Allograpta australensis (Schiner, 1868)

Mengual, Ximo & Thompson, F. Christian, 2015, Australian Allograpta Osten Sacken (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 513, pp. 65-78 : 67

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Syrphidae

Allograpta australensis (Schiner, 1868) Figures 2-4, 17

Melithreptus australensis Schiner, 1868: 347. Type-locality: Australia, Sydney [HT female, NMW]. Holotype presumably lost ( Vockeroth 1971: 1628), corroborated by first author (XM).

Syrphus pallidus Bigot, 1884: 93. Type-locality: “Australie” [HT male, UMO]. Kertész 1910: 124 (cat. cit.); Hull 1936: 194 (distr.). Syn. n.

Sphaerophoria australensis : Kertész 1910: 135 (cat. cit.); Curran and Bryan 1926: 129 (descr. note, distr.); Hull 1936: 195 (distr.).

Allograpta javana (Wiedemann, 1824) of Australian authors; Hardy, 1933: 13 (as Sphaerophoria javana ; distr., syn. of australensis Schiner).

Allograpta australensis : Vockeroth 1971: 1628 (rev. status, diff. iavanus Wiedemann, figures); Thompson and Vockeroth 1989: 441 (cat. cit.).

Allograpta pallida : Thompson and Vockeroth 1989: 442 (cat. cit.).

Diagnosis

(modified from Vockeroth 1971). Face produced forward below, ventral margin of head long and oblique; yellow maculae of 2nd tergum (sometimes fused in female) narrowed laterally but extending narrowly to margins of tergum; yellow fasciae of 3rd and 4th terga strongly narrowed laterally and not extending to margins of terga; apex of metafemur and broad base and apex of metatibia brown to yellow-brown or black, the yellow annulus (ring) at middle of metatibia very poorly defined (some males without annulus).

Distribution.

Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Norfolk Island); Fig. 17.

Biology.

In the ANIC collection, there is a series of males and females collected as larvae on flowers of Eucalyptus .

Remarks.

The holotype of Syrphus pallidus Bigot was examined and was found to be the same species as australensis Schiner.