Sphecomyia pseudosphecomima Moran

M. Moran, Kevin & H. Skevington, Jeffrey, 2019, Revision of world Sphecomyia Latreille (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 836, pp. 15-79 : 40-42

Sphecomyia pseudosphecomima Moran sp. n. Figs 10C, 12C, 26

Type locality.

U.S.A.: California: Tulure Co., Ash Mountain Headquarters, 36.4868, −118.8398, 518 m.

Types.

Holotype female, pinned. Original label: CAL: Tulare Co. // Ash Mt. HQ, 1700' // IV-28-1979 // J. Powell, coll." " EMEC // 371308 // [BARCODE]". [1♀, EMEC371308, EMEC]

Paratypes: U.S.A.: California: Kern Co., Glennville, 35.7236, −118.7021, E.G. Linsley, J.W. MacSwain, R.F. Smith, 24.iv.1949, CNC91444 (1♀, CNC); Yosemite National Park, 37.7399, −119.5911, E.C. Van Dyke, 16.v.1921, USNM1028990 (1♀, USNM).

Diagnosis.

Species similar to S. aino or S. tsherepanovi but can be distinguished by the following characters: cell c bare on basal third; ocellar triangle pale pilose; silver-yellow pruinose.

Description.

Female. Body length: 9.9 -12.7 mm. Wing length: 7.7-7.9 mm. Head. Face silver-yellow pruinose with shiny, black, medial vitta extending from oral margin to base of antenna; frons black pilose posteriorly, silver-yellow pruinose on lateral margins; postocular border silver-yellow pruinose; postocular and occipital pile pale; antenna black, black pilose, with length of segments roughly in a 3:3:2 ratio.

Thorax. Sub-shiny black; postpronotum, scutum, scutellum, postalar callus, proepimeron, posterior anepisternum pale pilose; posterior katepisternum pale pilose with broadly separated patches; anterior anepimeron pale pilose; metasternum pale pilose; postpronotum, anterior eighth of scutellum, broad posterior margin of anepisternum and dorso-posterior corner of katepisternum silver-yellow pruinose; area between postpronota weakly silver-yellow pruinose, except shiny medially; anepimeron shiny; scutum without pruinose vittae; ventral calypter with long yellow pile.

Legs. Foreleg black except extreme apex of femur; midleg reddish-yellow, except last two tarsomeres black; hind leg reddish-yellow except last two tarsomeres black; all of fore tibia and tarsus black pilose, remainder of leg pale pilose.

Wing. Hyaline; microtrichia absent from following areas: cell bc; basal third of cell c; basal fourth of cell sc; cell r1 from base almost to crossvein r-m; broad basal portion of cell br (before origin of M) and about basal two-fifths of narrower portion of this cell (caudad of spurious vein only); cell bm except apex and narrow anterior and posterior margins of about apical fourth; broad anterior margin of cell cua; narrow, elongate, oval area proximal to vein A1.

Abdomen. Tergites and sternites shiny to sub-shiny, black with silver-yellow pruinosity as follows: tergite 1 pruinose posteriorly; tergite 2 with thin, interrupted, medial band which curves posteriorly to reach the posterolateral corners; tergite 3 with thin, interrupted, medial band which does not curve anteriorly; tergite 4 with similar but thinner band; sternite 1 shiny; sternites 2 to 4 pruinose, with indistinct spot of non-pruinosity posteromedially; pile of abdomen pale.

Male.

Unknown.

Distribution.

U.S.A.: California (Fig. 26). Known from three localities in the Sierra Nevada Range.

Biology.

Recorded flying late April through mid-May.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek pseudo ( Brown 1956: 652) meaning false and sphex meaning wasp ( Brown 1956: 652) and the latin mima ( Brown 1956: 652) for mimic. The epithet referencing that it is one of the few non-wasp mimics of Sphecomyia .