Psilota spinifemur 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 : 77

Psilota spinifemur Young sp. nov.

(Species plate: Fig. 34 ; Genitalia: Fig. 46 C–D; Map: Fig. 64A )

Diagnosis: Face black, densely white pollinose, with white pile. Frons white pilose, vertex black pilose. Thorax black. Hind femur with a distinct rounded apicoventral setulose carina, with medial side of carina entirely setulose. Hind tibia with basoventral spur. Calypter pale, with only pile at corner of upper and lower calpyter dark. Halter pale. Abdomen black, with metallic green sheen. Tergites 2, 3 and 4 entirely pale pilose. Body length: 10.3–10.8 mm.

Description: MALE: Head: Head black, face white pollinose. Face pale pilose. Scape and pedicel orange, postpedicel orange with anterior edge brown. Postpedicel oval, approximately 1.5 times as long as widest point. Eye densely brown pilose. Thorax: Thorax black. Femora mostly brown, with only apex orange. Tarsi progressively darkened, with tarsomere 1 orange and tarsomere 5 dark brown. Legs otherwise orange. Hind femur with a distinct rounded apicoventral setulose carina, posterior side of carina entirely setulose. Hind tibia with a basoventral spur Pleuron densely grey pollinose. Pleural pile entirely white. Pile on scutum and mixed black and whitish-yellow. Pile on scutellum entirely black. Wing colourless. Wing bare on anterior three-quarters of cell bm and one-quarter of cell cua, cell c bare on basal third, cells m 4, dm, and r 4+5 with small bare areas near base. Alula completely microtrichose. Halter pale. Calypter pale, with pile at corner of upper and lower calypter dark brown. Abdomen: Abdomen black, with metallic green sheen. Tergites 2 to 4 entirely white pilose. Sternites black, with white pilosity. Genitalia: Epandrium compact, about as long as tall. Cercus approximately triangular. Outer lobe of surstylus inserted just above mid-height of inner lobe, curved downwards on apical two-thirds, with apex of lobe thickened and curved backwards towards base of surstylus. Inner lobe of surstylus broadening greatly over entire length, with a ventral excavation on basal 1/3 rd, rounded at apex. Phallapodeme smooth. Gonostylus slightly darkened.

FEMALE: Identical except for normal sexual dimorphism.

Etymology: The specific epithet ‘ spinifemur ’ consists of spini-, derived from the Latin “spinus”, meaning “spine, thorn, or prickle”. This is in reference to the setulose carina on the hind femur of Psilota spinifemur sp. nov.

Specimens examined: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: South of Milton ; -35.319178 150.439158; S.J. Paramonov; ANIC29034986 ; (1♂ ANIC) . PARATYPES: Australian Capital Territory: Cotter River , -35.531650 148.875125, 29.xi.1962, Z. Liepa, ANIC29034826 ; ANIC29034980 ; CNC _ Diptera 253689; USNM_ ENT_00249844 (1♂, 3♀, ANIC; USNM) ; New South Wales: Nelligen , -35.645158 150.092364, 16.i.1970, J.C. Cardale, ANIC29034925 (1♀, ANIC) ; Queensland: 3 mi. W. Cunningham Gap , -28.050245 152.388598, on flowers of Bursaria spinosa , 25.ii.1959, C.D. Michener, CNC _ Diptera 254014 (1♂, ANIC) ; Other material:

Queensland: Dayboro , 0.5 km South, -27.200000 152.816667, 18–19.ix.1999, S.G. Evans, QM Samp. #50152, QM _ REG._NO._T223223 (1♀, QM); Dayboro , 0.5 km South, -27.200000 152.816667, 18–19.ix.1999, S.G. Evans, QM Samp. #50152, QM _ REG._NO._T223233 (1♀, QM) .

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

Figures

FIGURE 34. P. spinifemur sp. nov., A) male dorsal habitus, B) male anterolateral face, C) male lateral habitus. Scale bar =1 mm.

FIGURE 46. Lateral and dorsal male genitalia of A, B) P. spathistyla sp. nov.; C, D) P. spinifemur sp. nov.; E, F) P. viridescens sp. nov.; and G, H) P. viridis Macquart. Scale bar =1 mm.

FIGURE 64. Known range of A) P. spinifemur sp. nov.; B) P. tristis Klocker.