 , 6, 7 , 11 , 16 , 21, 22 )

Material studied (18ɗ 9Ψ): Serbia: mountain Fruška gora (Stari Ledinci, 19.04.1988, ɗ, leg. Radnović, 0 1.05.1988, ɗ, leg. Vujić; Glavica, 25.04.1989, ɗ, leg. Vujić); mountain Seličevica, 0 2.04.1989, 6ɗ, leg. Vujić; mountain Kopaonik (Srebrenac, 24.05.1987, ɗ, leg. Vujić); marsh Obedska bara (Debela gora, 15.04.1990, Ψ, leg. Vujić). Montenegro: mountain Durmitor (Sušičko jezero-Skakala, 31.05- 01.06.1998, 6ɗ 8Ψ, leg. Vujić, 20.06.1998, 2ɗ leg. Vujić).

In males of P. quadrimaculata the hairs on the thoracic pleura and abdomen are almost entirely black, whereas they are pale whitish-yellow in P. luteitarsis . Males of P. luteitarsis may only be reliably distinguished from P. accola by features of the terminalia at the moment ( Figs. 21–24 ).

Variability: pale area on basoflagellomere sometimes very small; some specimens with more black hairs on thorax; sternite 2 pale or all sternites unicolorous; tergite 2 with pair of yellow spots ( Fig.16 ); if they missing tergite with dusted marks; colour of legs variable, but front tarsi always pale.

Distribution: Fennoscandia south to Belgium and France; from Ireland eastwards through central Europe (Alps) into European parts of Russia ( Speight 2007).

Ecology (based on Speight 2007): preferred environment: forest: deciduous forest; mature humid Fagus and acidophilous Quercus forest and woodland; also in mature suburban gardens. Adult habitat and habits: to a significant extent arboreal, flying at up to 5m from the ground round the foliage of mature trees and shrubs; settles on foliage of the lower branches of oak and beech at the edge of clearings and paths etc., and on bushes, e.g. Rubus fruticosus . Flowers visited: Euphorbia , Prunus , Ranunculus , Tussilago . Flight period: mid April/ end May, with occasional later records. Larva: described by Rotheray (1987) and illustrated in colour ( Rotheray, 1994).

The Balkan populations of P. luteitarsis are found at lower altitudes, from 0 up to 900m, in Quercus and Fagus woodlands. This species was recorded in only a few Balkan localities and belongs to a group of vulnerable insect species in Serbia.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Frons of female, dorsal view. 1. Pipiza luteitarsis; 2. Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 3. Pipiza quadrimaculata. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 4 – 9. Antenna, lateral view. 4, male, 5, female, Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 6, male 7, female, Pipiza luteitarsis; 8, male, 9, female, Pipiza accola. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 10, 11. Tergites 1 – 3 of male, lateral view. 10. Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 11. Pipiza luteitarsis; T 1 – tergite 1; T 2 – tergite 2; T 3 – tergite 3. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 14 – 18. Abdomen, dorsal view. 14, female 15, male, Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 16, female, Pipiza luteitarsis; 17, male, 18, female, Pipiza quadrimaculata; T 4 – tergite 4; T 5 – tergite 5. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 21, 22. Male genitalia of Pipiza luteitarsis. 21. lateral view; 22. dorsal view of epandrium; sl - semicircular lobe of surstylus. Scale 0.1 mm.