Argentinomyia belmira Montoya & Wolff, 2023

Montoya, Augusto L. & Wolff, Marta, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Argentinomyia Lynch-Arribálzaga, 1891 (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of 16 new species, Zootaxa 5234 (1), pp. 1-157 : 35-38

Argentinomyia belmira Montoya & Wolff sp. nov.

Proposed standard English name: Belmira’s long-antennae flower fly.

( Figs 16 , 17 and 90A )

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Adult Male , pinned, deposited at Colección Entomológica Universidad de Antioquia. Original label: “ COLOMBIA, Antioquia, Belmira, Páramo Santa Inés, Vereda Río Arriba, Sector Laguna de Sabanas” / “ 6,640931, -75,665335, 2850-2950 m, Forest, Net” / “ 4-14.vii.2016, A. L. Montoya; J. Torres-Toro; J. D. Carmona ”. “ HOLOTYPE / Argentinomyia belmira / Montoya & Wolff 2023” ( CEUA 95284 , dissected). Identified as Argentinomyia sp. 13 by Montoya 2019 . PARATYPE. COLOMBIA. Label with the same data as Holotype (3♁, CEUA 112574–76 ) except: Malaise, 2-12.ii.2017, A.L. Montoya; C. Rodríguez; J.D. Carmona (1♀, CEUA 95481 ) .

Length (n= 3): Body, 7.9–8.2 mm; Wings, 7.5–7.7 mm.

Diagnosis. Face black and somewhat brassy; wing slightly brownish; 3 rd and 4 th terga almost entirely yellow, with a pair of wider yellow maculae from the base to the apical margin of the segment, rounded on the lateral edge and with a thin median black stripe and narrow posterior black margin; 5 th tergum almost entirely yellow with only a small posteromedian black triangle, black pilose in the black areas and on the medio-apical region of the 3 rd to the 5 th terga; surstylus with dorsal margin slightly concave and ventral margin slightly convex; hypandrium narrowed laterally towards the apex; aedeagal lobe circular, apex rounded.

Description (Holotype). MALE. Head ( Fig. 16A ): Face black and somewhat brassy, whitish-grey pollinose and pilose. Facial tubercle at least with two slightly pronounced transversal grooves. Gena black, white-grey pollinose and yellow pilose. Frontal triangle more brownish pollinose, pile black. Ocellar triangle black with black pile. Occiput white pollinose, black pilose on dorsal 2/3 and white pilose on ventral 1/3. Antenna dark reddish-brown, short, ratio 1.0:1.5:2.3, pedicel and scape combined longer than basoflagellomere; basoflagellomere blackish dorsal and reddish ventral; arista brown, with a few short pile. Thorax ( Figs 16B–C ): Mesonotum, scutellum and pleura black-blue semi-opaque, golden yellow pilose. Scutum with two whitish vittae on anterior half, reaching beyond the notopleural suture, golden pilose, except black pile in the postpronotum, notopleuron and postalar callus. Pleura shining black, with white to brownish pollen, yellowish pilose, except anterior anepisternum and katerpimeron with black pile. Scutellum shining, slightly rugose on apical half, short white pile in addition to long marginal black pile. Wing ( Fig. 16C ): Slightly brownish, stigma yellowish, membrane microtrichose, except cell bm bare on basal 2/4, r only slightly bare on basal 1/4 or less, cell cua bare on anterior 1/3; calypter white, border and fringe brown; plumula white; halter white, capitulum white. Legs ( Fig. 16C ): Brown to black, black pilose, 1 st and 2 nd metatarsi black, not strongly contrasting with the dark color of other segments. Abdomen ( Fig. 8E , 16B ): Mostly yellow, 1 st- 2 nd terga black shining, with long lateral yellowish pile; 3 rd and 4 th terga almost entirely yellow, with a pair of wider yellow maculae from the base to the apical margin of the segment, rounded on lateral edge and with a thin median black stripe and narrow posterior black margin; 5 th tergum almost entirely yellow with only a small posteromedian black triangle, black pilose in the black areas and on medioapical region of 3 rd to 5 th terga, genitalia shining black, black pilose; male genitalia: surstylus in lateral view ( Fig. 17A ) with dorsal margin slightly concave and ventral margin slightly convex; hypandrium in ventral view ( Fig. 17C ) narrowed laterally towards the apex; aedeagal lobe in ventral view ( Fig. 17C ) circular, apex rounded.

FEMALE ( Figs 16D–F ). Similar to male except for usual sexual dimorphism and differing in the 2 nd tergum almost entirely yellow, with a pair of wider yellow maculae from the base to the apical margin of the segment, this tergum black shining in male, terga 3 rd to 4 th with wider yellow maculae from the base to the apical margin of the segment, rounded on lateral edge and with a thin median black stripe and narrow posterior black margin, 5 th tergum with a short yellow macula, slightly widen than in male.

Taxonomic notes. Argentinomyia belmira sp. nov. is similar to A. agonis but differs by the following combination of characters: Antenna dark reddish-brown ( Figs 16A, C , D-F); wing slightly brownish ( Figs 16 B-C, E-F); 3 rd and 4 th terga almost entirely yellow, with a pair of wider yellow maculae from the base to the apical margin of the segment, rounded on lateral edge and with a thin median black stripe and narrow posterior black margin, 5 th tergum almost entirely yellow with only a small posteromedian black triangle, black pilose in the black areas and on medio-apical region of the 3 rd to the 5 th terga ( Figs 16B, E ). A. agonis is characterized by the antenna black ( Figs 10A, C , D-F); wing hyaline, vein R4+5 not sinuate; cell r1 open; vein M1 not recurrent ( Figs 10 B-C, E-F); abdomen elongate, 2 nd to 4 th terga with large orange maculae, black lateral margins, in addition to a thin median black vitta and narrow posterior black margin ( Figs 10B, E ). Based on males, A. belmira sp. nov. differs from A. agonis in having the surstylus ( Fig. 17A ) with dorsal margin slightly concave and ventral margin slightly convex, shorter than broad [versus surstylus in lateral view with dorsal and ventral margins approximately of the same width in the whole length, elongated, three to four times longer than broad in A. agonis ( Fig. 11A )] (see “differential diagnosis” under each species or key).

Etymology. Argentinomyia belmira sp. nov. is a noun in apposition, toponymy that refers to the type locality “ Belmira ”, which corresponds to the “Páramo Complex of Santa Ines Belmira” in the northwestern Central Cordillera in Colombia where the type specimens were collected.

Remarks. The type material was collected in two sampling events in February 2016 and April 2017. The species was found inside a well-preserved patch of Andean forest ( Fig. 11D ) covered by abundant leaf litter; tree trunks covered by mosses and abundant epiphytes such as bromeliads and orchids. The species occurs notably in forests dominated by the Colombian Oak, Quercus humboldtii Bonpl. (Fagaceae) forming a closed canopy. The series types were collected flying in leks formation over the native Bromeliad species, Guzmania coriostachya (Griseb.) Mez (Bromeliaceae) . Argentinomyia belmira sp. nov. is a forest species that occur sympatrically throughout high elevations of northwestern Colombia with A. humboldti sp. nov., A. ivani sp. nov., A. serendipia sp. nov., A. teresae sp. nov. and A. andina .

Geographical range. Argentinomyia belmira sp. nov. (n= 5) is known exclusively from the Páramo Complex of Santa Ines Belmira, northwestern in the Colombian Central Cordillera (Antioquia) ( Fig. 90A ). The species is endemic to the Northern Andes domain, distributed at middle altitudes (2950 m) in the Magdalena province.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Differences in wing macula pattern, lateral view. A. Argentinomyia crenulata (♀); B. Argentinomyia sagoti sp. nov. (♁); C. Argentinomyia CR-18 (♁).

FIGURE 10. Argentinomyia agonis (Walker, 1849), male (CNC DIPTERA 24684): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (CNC DIPTERA 246840): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 11. Argentinomyia agonis (Walker, 1849), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia including epandrium, cercus and surstylus, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view.Abbreviations used in male genitalia structures are as follows: Ahp = apex of hypandrium (superior lobes); Cer = Cercus; Epd = Epandrium; Hyp = Hypandrium; Led = Aedeagal lobe; Sur = Surstyle. Scale bar: 0.05 mm. D–E. Natural habitus of male and female specimens in Puerto Villamil, Galapagos, Ecuador (iNaturalist catalogue number37254474; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37254474). Photo taken by ©Robert Siegel.

FIGURE 16. Argentinomyia belmira sp. nov., male Holotype (CEUA 95284): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (CEUA 95481): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 17. Argentinomyia belmira sp. nov., male Holotype, genitalia A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm. D. Type locality in a pristine Andean forest at the Páramo of Santa Inés Belmira in Antioquia, Colombia. The specimens were collected flying in leks over the Native Bromeliad species, Guzmania coriostachya (Bromeliaceae).

FIGURE 90. Geographical distribution of Argentinomyia species in the Tropical Andes.