Chrysotoxum continuum Bezzi, 1915

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 : 17-19

Chrysotoxum continuum Bezzi, 1915

( Figs 15–16 )

Chrysotoxum continuum Bezzi, 1915: 118

Examined specimens. 2♀, Jazan, Fifa, Jebel Fifa, Al Abacia , 1.ii.1983, A. Talhouk & S.Tilkian ( KSMA) ; 2♂, Abha, Madinat Al-Ameer Sultan , Malaise trap, 25.ii–25.v.2002, H.A. Dawah & M.A. Abdullah ( NMWC) ; 1♂, 6♀, Al-Souda, Bani Mazen , 25.ii–1.v.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) .

Distribution. This is the first record from Saudi Arabia. It was described from Kenya and is further recorded from Burundi, Eritrea, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda ( Smith & Vockeroth 1980; Dirickx 1998; Whittington 2003) and Yemen ( Smit et al. 2017).

Genus Eristalinus Rondani

Eristalinus occurs in the Afrotropical, Palaearctic, Oriental, and Australasian Regions with approximately 106 species. The larval stages of all Eristalinus flies are either aquatic or semi-aquatic in nature, filtering bacteria and organic material and typically found in wetlands ( Ghahari et al. 2008). Low fast darting flights and stoutly built bodies are important identification features of this group ( Stubbs & Falk 2002). Eristalinus found hovering in and above the vegetation, frequently basking in sunny spots. Pérez-Bañón et al. (2003b) in their review of European Eristalinus provided new data on their life histories, biological notes and a key to species using pupal characters. Their recent advances in knowledge using molecular data do not support the traditional adult classification based on the patterning on the eyes (fasciate vs punctate).

Figures

FIGURE 15–16. Habitus of Chrysotoxum continuum Bezzi, 1915. 15) Male, dorsal view, 16) Female, lateral view.