Betasyrphus adligatus ( Wiedemann, 1824 )

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A., Ahmad, Syed Kamran, Al-Dhafer, Hathal & Turner, James, 2020, An overview of the Syrphidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 4855 (1), pp. 1-69 : 15

Betasyrphus adligatus ( Wiedemann, 1824)

( Figs 10–12 )

Syrphus adligatus Wiedemann, 1824: 35

Examined specimens. 1♀, Fifa, Jebel Fifa, Al-Abacia , 19.xi.1981, A. Talhouk & S. Tilkian ( KSMA) ; 1♀, Asir, Abha, Hay Al-Menhel , 20.iv.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CRES) ; 1♀, same locality but 1–25.v.2013 ( CERS) ; 1♂, 1♀, Hay Al-Nusub ( Abha Farm Centre), Malaise trap, 3.vi. 2001, H.A. Dawah and M.A. Abdullah ( CERS) .

Distribution. This species was previously recorded for Saudi Arabia by Abu-Zoherah et al. (1993). It was described from South Africa. It is widespread in the Afrotropical Region: Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritania, Tanzania and Zaire ( Smith & Vockeroth, 1980; Whittington 2003) and Yemen ( Smit et al. 2017).

Genus Ceriana Rafinesque

Ceriana contains 55 species and is found in all regions except the Neotropics ( Thompson 2013). Ricarte et al. (2007b) described and compared the puparia of 10 species of the tribe Cerioidini : three species of Monoceromyia , two species of Ceriana Rafinesque ; four species of Polybiomyia Shanon ; and one species of Sphiximorpha Rondani. They found that all the species studied possessed the diagnostic characters for the tribe but there is no correlation of characters in early stages. They concluded that early stages did not form groups based on shared characters. They reared the larvae of these species from tree sap, tree holes, the liquid centre of a cut agave ( Agavaceae ) and bee nests ( Hymenoptera : Apidae ). From their field observations of larvae and their breeding site they suggested that there are functional explanations for some morphological features.

Figures

FIGURE 10–12. Habitus of Betasyrphus adligatus (Wiedemann, 1824). 10) Male, dorsal view, 11) Female, dorsal view, 12) same, lateral view.