Syritta aenigmatopatria Hardy, 1964

Ramage, Thibault, Charlat, Sylvain & Mengual, Ximo, 2018, Flower flies (Diptera, Syrphidae) of French Polynesia, with the description of two new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 448, pp. 1-37 : 24-25

Syritta aenigmatopatria Hardy, 1964

Figs 4F , 5 C–D, G–H

Syritta aenigmatopatria Hardy, 1964: 409 (holotype: ♂, BPBM; type locality: USA, Hawaii, Oahu).

Differential diagnosis

Species with vein R4+5 straight, metafemur without basoventral patch of black setulae, arista bare, face carinate ( Fig. 4F ) and metafemur greatly enlarged with a ctenidium on the posteroventral half. It is similar to S. oceanica , but differs by having the spurious vein well sclerotized ( Fig. 5C ), as distinct as the neighboring R and M veins (spurious vein not sclerotized in S. oceanica , only formed by microtrichia; Fig. 5B, E ), the ventral surface of the metatibia with an anteroventral carina forming a prominent lamina in males, less evident in females (metatibia without lamina in S. oceanica ) and a distinct abdominal coloration, as stated in the key.

Material examined

FRENCH POLYNESIA: Society Islands: 1♂,Tahiti, Plateau Te Tamanu, 17°38′7.41″ S, 149°33′0.28″ W, 590 m a.s.l., 6 Oct. 2012, T. Ramage leg. ( ZFMK: ZFMK-DIP-00019746); 1 ♂, Tahiti, 17°38′0.40″ S, 149°33′12.57″ W, 560 m a.s.l., 6 Oct. 2012, T. Ramage leg. ( ZFMK: ZFMK-DIP-00019731); 1 ♀, Tahiti, Papeete, Sainte-Amélie, Dec. 2013, F. Jacq leg. ( ZFMK: ZFMK-DIP-00019739 ).

Geographical distribution

Widely distributed in the Oriental and Oceanic Regions: Vietnam, Sumatra, Java, Philippines, Palau Islands, Samoa, Mariana Islands, Hawaii and French Polynesia.

Status in French Polynesia

New species record; known from the Society Islands.

Flowers visited

No records.

Genetics

The GenBank accession numbers for this species are: 28S gene ( MF446467 , specimen ZFMK- DIP-00019746; MF446470 , specimen ZFMK-DIP-00019731), 18S gene ( MF446422 , specimen ZFMK- DIP-00019746; MF446425 , specimen ZFMK-DIP-00019731), protein-coding COI gene ( MF446517 , specimen ZFMK-DIP-00019746; MF446521 , specimen ZFMK-DIP-00019731).

Remarks

This is a new species record, since this taxon has not previously been recorded from French Polynesia.

Figures

Fig. 4. A, C–D. Melanostoma polynesiotes Mengual & Ramage sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (ZFMK- DIP-00019707). A. Lateral view. C. Lateral view. D. Head, lateral view. B, E. Ornidia obesa (Fabricius, 1775), ♂ (ZFMK-DIP-00019747). B. Dorsal view. E. Frontal view. F. Syritta aenigmatopatria Hardy, 1964, ♀ (ZFMK-DIP-00019739), frontal view. G. Palpada vinetorum (Fabricius, 1798), ♀ (ZFMK- DIP-00019738), frontal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 5. A. Palpada vinetorum (Fabricius, 1798), ♀ (ZFMK-DIP-00019738), lateral view. B, E. Syritta oceanica (Macquart, 1855), ♀ (ZFMK-DIP-00019724). B. Lateral view. E. Detail of wing and abdomen. C–D, H. Syritta aenigmatopatria Hardy, 1964, ♀ (ZFMK-DIP-00019739). C. Wing and metaleg. D. Lateral view. H. Dorsal view. F, I. Simosyrphus grandicornis (Macquart, 1842), ♂ (ZFMK- DIP-00019736). F. Lateral view. I. Dorsal view. G. Syritta aenigmatopatria Hardy, 1964, ♂ (ZFMK- DIP-00019746), dorsal view. Scale bars = 1 mm.