Cheilosia ( Cheilosia ) latifrons ( Zetterstedt, 1843 )

Bot, Sander, Mengual, Ximo, Meutter, Frank Van de & Skevington, Jeffrey H., 2025, Review of the genus Cheilosia Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the Caucasus, with the description of 14 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 1023, pp. 1-181 : 79-81

Cheilosia ( Cheilosia) latifrons ( Zetterstedt, 1843)

Fig. 40

Eristalis latifrons Zetterstedt, 1843: 811 .

Cheilosia intonsa Loew, 1858: 588 . Syn. by Speight & Lucas (1992).

Cheilosia intonsa – Stackelberg & Richter 1968: 246. — Stackelberg 1970: 59. — Peck 1988: 105. — Barkalov 1993: 714.

Cheilosia latifrons – Mengual et al. 2020: 17.

Differential diagnosis

The female of Cheilosia latifrons has the combination of a pilose face and bare eye, unique amongst Caucasian species of Cheilosia . In the male, the combination of a pilose face, pilose eye and posterior margin of scutellum without setae is, within the Caucasus, only shared with C. pseudogrossa . The male C. latifrons differs from that of C. pseudogrossa by being much smaller (body length 7–9 mm vs 12–13 mm), parafacia broad (narrow in C. pseudogrossa ) and eye with white sparse pile (with dense black pile in C. pseudogrossa ).

Material examined

ARMENIA – Kotayk Province • 1 ♂; Tsaghkadzor, Y.S.U. Rest House ; 40.533625° N, 44.703028° E; 1915 m a.s.l.; 23 May 2022; X. Mengual leg.; ZFMK, ZFMK-DIP-00093658 = ZFMK-TIS-8014607 .

GEORGIA – Mtskheta-Mtianeti • 1 ♀; Tbilisi N.P. ; 41.880° N, 45.023° E; 1289 m a.s.l.; 4 May 2023; S. Bot leg.; SBA, SB.002371 = ZFMK-TIS-8028020 .

Genetics

The DNA barcodes of Caucasian specimens cluster together with sequences from Europe with high support (BS = 100%).

Remarks

Stackelberg & Richter (1968) reported this species as C. intonsa from two localities in Armenia. We are not aware of any other published records from the Caucasus. Thus, we provide the first record of this species for Georgia and new records for Armenia after more than five decades.

Biology

During our expeditions, collected between 4 May and 23 May at an altitude between 1289 and 1915 m a.s.l.

Distribution

Palaearctic. Within the Caucasus known from Armenia and Georgia.