Flukea vockerothi Etcheverry, 1966

Barahona-Segovia, Rodrigo M., Riera, Pamela, Pañinao-Monsálvez, Laura, Guzmán, Vicente Valdés & Henríquez-Piskulich, Patricia, 2021, Updating the knowledge of the flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Chile: Illustrated catalog, extinction risk and biological notes, Zootaxa 4959 (1), pp. 1-178 : 55-57

Flukea vockerothi Etcheverry, 1966

Figs 74–77

Flukea vockerothi Etcheverry, 1966: 3

Type locality and data. “ Chillán , Chile ” (T, ♂, MEUC) .

Material examined. Maule: 1♂, Tregualemu , 02.XII.1989, Leg. C. González ( IEUMCE) ; Ñuble : 2♂, 2♀, Chillán, 17.XI.1965, Leg. Casals ( MZUC) ; Biobío: 1♂, Los Ángeles , 02.XI.1986, Leg. C. Bocaz ( UFRO) ; 2♂, Cordillera de Pemehue , 20–31.I.1946, Leg.Peña ( CNC, Etcheverry 1966); La Araucanía: 1♀, La Esperanza, Mininco , 06.XI.1991, Leg. J. Solervicens ( IEUMCE) ; 1♀, Termas Rio Blanco , 19.II.1973, Leg. J . Herrera ( IEUMCE) ; 1♀, Cherquenco , 17.XI.1978, Leg. NN ( MNHNCL) ; 1♀, Villarrica, -39.2820, -72.2307, 26.II.2016, phot. col. Soledad Gaete ( CSP) ; Los Ríos: 1♀, Valdivia , 30.I.1992, Leg. S. Krause ( UACH) ; 1♂, Corral , 27.XII.1981, Leg. W. Fischer ( UACH) ; 1♂, 1♀, La Unión, I.1996, Leg. A. Ugarte ( MEUC) ; Los Lagos: 2♀, Río GolGol, Osorno , 10.II.1957 ( CNC; Etcheverry, 1966); 2♀, Parque Nacional Puyehue, 7.II.2018, Leg. J.H., A.W. and A.M. Skevington ( CNC) ; Aysén: 1♀, Queulat National Park , 02.VII.2006, Leg. Alejandro Vera ( MNHNCL) ; 2♂, 2♀, Puerto Cisnes, 09.I.1967, Leg. Zapata ( IEUMCE) ; Río Mañihuales , 26–28.I.1961, Leg. Peña ( Etcheverry 1966); 1♂, Puerto Aysén, 24–26.I.1961 ( CNC; Etcheverry 1966) .

References. Etcheverry, 1966: 3, figs 1–35 (desc.); Thompson, 1972b: 163, figs 65–66 (male genitalia), 65s (sternum), 65t (tergum), 66a (aedeagus and apodeme), 66e (ejaculatory apodeme) ( Milesiinae rev.); Thompson et al., 1976: 118 (cat.); Thompson, 1999a: 335 (key).

World distribution. Chile.

Chilean distribution. From Maule to Aysén region ( Fig. 79 ).

Altitudinal range. From coastal to precordillera ecosystems 5– 2,000 m.a.s.l.

Biology and notes. Known as the largest flower fly of Chile, Flukea vockerothi is mainly associated with native forests. This fly has been observed feeding on Eucryphia cordifolia in Villarrica (Soledad Gaete, CSP record; Figs 74–75 ) and Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (Jorge de la Torre, CSP record). Recently, females have been observed ovipositing thanks to citizen science. The eggs are oval, white but darker in the apices. The observed female laid the eggs in small groups (15–20, even more) on the bark and leaves of a moss-covered pine surrounded by native forest with many native dead logs in the floor ( Fig. 77 ). Thompson (1972) mentioned that type specimen is lost. The genus name, as well as the specific epithet, commemorates Dr. C. L. Fluke and J. R. Vockeroth, respectively, acknowledged entomologists and specialists in Syrphidae ( Etcheverry 1966) .

Conservation status. LC; EOO = 111,220 km 2; AOO = 72 km 2 and 17 localities (or subpopulations).

Subtribe Milesiina

Genus Hemixylota Shannon & Aubertin, 1933

Hemixylota Shannon & Aubertin 1933: 148 . Type-species, Hemixylota varipes Shannon & Aubertin 1933 (ori. des.).

Figures

FIGURE 79. Distribution map of Flukea vockerothi Etcheverry, 1966 (black circles); Hemixylota unicolor Shannon & Aubertin, 1933 (green circles); Pia cyanea Philippi, 1865 (red circles) and Philippimyia cyanocephalus (Philippi, 1865) (blue circles) in Chile.

FIGURES 74–78. Flukea vockerothi Etcheverry, 1966: (74–75) visiting flowers of Eucryphia cordifolia Cav., Villarrica (photo by Soledad Gaete); (76) dorsal view (photo by Jorge de la Torre Aninat); (77) eggs (photo by Jorge de la Torre Aninat). Hemixylota unicolor Shannon & Aubertin, 1933: (78) lateral view (photo by Vicente Valdés). Scale bar = 1 mm.