Paramixogaster sacki Reemer & Ståhls, 2013

Reemer, Menno & Sankararaman, Hariharakrishnan, 2024, Revision of the Oriental species of the hoverfly genus Paramixogaster Brunetti, 1923 (Diptera, Syrphidae, Microdontinae), ZooKeys 1208, pp. 1-48 : 1-48

Paramixogaster sacki Reemer & Ståhls, 2013

Figs 21 , 95–101 , 133

Myxogaster variegata Sack, 1922: 274. Syntypes ♀: Taiwan (type lost?) [not examined].

Paramixogasteroides variegata ( Sack, 1922) – Shiraki 1930: 9; Knutson et al. 1975: 374.

Paramixogaster variegata ( Sack, 1922) – Reemer and Ståhls 2013 a: 145.

Paramixogaster sacki Reemer & Ståhls, 2013 a: 145 .

Type specimens.

Syntypes of Myxogaster variegata Sack. Taiwan • 2 ♀; Toa Tsui Kutsu ; lost [not examined] . Neotype of Myxogaster variegata Sack (new neotype designation, see notes). Taiwan • 1 ♂; Nantou Lienhuachih watershed no. 3; 5 Jun. – 24 Jul. 2006 // C. S. Lin & W. T. Yang leg.; Malaise trap; RMNH. Label 1: “ Taiwan Nantou // Lienhuachih // Watershed No: 3 // VI / 5 – VII / 24 / 2006 // C. S. Lin & W. T. Yang // Malaise trap ( KCN) ”; label 2: “ Paramixogaster // sacki // Det. M. Reemer 2022 // Specimen code MR 1391 ”; label 3 (red): “ NEOTYPE // Myxogaster variegata // Sack, 1922 // Designated by Reemer & // Sankararaman 2024 ” .

Additional specimens.

Taiwan • 1 ♂; Nantou, Yuanfeng ; 13 Aug. – 10 Sep. 2002; C. S. Lin & W. T. Yang leg.; Malaise trap; RMNH • 1 ♂; Nantou, Lienhuachih Watershed No: 3; 5 Jun. – 24 Jul. 2006; C. S. Lin & W. T. Yang leg.; Malaise trap; RMNH .

Diagnosis.

Body length: male 9–12 mm (n = 3); female 10 mm ( Sack 1922). This species differs from all other known species of Paramixogaster by its unique colour pattern: the mesoscutum is largely yellow, with small two black maculae posterior to the postpronotum and two elongate narrow black maculae between the transverse suture and the posterior margin (Fig. 21 ). Tergites 3 and 4 are yellow with a unique pattern of black vittae (Fig. 95 ). Male genitalia as in Fig. 133 .

Notes.

Sack (1922) described Myxogaster variegata based on two female syntypes. Attempts to locate the types at the German institutions DEI and ZMHU were unsuccessful (Eliana Buenaventura, Sven Marotzke, Frank Menzel and Joachim Ziegler pers. comm. 2020). The syntypes are considered to be lost. However, the description and figure by Sack (1922) provide enough information to identify the studied specimens as this species. We designate here a neotype to ensure the proper and consistent interpretation of the name.

Shiraki (1930) found out that this species is not closely related to the New World genus Mixogaster Macquart, 1842 and erected a new genus for it: Paramixogasteroides Shiraki, 1930 . He also gave a redescription of the species based on a male and a female. Paramixogasteroides was synonymised with Paramixogaster by Cheng and Thompson (2008), which was followed by Reemer and Ståhls (2013 a) and in this paper.

Distribution.

Taiwan.

Figures

Figures 21, 22. Mesoscutum dorsal: 21 largely yellow with two four black maculae (Paramixogaster sacki male, Taiwan) 22 largely black with yellow margins (P. indica male, Ambon).

Figures 95–101. Paramixogaster sacki Reemer & Ståhls male, neotype: 95 habitus, dorsal 96 habitus, lateral 97 head, frontal 98 head, lateral 99 head, dorsal 100 thorax, dorsal 101 wing.

Figures 130–137. Male genitalia of Paramixogaster species: 130 P. contracta (paratype Microdon subpetiolatus Thompson) 131 P. halmaherensis Reemer, sp. nov. holotype 132 P. luxor holotype 133 P. sacki Taiwan, RMNH 134 P. sulawesiana Reemer, sp. nov. holotype 135 P. jubata Reemer, sp. nov. paratype Vietnam 136 P. indica (paratype P. wegneri Keiser syn. nov.) 137 P. vespiformis Sumatra, RMNH.