Cheilosia ( Cheilosia ) psilophthalma Becker, 1894

Bot, Sander, Mengual, Ximo, Meutter, Frank Van de & Skevington, Jeffrey H., 2025, Review of the genus Cheilosia Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the Caucasus, with the description of 14 new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 1023, pp. 1-181 : 116

Cheilosia ( Cheilosia) psilophthalma Becker, 1894

Fig. 59

Chilosia psilophthalma Becker, 1894: 495 .

Differential diagnosis

Cheilosia psilophthalma is very similar to C. urbana , the latter which is very common throughout the Caucasus. The male of C. psilophthalma is distinguishable from that of C. urbana by the shape of the dorsal lobe of the postgonite (short and triangular in C. psilophthalma and narrow and long in C. urbana , for drawings of the male genitalia of both species see Claussen & Doczkal 1998) and by the frons (slightly swollen in C. psilophthalma but not swollen in C. urbana ). More differences with C. urbana , which are true for both sexes, include the black claws (claw base orange in C. urbana ), slightly pruinose sterna (true for Caucasian specimens, in Europe shiny in both species) (sterna shiny in C. urbana ), wider parafacia and postpedicel orange and rounded (postpedicel dark orange to dark brown and wider than high in C. urbana ). In the female, the frons is wider than in that of C. urbana .

Material examined

Cheilosia psilophthalma was not collected in 2018, but collected in 2023.

GEORGIA – Mtskheta-Mtianeti • 1 ♀; Lutkhubi ; 42.3867° N, 44.79° E; 1580 m a.s.l.; 6 May 2023; F. Van de Meutter leg.; FMT, ZFMK-TIS-8028472 . – Samtskhe-Javakheti • 1 ♂; Sakire , 41.7301° N, 43.3306° E; 1820 m a.s.l.; 10 May 2023; F. Van de Meutter leg.; FMT, ZFMK-TIS-8028471 .

Genetics

DNA barcodes of C. psilophthalma from Europe and Caucasus cluster together with high support (BS = 100%).

Remarks

Reported from the Caucasus for the first time.

Biology

During our expeditions, collected between 6 May and 10 May at an altitude between 1580 and 1820 m a.s.l. Present in both the Greater and Lesser Caucasus.

Distribution

Europe, European parts of Russia, Caucasus ( Georgia).