Psilota apiformis Thompson and Young, 2020

Young, Andrew D., Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Steenis, Wouter Van, 2020, Revision of the Psilota Meigen, 1822 flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of Australia, Zootaxa 4737 (1), pp. 1-127 : 24-26

Psilota apiformis Thompson and Young sp. nov.

(Species plate: Fig. 7 ; Genitalia: Fig. 40 C–D; Map: Fig. 51A )

Psilota sp. 88-37 Thompson, unpublished manuscript

Diagnosis: Face yellow. Pleuron obscurely dull orange to brown, scutum black with obscure orange to brown lateral stripes. Hind leg simple. Abdomen broadly oval, tergites 3 and 4 almost entirely yellow, with long, dense, pale yellow pile. Body length: 9.7–12.2 mm.

Description: MALE: Head: Frons and face yellow, very thinly pollinose at anterior margin of eye, otherwise bare. Face and frons with yellow pile, vertex with a tuft of long yellowish-orange pile. Antenna orange. Eye densely pilose, pile entirely yellow. Thorax: Legs entirely dull orange to brown. Hind femur unmodified, with only a few weak, black setulae apicoventrally. Pleuron obscurely dull orange to brown, entirely shining. Pile on pleuron orange dorsally, most katepisternal pile black. Scutum dull orange to brown laterally, with large dark brownish-black area medially. Scutal pile mostly yellow, with some black pile anterior to scutellum. Scutellum dark brown, with pile mostly black, but with some yellow pile anteriorly. Wing colourless, with bare areas on the anterior half of cell c and cua, mostly bare on cells bm and r. Halter orange. Abdomen: Broadly oval. Tergite 1 entirely dark brown, tergite 2 yellow laterally and ventrally, dark brown anteriorly and centrally, tergite 3 almost entirely yellow with faint dark brown markings laterally, tergite 4 dark brown with a central yellow stripe. Tergites 3 and 4 entirely covered in pale yellow pollinosity, obscuring ground colour beneath. Tergites 2–4 covered with short, dense, pile. Pile on tergite 2 dark anteriorly and medially in an area corresponding with the central dark brown marking, all other pile of tergites pale yellow. All sternites yellow. Genitalia: Epandrium compact, about as long as tall. Cercus approximately triangular. Outer lobe of surstylus inserted near top of outer lobe, abruptly curved downwards at two-thirds its length, swollen at apex. Inner lobe of surstylus broad, approximately 6 times as long as wide, with slight swelling at base, otherwise smoothly broadening towards a rounded apex. Phallapodeme smooth. Gonostylus constricted medially and abruptly darkened.

FEMALE: Identical except for normal sexual dimorphism.

Etymology: The specific epithet ‘ apiformis ’ consists of api-, which is the Latin for bee (‘apis’), and -formis, the Latin for “shape, figure, form, or appearance” (‘forma, -ae’). This is in reference to the bee-like appearance of Psilota apiformis , which may grant it some measure of protection from predators.

Specimens examined: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Goondera Ridge, Royal National Park , - 34.114342151.046586,22. viii.1976,G.andA. Daniels,GDCBReg_19538(1♂, AM) . PARATYPES: NewSouthWales: Same data as holotype: GDCBReg_19539–19542 (4♂♂, GDCB) ; Goondera Ridge, Royal National Park , -34.114342 151.046586,2. x.1978, G.Daniels,GDCBReg_19543(1♂, GDCB) ; ClydeMts. nr. Braidwood ,-35.545950149.950408, 26.x.1960, S.J. Paramonov, USNM _ENT_00249838(1♂, USNM) ; Stanwell Tops , -34.219903 150.991808, 1.x.1978, G. Daniels, GDCBReg_19544–19545 (2♂♂, GDCB) ; Queensland: Mount Marlay nr, Stanthorpe , -28.653583 151.946908, 22.ix.1985, D.K. Yeates, UQIC_ Reg 94622 (1♂, QM) ; Gordon , x.1935, ANIC29034936 (1♂, ANIC) .

Discussion: Nothing is known about the biology of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 7. P. apiformis sp. nov., A) male dorsal habitus, B) male anterolateral face, C) male lateral habitus. Scale bar =1 mm.

FIGURE 40. Lateral and dorsal male genitalia of A, B) P. alexanderi sp. nov.; C, D) P. apiformis sp. nov.; E, F) P. auricauda Curran, and G, H) P. auripila sp. nov.. Scale bar =1 mm.

FIGURE 51. Known range of A) P. apiformis sp. nov.; B) P. auricauda Curran.