Sphegina (Asiosphegina) tricoloripes Brunetti, 1915

Steenis, Jeroen Van, Hippa, Heikki & Mutin, Valeri A., 2018, Revision of the Oriental species of the genus Sphegina Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 489, pp. 1-198 : 178-180

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) tricoloripes Brunetti, 1915

Figs 43D , 88 F–G, 90F, 91, 93A

Sphegina tricoloripes Brunetti, 1915: 225 . Type locality: Kumaon, India (holotype, ♀, NZSI).

Differential diagnosis

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) tricoloripes is very similar to S. (A.) dentata sp. nov. It is also similar to Sphegina (Asiosphegina) atricolor , S. (A.) furva , S. (A.) nigerrima and S. (A.) umbrosa sp. nov. For distinguishing characters, see under S. (A.) dentata sp. nov.

Material examined

Holotype

INDIA • ♀; “near Bhowali / Kumaon: 5,700 ft / A. D. Imms [leg] 1910 / 2 nd July ”; “ Sphegina / tricolor / Brun Type ♀ ”; “ Sphegina / tricoloripes / Brun. Type ♀ / det. Brun. 1923”; “TYPE”; “1985 / HI”; “ Sphegina tricoloripes Brun. ”; “ Zoological Survey of India / barcode / ZSI0000004489 ”; photo of holotype in lateral and dorsal view examined; NZSI.

Additional material

INDIA • 1 ♂; “ N. W. India / Simla , Aug. 1898 / C. G. Nurse / B. M. 1934–8.”; NHM • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; “ Sept 1898 ”; JSA • 1 ♀; “ Sphegina / tricoloripes / Brun ♀ / det. Brun. 1921-2”; “ Sphegina / ( Asiosphegina ) / tricoloripes Brun / Mutin det 1998”; “ N. W. India / Simla, Aug. 1898 / C. G. Nurse / B. M. 1934–8.”; NHM • 1 ♂; “ Kunj Kharak / N. Tal Hills / 24. 5. 27 / 8000 ft. ”; NHM • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; JSA • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; “ N.E. India / T. Jermyn / B.M. 1949-53 ”; “ Sphegina (Asiosphegina) tricoloripes Brun. / Mutin det. 1998”; NHM • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; “ Naini Hills / 7-8000 ft ”; JSA • 1 ♀; “Kashmir / Gulmarg / 23. VI. 01; / Fletcher coll.”; “Brit Mus 1932–13.”; NHM • 1 ♂; “ India / Simla / 20.8.1980 / H. Hippa det.”; JSA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; “ 21.8.1980 ”; JSA • 1 ♀; “India; 8–9000 [feet] / on way 6 / Dhenkund / 15.VI. [19]64 / Gupta coll 58”; “Ghorpade / collection / Bangalore”; JSA • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; USNM • 1 ♀; “ India (Kashmir) / Gulmarg c. 2600–3000 m / 17. VIII. – 5. IX 1978 / Copenhagen Zool. Mus. Exp.”; ZMUC .

Description

Male

LENGTH. Body 6.3–7.4 mm, wing 5.0– 5.9 mm.

HEAD. Face in lateral view concave, strongly projected antero-ventrally; frontal prominence strongly developed. Ratio width of vertex at anterior ocellus: width of head 1: 4.6–4.9; ratio width of ocellar triangle: width of vertex 1: 1.8–2.1; ratio length of ocellar triangle: length of frons 1: 3.9–4.1. Face black; light grey pollinose, long pilose along eye-margin. Hypostomal bridge black, long pale pilose. Gena and mouth edge black, pale pollinose with large subtriangular non-pollinose shiny area. Frons and vertex black, slightly light grey pollinose with densely grey pollinose rectangular fascia anteriorly, a large trapezoidal area posterior of lunula non-pollinose and shiny ( Fig. 88G ); pile short, light yellow. Frons with deep medial furrow. Occiput black, light grey pollinose, light yellow pilose. Eye with an area of slightly enlarged facets at anterior margin. Antenna dark brown to black with black setae dorsally on scape and pedicel; basoflagellomere round, ratio width: length 1: 1.0–1.1; arista only basally short pilose; about 2.5 times as long as basoflagellomere.

THORAX. Colour black, weakly greyish pollinose sub-shiny, scutum with submedial more densely pollinose vitta and dense pollinosity along lateral margin; posterior margin of katepisternum widely non-pollinose, shiny; scutum and pleuron with very short adpressed light yellow pile. Scutellum semicircular, black, shiny and only weakly pollinose along posterior margin, with pile slightly longer than on scutum, with two widely set, medium long setae medially at posterior margin, ratio length of scutellum: length of seta 1: 1.7–1.9.

WING. Microtrichose, bare on basal ⅓ of cell cup; hyaline, stigma brownish. Crossvein dm-cu meeting vein M obliquely and vein M

1

meeting vein R

4+5

perpendicularly.

LEGS. Pro- and mesoleg black, yellow on basal 1/10 of femora and basal ¼– ⅓ of tibiae, dark yellow on tarsomeres 1–2. Metaleg with coxa and trochanter black; metafemur black with basal ¼ yellow, slightly incrassate, ratio width: length 1: 4.0–4.2; metatibia black and yellow biannulate, without apicoventral dens; metatarsus entirely black, basitarsomere rather thin, ratio width: length 1: 3.5–3.7.

ABDOMEN. Length ratio of terga I: II: III: IV 1: 5.2–5.5: 2.3–2.6: 2.2–2.6; ratio width at posterior margin: medial length of tergum II and III 1: 3.6–3.9 and 1: 0.8–0.9. Terga black, anterior ⅓ of tergum III with yellow fascia; pile pale, on terga short, laterally on terga I and II long; tergum IV slightly skewed to the right; tergum I with an oblique row of 4–6 strong light yellow setae at lateral margin; sternum III rectangular, ratio width: length 1: 1.3–2.5; sternum IV, Fig. 91A ; sterna VI, VII and VIII simple, with long yellow pile. Genitalia, Fig. 91 B–E: note the asymmetrical cerci, slightly asymmetrical surstyli and nearly symmetrical superior lobes.

Female

Similar to the male except normal sexual dimorphism.

LENGTH. Body 5.5–6.0 mm, wing 4.4–5.0 mm.

HEAD. Face in lateral view, Fig. 88F ,concave, very strongly projected antero-ventrally; frontal prominence very strongly developed. Ratio width of vertex at anterior ocellus: width of head 1: 3.4–3.7; ratio width of ocellar triangle: width of vertex 1: 2.3–2.6; ratio length of ocellar triangle: length of frons 1: 3.5–3.9. Basoflagellomere, Fig. 43D , round to squarish, ratio width: length 1: 0.8–1.0, about 3.5 times as long as basoflagellomere.

THORAX. Scutellum with two widely set, short setae medially at posterior margin, ratio length of scutellum: length of seta 1: 1.1–1.4.

LEGS. Metafemur yellow on basal ¼ and extreme apex orange-brown, slightly incrassate, ratio width: length 1: 4.2–4.7; metatarsus with basitarsomere thick, ratio width: length 1: 3.2–3.5.

ABDOMEN. Length ratio of terga I: II: III: IV: V 1: 4.0–4.4: 2.3–2.6: 2.1–2.5: 1.0–1.3; ratio width at posterior margin: medial length of tergum II and III 1: 1.3–1.6 and 1: 0.6–0.7. Tergum I black; tergum II with posterior ⅓ orange or tergum entirely black; terga III–V entirely orange or medial and posterior parts of terga III and IV dark-orange and tergum V entirely dark-orange; sternum III trapezoidal, ratio width: length 1: 0.88–0.95; sternum IV trapezoidal, ratio width: length 1: 0.7–0.9; sternum V rectangular, with concave posterior margin, ratio width: length 1: 0.2–0.3.

Remarks

This is a very characteristic species based on the abdominal colour pattern of the female and furthermore due to the only basally short pilose arista; tergum I with an oblique row of 4–6 strong, light yellow setae; posterior margin of katepisternum widely non-pollinose, shiny; extensively black legs and the cercus with a row of 3–4 teeth.

Figures

Fig. 43. Basoflagellomere, lateral view. A. Sphegina (Asiosphegina) dentata sp. nov., paratype, Ƌ, Taiwan. B. S. (A.) distincta sp. nov., paratype, Ƌ, Vietnam. C. S. (A.) hauseri sp. nov., paratype, Ƌ, Nepal. D. S. (A.) tricoloripes Brunetti, 1915, ♀, India. Abbreviations: a = length of basoflagellomere; b = width of basoflagellomere; c = length of arista. Scale bars 0.25 mm.

Fig. 88. Head. lateral view (C, E, F, J) and dorsal view (A–B, D, G–I, K–L). A. Sphegina (Asiosphegina) spathigera sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, Philippines. B–C. S. (A.) spenceri sp. nov., paratype, Ƌ, Vietnam. D–E. S. (A.) strigillata sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, Vietnam. F. S. (A.) tricoloripes, Brunetti, 1915, ♀, India. G. S. (A.) tricoloripes, Ƌ, India. H. S. (A.) umbrosa sp. nov., holotype, Ƌ, China. I. S. (A.) varidissima Shiraki, 1930, Ƌ, Taiwan. J. S. (A.) varidissima, ♀, Taiwan. K. S. (A.) verrucosa sp. nov., paratype, Ƌ, Vietnam. L. S. (A.) vietnamensis sp. nov., paratype, Ƌ, Vietnam. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 91. Sphegina (Asiosphegina) tricoloripes Brunetti, 1915, Ƌ, Shimla, India. A. Sternum IV, ventral view. B. Cerci, left side lateral view. C. Left surstylus, lateral view. D. Left superior lobe with associated parts, lateral view. E. Genitalia, right side, lateral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.