Platycheirus sticticus (Meigen, 1822)

Prokhorov, A. V., Popov, G. V., Shparyk, V. Yu. & Vasilyeva, Yu. S., 2023, New Records Of Hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) From Ukraine. Vi, Zoodiversity 57 (2), pp. 125-142 : 135-137

Platycheirus sticticus (Meigen, 1822) ( figs 49, 50 , 53–55 )

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d. Ukraine. Kyiv Region: Irpin env., 50.502558 N 30.283498 E, glades in Lyubka

River floodplain forest, 23.07.2020, 1 ♀ (A. Prokhorov).

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,? Luxembourg, the Netherlands,? Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden; Russia (European parts, Siberia, Southern Far East); ( Bańkowska, 1963; Peck, 1988; Verlinden, 1991; Kuznetsov, 1993; Dirickx, 1994; Belcari et al., 1995; Holinka & Mazánek, 1997; Carrières, 2001 a; Stubbs & Falk, 2002; Stănescu & Pârvu, 2005; Speight, 2008; Bartsсh et al., 2009 a; Reemer et al., 2009; Tóth, 2011; Haarto & Kerppola, 2014; Ricarte & Marcos-García, 2017; Barkalov & Mutin, 2018; Speight et al., 2018; Vujić et al., 2018; Speight, 2020; Wakkie, 2021); Ukraine (first record).

Diagnosis. The species is morphologically similar to representatives of Platycheirus albimanus or ambiguus species groups, in which not yellow spots are developed on the abdominal tergites, but whitish-grayish spots with a metallic sheen ( fig. 49 ). The female of Platycheirus sticticus differs from other similar European species of albimanus / ambiguus group (sensu Bartsch et al., 2009 a) by posterior anepisternum with lower part shining (in other species, lower part of posterior anepisternum microtrichose), and sternite 2 with very short pilosity (in other species, sternite 2 with relatively long pilosity at least anteriorly). From P. ambiguus (Fallén, 1817) , it also can be distinguished by tergites 3 and 4 each with a not joined silvery spots (in P. ambiguus , tergites 3 and 4 without visible individual spots, but each with a faint silvery pollinose band). Platycheirus sticticus differs from P. albimanus (Fabricius, 1781) ( figs 51, 52 , 56–58 ) also by the frons with very small pollinose spots along eye margin ( figs 54, 55 ), which sometimes reduced (in P. albimanus , frons with distinct triangular pollinose spots along eye margin, as on figs 57, 58 ), fore femur with black bristle near apex (lacking in P. albimanus ), and tergite 5 is less than 2 times wider than long, (in P. albimanus tergite 5 is much more than 2 times wider than long). From P. laskai Nielsen, 1999 , P. sticticus can be distinguished by the shape of tergite 3, in which the width noticeably exceeds the length ( fig. 49 ) (in P. laskai , tergite 3 almost square) ( van Veen, 2010; Bartsch et al., 2009 a).

Regarding the pilosity of sternite 2, we can say that our specimen has short pile, but not so short that the species can be easily distinguished by this feature from all specimens of P. albimanus , for example. When comparing our specimen with specimens of P. albimanus , it is clearly visible that the P. sticticus body is generally more shiny and less pubescent, the abdominal pollinose spots are also more shiny and not as whitish-grayish as in P. albimanus ( fig. 51 ), with a more bluish tinge ( fig. 49 ) especially when viewed from behind.

Tribe Syrphini

Figures

Figs 49–52. Platycheirus sticticus (49, 50) and P. albimanus (51, 52) females: 49, 51 — habitus, dorsal view; 50, 52 — habitus, lateral view.

Figs 53–58. Platycheirus sticticus (53–55) and P. albimanus (56–58) females: 53, 56 — head, anterodorsal view; 54, 57 — head, frontal view; 55, 58 — head, anterolateral view.