Furcantenna nepalensis Reemer

Reemer, Menno & Stahls, Gunilla, 2013, Generic revision and species classification of the Microdontinae (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 288, pp. 1-213 : 94-95

Furcantenna nepalensis Reemer sp. n. Figs 74-80

Type specimens.

HOLOTYPE. Adult male. NEPAL. Label 1: "NEPAL, Ktmd. / Godavari 6000' / 13 Aug. 1967 / Can. Nepal Exped.". Coll. CNC.

Diagnosis.

Three characters are mentioned by Cheng and Thompson (2008) to distinguish Furcantenna Cheng, 2008 from the Neotropical genus Schizoceratomyia Carrera, Lopes & Lane, 1947: scutellum apicomedially sulcate, katepisternum pilose, metasternum developed and pilose. All three characters are found in the species described here. Only one other species of Furcantenna is known ( Furcantenna yangi Cheng, 2008). From that species, Furcantenna nepalensis sp. n. differs by the following characters (characters of Furcantenna yangi in parentheses, based on Cheng and Thompson 2008): body colour brownish, without violet shine (black, with violet shine); mesoscutum entirely golden pilose (black and white pilose); katepimeron pilose (bare); tergite 2 with ratio of median length: width of posterior margin approximately as 1:3 (1:6).

Description (based on holotype).

Adult male. Body size: 10 mm.

Head. Blackish brown. Face occupying about 1/2 of head width in frontal view; laterally depressed and dull, medially with shining carina; white pilose. Gena white pilose. Oral margin not produced. Frons, vertex and occiput golden pilose. Eye bare. Antennal fossa slightly higher than wide. Antenna: scape pale brown, pedicel and basoflagellomere black; antennal ratio approximately as 5:1:17.5; basoflagellomere bifurcate at base, both branches entirely long pilose; arista absent.

Thorax. Mesoscutum black, except pale brown along margins; golden pilose. Postpronotum and postalar callus brown; golden pilose. Scutellum trapezoid, although slightly sulcate apicomedially; without calcars; brown; golden pilose. Pleurae brown. Anepisternum with deep median sulcus; golden pilose, except bare on ventral 1/5. Anterior anepimeron entirely golden pilose. Katepisternum white pilose dorsally, bare ventrally. Katepimeron white pilose. Katatergum long microtrichose, anatergum short microtrichose. Calypter and halter pale yellow.

Wing: Hyaline, tinged with brown, especially on anterior half. Microtrichose, except bare on basal 2/3 of cell bc, posterobasal 1/2 of cell br, and anterobasal 1/2 of cell bm.

Legs: Brown. Front leg golden yellow pilose, except tarsus dorsally black pilose. Mid and hind legs black pilose, except femora largely golden yellow pilose and tarsi ventrally golden pilose. Coxae and trochanters brown; whitish pilose.

Abdomen. Tergites dark brown, a little paler along lateral margins and entirely on tergite 4. Tergite 1 yellow pilose. Tergites 2 and 3 golden yellow pilose anteriorly and laterally, black pilose medially and posteriorly. Tergite 4 entirely golden pilose. Sternites dark brown; all sternites yellowish white pilose. Male genitalia as in Fig. 80.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

The name nepalensis (noun in the genitive case) refers to the type locality.