Ceriana skevingtoni van Steenis & Ricarte

Steenis, Jeroen Van, Ricarte, Antonio, Vujić, Ante, Birtele, Daniele & Speight, Martin C. D., 2016, Revision of the West-Palaearctic species of the tribe Cerioidini (Diptera, Syrphidae), Zootaxa 4196 (2), pp. 151-209 : 181-183

Ceriana skevingtoni van Steenis & Ricarte sp. n.

Figs 17, 18 , 35, 36 , 46 , 86 , 101 , 106–108 , 167

Cerioides caucasica: Zimina (1960) .

Ceriana caucasica: Peck (1988) comb. nov., Hauser (1998), Dousti & Hayat (2006).

Diagnosis. This new species can be separated from the similar C. media sp. n. as stated under that species. It can be separated from C. conopsoides by the black dorsal surface of head capsule just posterior to the ocelli (entirely to at least partly yellow in C. conopsoides ); the mesofemur in male with long, broad, rugged and flattened area anterobasally (with medium long, oval flattened area in C. conopsoides ); the metatrochanter with rather deep sulcus and broad rim laterally (with deep sulcus and broad rim in C. conopsoides ); and genitalia.

Description. MALE ( Figs 17 , 35 ). Body length: 11.3–12.9 mm; wing length: 8.1–9.6 mm. Head ( Fig. 46 ). Face protruding antero-ventrally with clearly demarcated tubercle and slightly concave below antennae. Head 2.0– 2.3 times wider than face just below the antennae; width of facial vitta 0.11–0.20 times width of face; length of eye contiguity 0.71–0.77 times as long as length of frons; angle of eyes at eye contiguity 110–125o. Gena, hypostomal bridge, a medial vitta, a narrow frontal vitta and a fascia at frontal prominence black; upper mouth edge yellow. Vertical triangle and lateral sides of dorsal surface of head capsule black; dorsal surface of head capsule lateral of vertical triangle yellow. Frontal prominence 4.6–6.3 times longer than wide; relative length of pedicel is as 1.1–1.2: 1: 0.86–1.0. Antennae and frontal prominence brown-yellow coloured; arista white pilose. Thorax. Scutum black with yellow maculae on postpronotum and notopleuron, sometimes notopleuron black. Pleuron black with two yellow maculae, one each on posterior 1/2 of posterior anepisternum and on dorsal 1/4 of katepisternum, sometimes without yellow macula. Metasternum with long pile, pile as long as width of mesofemur and with a low triangular elevation medially on antero-ventral part. Scutellum black, anterior 1/3–1/2 yellow, sometimes anterior margin narrowly black. Legs. Coxae black; trochanter yellow; apical 1/5–1/8 of pro- and mesofemur black; medial 1/6–1/10 of pro-, meso- and metatibia black; pro- and mesotarsus with tarsomere 3–5 brown-yellow; apical 1/3 of metafemur black; metatarsus with tarsomere 2–5 dark-yellow. Clear patch of black setulae present on antero-basal part of pro- and mesofemur and on medial part of metatrochanter. Setulae on profemur set on an elevated area. Mesotrochanter dorsally normal, straight; mesofemur with long, broad, rugged and flattened area antero-basally ( Fig. 86 ); metatrochanter with rather deep sulcus and rather broad rim laterally; metatibia with a small rounded appendix on apico-ventral part; metafemur elongate and slightly curved ( Fig. 101 ). Wing. Hyaline except for anterior 1/2 and along spurious vein and down into the looped vein R4+5 and along cross-vein r-m and CuA2. Loop in vein R4+5 deep with long appendix halfway down into cell r4+5. Cross-vein r-m curved. Membrane covered in microtrichia, except on alula which is narrowly microtrichose along the anterior margin. Alula broad, 2.1–2.5 times longer than wide. Abdomen. Black and yellow coloured. Length of tergite I: II: III: IV is as 1: 2.0–2.2: 1.8–2.2: 2.1–2.6. Width of yellow fascia medially: length of tergite of respectively tergite II, III and IV as 1: 3.4–4.0, 1: 3.9– 4.8 and 1: 4.2–5.0. Tergite II wider than long, anterior part most narrow; length of tergite II: width of tergite II at respectively anterior: posterior as 1: 0.97–1.0: 1.2–1.3. Tergite I with triangular yellow maculae antero-laterally, medially separated over 1/3 of its width. Shape of fascia on tergite II–IV as in C. conopsoides . Tergite IV strongly emarginated. Tergite I with low medial elevation. Tergites III and IV medially without longitudinal elevation and seldom with vague grey-white pollinosity. Sternites I and II with yellow posterior fascia. Genitalia. Epandrium with rather broad but weak ventral rim ( Figs 106, 107 ); in dorsal view cerci bean shaped, with short apico-medial sharp pointed projection, apex rounded (as in Fig. 107 ), with pile about 1/3 as long as width of cerci; surstylus bilobed, dorsal lobe elongate, baso-medially slightly narrowed, ventral lobe very narrowly circular with membranous basal part ( Fig. 106 ); surstylar apodeme semi-circular shaped; hypandrium ( Figs 106, 108 ) with broad base and narrower apex, in ventral view medio-laterally with short and broad projections; hypandrium with very long and elongated lingula, medio-ventrally a hardly sclerotized irregular shaped flange, medio-dorsally a rather long and pointed projection, apico-laterally with two short threadlike appendages; lingula with all three projections of about the same length; superior lobe large rectangular shaped, articulating with hypandrium and with dorsal ctenidion of about 15–20 short spines; aedeagus with baso-ventral elongated and pointed projection, medial projection long threadlike, dorsal projection broadly elongate with weak sclerotized apico-ventral flange. FEMALE ( Figs 18 , 36 ). Size. Body length: 12.3–14.5 mm; wing length: 10.1–11.2 mm. Similar to male, except for normal sexual dimorphism and the following characters. Head. Head 1.9–2.1 times wider than face just below the antennae; width of medial facial vitta 0.24–0.32 times as wide as width of face. Frontal prominence 5.7–7.3 times longer than wide; relative length of pedicel is as 1.3–1.4: 1: 1.1–1.2. Frons with a broad yellow fascia, with two pairs of large yellow maculae or with the medial pair of the yellow maculae very small to entirely black. Legs. Metatrochanter with very few black to yellow setulae medially. Wing. Alula relatively broad, 2.4–2.7 times longer than wide. Abdomen. Length of tergites I:II:III:IV: V 1: 2.1–2.5: 2.2–2.8: 2.1–2.5: 0.95–0.96. Width of yellow fascia medially: length of tergites II, III and IV 1: 3.1–4.0, 1: 4.2–5.4, 1: 5.0–5.7. Tergite II wider than long, anterior part most narrow; length of tergite II: width of tergite II at respectively anterior: posterior as 1: 0.93–1.1: 1.3–1.4.

Type material. HOLOTYPE Ƌ; Iran: left wing and left basoflagellomere missing, otherwise in good condition: "12-8-[19]70 156 / Grassy Scrub Decid [uous] Woods / Mohammad Resa Shah. W. life PK / Tangarah. Gorgan Prov . IRAN / R.H. Allen 1970 / Lond. Univ . Iran Epdn.", " Holotype Ƌ / Ceriana skevingtoni / van Steenis & Ricarte 2016" [red label] ( NHM) . PARATYPES; 5 Ƌ, 16 ♀: Iran: "12-8-[19]70 156 / Grassy Scrub Decid [uous] Woods / Mohammad Resa Shah. W. life PK / Tangarah. Gorgan Prov . IRAN / R.H. Allen 1970 / Lond. Univ . Iran Epdn. " (1 ♀ NHM) ; “Астрабад / с. Персия 29.V. [19]04 / Филиппович”, “ Ceriana / caucasica (Par.) / Stackelberg det. (2 ♀ ZIN); Azerbaijan: “Азерб. Талиш с. маму- / ста лесная поляна / В. Зайиев 12 V 1959 ” (1 Ƌ CEUA, 1 Ƌ 1 ♀ JSA, 1 Ƌ 1 ♀ ZIN) ; “с. Мамуста Ленкор. [=Ленкоранский] / р-иа Талыш / В. Рихтер 12.V. [1]959” (1 Ƌ 5 ♀ ZIN, 1 Ƌ 1 ♀ CNC); “с. Мамуста Ленкор [=Ленкоранский] / р-иа Талыш / В. Рихтер 3.VI. [1]959” (4 ♀ ZIN, 1 ♀ CEUA); “ Azerbaijan Lenkoran / Azfilial Girkan Reserve 100 m / 31..1996 38 0 37’N 48 0 47’E / leg M. Hauser AS-GIR” (1 Ƌ CDFA) ; “ Azerbaijan Yardymly / Avash 1200-1500 m / 16.VI.1996 38 0 50’N 48 0 10’E / leg M. Hauser A S - AVA ” (1 ♀ CDFA) . Additional material: 1 Ƌ 2 ♀ from Azerbaijan ( Hauser 1998) and 2 ♀ from Armenia ( Zimina 1960).

Distribution ( Fig. 167 ). Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran,

Etymology. The epithet ‘ skevingtoni ’ refers to Dr. Jeff Skevington, who helped us in this study by carrying out molecular analyses of some specimens.

Biology. Adults have been collected in mixed deciduous lowland forests ( Salix spp., Tamarix spp., Populus spp. and Quercus castaneifolia , Parrotia persica , Acer pseudoplatanus , Ruscus sp. forest) and intensively grazed mixed mountain oak forest ( Quercus petraea , Fagus orientalis ) with little streams and dry slopes ( Hauser 1998). Adults have been found visiting flowers of Lepidium vescarium and Tamarix sp. ( Zimina 1960). A female has been seen ovipositing on a sap run on an old Populus tree ( Hauser 1998). Adults fly from mid May to mid August, with a peak in mid May to mid June.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 18. Ceriana adults, overall appearance, dorsal view. 13 Ceriana conopsoides male, Greece 14 Ceriana conopsoides male, Estonia 15 Ceriana conopsoides female, Russia 16 Ceriana media sp. n. male, paratype, Afghanistan 17 Ceriana skevingtoni sp. n. male, paratype, Azerbaijan 18 Ceriana skevingtoni sp. n. female, paratype, Azerbaijan. Scale line = 5 mm.

FIGURES 31 – 36. Ceriana adults, overall appearance, lateral view. 31 Ceriana conopsoides male, Greece 32 Ceriana conopsoides female, Russia 33 Ceriana media sp. n. male, paratype, Afghanistan 34 Ceriana media sp. n. female, paratype, Iran 35 Ceriana skevingtoni sp. n. male, paratype, Azerbaijan 36 Ceriana skevingtoni sp. n. female, paratype, Azerbaijan Talish. Scale line = 5 mm.

FIGURES 37 – 48. Head, frontal view. 37 Ceriana brunettii male, Tajikistan 38 Ceriana caesarea male, Turkmenistan 39 Ceriana conopsoides male, Greece 40 Ceriana conopsoides female, Russia 41 Ceriana glaebosa male paratype 42 Ceriana media male paratype, Afghanistan 43 Ceriana naja male, Tajikistan 44 Ceriana sartorum male, Turkmenistan 45 Ceriana sartorum female, Tajikistan 46 Ceriana skevingtoni male paratype, Azerbaijan Talish 47 Ceriana vespiformis male, Greece 48 Ceriana vespiformis female, Rhodos. Scale line = 2 mm.

FIGURES 83 – 86. Mesofemur of Ceriana species, male, ventro-lateral view. 83 Ceriana caesarea, Turkmenistan 84 Ceriana conopsoides, Russia 85 Ceriana media sp. n., paratype 86 Ceriana skevingtoni sp. n., holotype. Scale line = 1 mm.

FIGURES 98 – 101. Metafemur of Ceriana species 98 Ceriana conopsoides male, Russia 99 Ceriana conopsoides female, Sweden 100 Ceriana media sp. n., holotype 101 Ceriana skevingtoni sp. n. paratype, male. Scale line = 1 mm.

FIGURES 106 – 108. Male genitalia of Ceriana skevingtoni sp. n., paratype 106 Epandrium and hypandrium, lateral view 107 Epandrium, dorsal view 108 Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 166 – 168. Distribution maps of the West-Palaearctic Cerioidini. 166 Ceriana brunettii (yellow circle), Ceriana caesarea (blue square) and Ceriana media (red triangle) 167 Ceriana naja (blue circle), Ceriana sartorum (yellow triangle) and Ceriana skevingtoni (red square) 168 Ceriana conopsoides (purple circle).