Hypselosyrphus anax (Thompson, 1976)

Reemer, Menno, 2013, Taxonomic exploration of Neotropical Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) mimicking stingless bees, Zootaxa 3697 (1), pp. 1-88 : 25-26

Hypselosyrphus anax (Thompson, 1976)

Figs 67 , 109 .

Microdon analis Curran, 1940: 3 . Preoccupied by Macquart, 1842, new name anax introduced by Thompson et al. (1976).

Studied type specimens. HOLOTYPE. BRAZIL. Male. Label 1: " Brasilien, Nova Teutonia, 27°11' B, 52°23'L, Fritz Plaumann, 10.12.1937 "; label 2 (red): " Microdon analis Curran Holotype ". Coll. AMNH.

Redescription (based on holotype)

Adult male Body size: 8.5 mm.

Head. Face occupying 1/5 of head width in frontal view; black; entirely with long white pilosity except for black pile ventrolaterad of antennal fossa, with lateral strips of white pollinosity along eye margins. Gena black. Oral cavity with lateral margins not produced. Frons black; black pilose. Vertex black; black pilose; in profile almost vertical directly anteriad of anterior ocellus. Occiput black; with anterior row of dorsally orientated black pile on dorsal 1/3; with posterior row of posteriorly orientated pale pile over entire length. Eye entirely with short, pale pile, a little longer than ommati diameter. Antennal fossa about as wide as high. Antenna yellow; antennal ratio 4:1:? (basoflagellomere missing in holotype).

Thorax. Black, a little brownish on pleurae, posterior callus and scutellum. Scutum densely black pilose, except for a few white pile along transverse suture. Postpronotum and postalar callus black pilose. Scutellum directed upward, a little sulcate posteriorly; entirely long black pilose. Anepisternum a little convex, no clear division between anterior and posterior part; anterior part black pilose, posterior part black pilose along posterior margin. Anepimeron entirely black pilose. Katepisternum black pilose dorsally. Katatergum and anatergum pilose and microtrichose, respectively. Other pleurae bare. Calypter dark grey, halter pale brown.

Wing: hyaline, tinged with brown on basal 2/3, tinged yellowish on apical 1/3. Microtrichose, except for posterobasal 1/3 of cell br, anterobasal 1/3 of cell bm, anterobasal 1/6 of cell cup, anterior to vein A2 and on a narrow basal strip on the alula.

Legs: Femora dark brown, black pilose; metafemur gradually paler towards apex. Front- and mid-tibia brown, black pilose, except for short yellow pile on posteroapical 1/3 of front-tibia. Hind-tibia with greatest width apically of middle; about as wide as hind femur; yellow, entirely with long (a little longer than maximal width of tibia) black pile. Tarsi yellow; yellow pilose, except first tarsomere of mid-leg. Coxae and trochanters brownish black, with black pile.

Abdomen. Blackish brown, except tergite 4 with widely yellow posterior and posterolateral margins. First tergite laterally with black pile, sublaterally with white pile. Tergites 2 and 3 black pilose. Tergites 3 and 4 not fused. Tergite 4 black pilose, except yellow pilose laterally and posteriorly. Sternites 1-3 blackish brown; sternite 4 yellow, except blackish brown anteriorly and laterally. Sternite 1 posteriorly with black pile; sternites 2 and 3 black pilose; sternite 4 yellow pilose on yellow parts, black pilose on dark parts. Pregenital segments yellowish brown. Genitalia as in fig. 109.

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis. A mostly black species with partly bare alula, apicomedially sulcate scutellum and basoflagellomere maximally half as long as scape. Very similar to H. plaumanni . Differences are: tergite 4 with posterior margin widely yellowish, sternite 4 largely yellowish, scutellum entirely black pilose, wing tinged yellowish on apical third, otherwise brownish.

Notes. Curran (1940) made a mistake in the key in which he separates his M. analis from M. plaumanni : he states that the posterior femora are tawny pilose on the basal half in M. plaumanni , while the posterior femora are black pilose in M. analis . This character applies to the posterior tibiae, not to the femora.

Distribution. Only known from Brazil.

Figures

FIGURES 63 – 71. 63 – 66. Hypselosyrphus amazonicus female (holotype). 63. habitus dorsal; 64. habitus lateral; 65. scutellum; 66. wing. 67. Hypselosyrphus anax male (holotype), habitus dorsal. Photo: American Museum of Natural History. 68 – 69. Hypselosyrphus corbiculipes female (holotype). 68. habitus dorsal; 69. habitus lateral. 70 – 71. Hypselosyrphus helvus female (holotype). 70. habitus dorsal; 71. habitus lateral.

FIGURES 107 – 112. 107. Hypselosyrphus vexillipennis female (holotype), head frontal. 108 – 112. Hypselosyrphus, male genitalia. 108. H. amazonicus (Peru. coll. RMNH); 109. H. anax (holotype); 110. H. maurus (holotype); 111. H. pingo (paratype); 112. H. ulopodus (holotype) (dashed lines indicate missing part in specimen).