Sphegina (Asiosphegina) ghatsi, Steenis & Hippa & Mutin, 2018

Steenis, Jeroen Van, Hippa, Heikki & Mutin, Valeri A., 2018, Revision of the Oriental species of the genus Sphegina Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 489, pp. 1-198 : 83-85

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) ghatsi sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1BE2A8FF-B184-469B-B4E1-47C2746C6934

Figs 33E , 35F , 36 , 38F

Differential diagnosis

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) ghatsi sp. nov. is not particularly similar to any other known Sphegina . In the key it runs to couplet 31 together with Sphegina (Asiosphegina) prolixa sp. nov. Except for the characters mentioned in the key, the species can be separated by their strikingly different genitalia, particularly the superior lobes. In S. (A.) ghatsi sp. nov. the superior lobe is very simple and short subtriangular whereas in S. (A.) prolixa sp. nov. it is long, curved and posteriorly bilobed, with the ventral lobe exceedingly long.

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the type locality, the Ghats mountains.

Material examined

Holotype

INDIA: ♂; “ India : Karna. St. / Mudigere (18 km W) / 7 Apr 1980 Mathis / & Friedberg coll”; USNM.

Description

Male

LENGTH. Body 5.8 mm, wing 4.4 mm.

HEAD. Face in lateral view concave, weakly projected antero-ventrally; frontal prominence very weakly developed. Ratio width of vertex at anterior ocellus: width of head 1: 6.0; ratio width of ocellar triangle: width of vertex 1: 1.5; ratio length of ocellar triangle: length of frons 1: 2.3. Face black, light grey pollinose, long pilose along eye-margin. Hypostomal bridge yellow, long pale pilose. Gena and mouth edge yellow with large subtriangular non-pollinose shiny area. Frons and vertex black, slightly pollinose, a squarish area posterior of lunula non-pollinose and shiny ( Fig. 38F ); pile short, light yellow. Frons with clear but narrow furrow medially. Occiput black, light grey pollinose, light yellow pilose. Eye with an area of enlarged facets at anterior margin. Antenna brown-yellow with black setae dorsally on scape and pedicel; basoflagellomere oval, ratio width: length 1: 1.3; arista short pilose, about 3 times as long as basoflagellomere.

THORAX. Colour black, postpronotum, postalar callus and dorso-medial part of anepisternum and anepimeron yellow; greyish pollinose, posterior margin of katepisternum narrowly non-pollinose, shiny; scutum and pleuron with very short adpressed light yellow pile. Scutellum semi-lunular shaped, black, weakly pollinose, with pile slightly longer than on scutum, without observable setae at posterior margin, unclear if they are broken off.

WING. Entirely microtrichose; hyaline, stigma yellowish. Crossvein dm-cu meeting vein M slightly obliquely and vein M

1

meeting vein R

4+5

perpendicularly.

LEGS. Pro- and mesoleg yellow, tarsomeres 4 and 5 black. Metaleg, Fig. 33E , with coxa black, trochanter yellow; femur black with basal ⅓ yellow, strongly incrassate, ratio width: length 1: 3.0; tibia black and yellow biannulate with long and wide apicoventral dens; tarsus entirely black, basitarsomere thick, ratio width: length 1: 3.2.

ABDOMEN. Length ratio of terga I: II: III: IV 1: 3.2: 2.0: 1.8; ratio width at posterior margin: medial length of tergum II and III 1: 2.7 and 1: 0.7. Terga black, anterior 2/5 of tergum III with yellow fascia; pile pale, on terga short, laterally on terga I and II long; tergum I with a more or less horizontal row of 3–4 light yellow setae at lateral margin; sternum III without sclerotized part; sternum IV, Fig. 36A ; sterna VI, VII and VIII simple, with long yellow pile. Genitalia, Fig. 36 B–D: note the symmetrical surstyli and superior lobes.

Female

Unknown.

Figures

Fig. 33. Metaleg, anterior view. A. Sphegina (Asiosphegina) crassispina Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, paratype, ♀, Myanmar. B. S. (A.) crucivena Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, paratype, Ƌ, Myanmar. C. S. (A.) exilipes sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, Java. D. S. (A.) forficata Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, paratype, Ƌ, Myanmar. E. S. (A.) ghatsi sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, India. F. S. (A.) gigantea sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, China. G. S. (A.) gigas Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, paratype, ♀, Myanmar. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 35. Habitus, lateral view. A. Sphegina (Asiosphegina) forficata Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, paratype, Ƌ, Myanmar.B. S. (A.) forficata, paratype, ♀, Myanmar. C. S. (A.) furcillata sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, Vietnam. D. S. (A.) cf. furcillata sp. nov., ♀, Vietnam. E. S. (A.) furva Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, paratype, Ƌ, Myanmar. F. S. (A.) ghatsi sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, India. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

Fig. 36. Sphegina (Asiosphegina) ghatsi sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ. A. Sternum IV, ventral view. B. Left surstylus, lateral view. C. Left superior lobe, lateral view. D. Genitalia, right side, lateral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 38. Head, lateral view (C, K), dorsal view (A–B, D, F–J, L) and frontal view (E). A. Sphegina (Asiosphegina) farinosa sp. nov.,holotype, Ƌ, Sabah, Malaysia. B. S. (A.) fimbriata sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, Thailand. C–D. S. (A.) forceps Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, paratype, Ƌ, Myanmar. E. S. (A.) furva Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, paratype, Ƌ, Myanmar. F. S. (A.) ghatsi, sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, India. G. S. (A.) gigantea sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, China. H. S. (A.) granditarsis sp. nov., paratype, Ƌ, Thailand. I. S. (A.) hamulata sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, India. J. S. (A.) hansoni Thompson, 1966, holotype, Ƌ, Nepal. K–L. S. (A.) hauseri sp. nov., paratype, Ƌ, Nepal. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.