Sphecomyia weismani Moran

M. Moran, Kevin & H. Skevington, Jeffrey, 2019, Revision of world Sphecomyia Latreille (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 836, pp. 15-79 : 49-50

Sphecomyia weismani Moran sp. n. Figs 2O, 3B, 7D, 8D, 9D, 26

Type locality.

U.S.A.: Arizona: Greenlee Co., Hannagan Meadows, 33.6392, −109.3263, 2743 m.

Types.

Holotype male, pinned. Original label: "Hannagan Meadows, 9000' // Greenlee Co. ARIZ. // I.VII 1966 // R. F. Sternitzky" " CNC DIPTERA 91440". [1♂, CNC_DIPTERA91440, CNC]

Paratypes: U.S.A.: Arizona: Apache Co., Alpine, 33.8481, −109.1431, 2438 m, R.F. Sternitzky, 27.vi.1966, CNC91439 (1♀, CNC); 3.vii.1966, CNC91438 (1♂, CNC); Apache Co., McNary, 34.0719 -109.8550, 2225 m, R.F. Sternitzky, 5.vii.1966, CNC91441 (1♀, CNC); CNC91442 (1♂, USNM); Cochise Co., Parker Canyon, Huachuca Mountains, 31.4278, −110.4519, 1585 m, R.F. Sternitzky, 25.vi.1966, CNC91443 (1♀, CNC).

Diagnosis.

It can be confused with S. columbiana , S. cryptica sp. n., S. dyari , S. hoguei sp. n., S. oraria sp. n., and S. pattonii but is easily distinguished by a scutellum with the anterior half pruinose.

Description.

Male. Body length: 13.6-14.6 mm. Wing length: 9.7-11.0 mm. Head. Face yellow pruinose with shiny, black, medial vitta extending from oral margin to base of antenna; frons broad, about as long as broad at antenna, two-thirds as broad at vertex as at antenna, bare, with yellow pruinosity along posterior three-fourths; vertex triangular, longer than broad, shiny, with ocellar triangle yellow pilose; postocular border yellow pruinose; postocular and occipital pile yellow; male narrowly dichoptic; antenna black, yellow pilose, length of segments roughly in a 3:3:2 ratio.

Thorax. Sub-shiny black; postpronotum, scutum, scutellum, postalar callus, proepimeron, posterior anepisternum yellow pilose; posterior katepisternum yellow pilose with broadly separated patches; anterior anepimeron yellow pilose; metasternum yellow pilose; postpronotum, anterior half of scutellum, broad posterior margin of anepisternum and dorso-posterior corner of katepisternum yellow pruinose; area between postpronota 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 and anterior third of tibia reddish-yellow; fore tarsi slightly broadened; midleg reddish-yellow, except basal four-fifths of femur and last two tarsomeres black; hind leg reddish-yellow, except last two tarsomeres black; legs yellow pilose, except fore tibia, fore tarsi, apex of fore femur black pilose; hind coxa yellow pruinose.

Wing. Hyaline; microtrichia absent from following areas: cell bc; 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.

Abdomen. Tergites and sternites shiny to sub-shiny black; with yellow pruinose markings as follows: tergite 1 pruinose along posterior margin; tergite 2 with broad, interrupted, truncate medial band which meets a narrow, uninterrupted posterior band in the posterolateral corners of tergite; tergite 3 with similar medial band, but more narrowly interrupted; pattern on tergite 4 same as tergite 3 except medial band very narrowly or incompletely interrupted; sternite 1 shiny; sternites 2 to 4 almost completely pruinose, with a triangular region of non-pruinosity posteromedially; sternites 6 to 8 pruinose; pile of abdomen and postabdomen yellow.

Male genitalia. Surstylus not elongated, about as long as broad, curving downward ventrally; pile on dorsal and apical fourth of lateral outer surface of surstylus; minute spines on ventral surface, with apical half of lateral inner surface also with spines; basal fourth of the ventral surface of the surstylus produced into a lobe directed anteriorly, with minute pubescence on ventral and lateral inner surface; cerci rounded, with no invagination on posterior border; aedeagus as in Fig. 2O.

Female.

Similar to male except normal sexual dimorphism.

Distribution.

Arizona (Fig. 26). Known from the Mogollon Rim and Madrean Sky Islands.

Biology.

Recorded flying late June through early July.

Etymology. The specific epithet honors K. E. Weisman who published a series of four papers on Sphecomyia that summarized most of what was previously known about the genus.