Stipomorpha fallax, Reemer, Menno, 2013

Reemer, Menno, 2013, Taxonomic exploration of Neotropical Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) mimicking stingless bees, Zootaxa 3697 (1), pp. 1-88 : 48-49

Stipomorpha fallax spec. nov.

Figs 142–144 , 232 .

Studied type specimens. HOLOTYPE. COSTA RICA. Male, Atenas, 18.IV–15.V.1995, leg. M.J. Sommeijer. Coll. ZMAN.

PARATYPE. PANAMA. Male. Label 1: "Museum Leiden, Canal Zone, 8 km NW Gamboa, Pipeline Rd. 9°10'N; 79°45'W."; label 2: "From Luehea seemannii (Tiliaceae) . 30.III.1976. Y. Lubin & G. Montgomery". Coll. RMNH.

Description (based on holotype)

Adult male. Body size: 7.5 mm.

Head. Face occupying about 1/4 of the head width in frontal view; shining pale yellow; with whitish pilosity, most dense sublaterally and ventrally, very sparse medially; with narrow strip of white pubescence along eye margins. Gena hardly developed, eyes almost directly bordering oral margin; yellow. Lateral oral margins not produced; not reaching below eye margin in lateral view. Frons about as long as width of lunula; black; yellow pilose laterally. Vertex shining black; golden yellow pilose. Occiput black; golden yellow pilose dorsally, yellowish white pilose ventrally. Eye very sparsely and short pilose, with pili about as long as ommati diameter, appearing bare under low magnification. Antennal fossa about as wide as high. Antenna brown. Antennal ratio approximately as 2:1:3; basoflagellomere parallel-sided with rounded apex. Arista slender, about 2/3 of length of basoflagellomere.

Thorax. Scutum black dorsally, with margins widely yellow; yellow pilose, except for four patches of black pile: two anteriad of and two posteriad of transverse suture. Postpronotum, postalar callus and scutellum yellow and yellow pilose. Scutellum semicircular; without calcars. Anepisternum weakly convex, without distinction between anterior and posterior part; brownish anteriorly and yellow pilose, whitish yellow posteriorly and bare. Anepimeron dark brown; yellow pilose dorsally, bare ventrally. Katatergum and anatergum brown; long and short microtrichose, respectively. Katepimeron yellow; bare. Katepisternum brown; bare. Calypter and halter yellow.

Wing: hyaline, without colouration, microtrichose except bare on 1st costal cell, basal 1/2 of cell br, posterobasal 1/5 of cell bm, basal 1/4 of cell cup, basomedian 1/2 of alula.

Legs: Yellow, except hind tibia on apical 1/2 and basal four tarsomeres of hind tarsus blackish brown.; yellow pilose, except tarsi dorsally mixed black and yellow pilose and hind tibia long black pilose on apical 1/2. Coxae and trochanters yellow and yellow pilose.

Abdomen. Yellow and short yellow pilose. Second tergite slightly wider than thorax, widest at 1/2; third and fourth tergites much narrower. Sternites yellow; sparsely yellow pilose; sternite 1 bare. Genitalia as in fig. 232.

Etymology. The name fallax (Latin for deceitful, false) was chosen in analogy of the names fraudator , mendax and spuria , which have approximately the same meaning, in order to stress the similarity of these species.

Diagnosis. Orange-brown species with black vertex, very similar in size and colouration to S. fraudator , S. mendax and S. spuria . Diagnostic characters: anepisternum with posterodorsal margin bare, alula partly bare, scutellum yellowish, vertex black, scape twice as long as pedicel.

Notes. In the paratype from Panama the hind legs are entirely yellow, only slightly darkened on apical 1/2 of tibia and basal tarsomeres.

In the holotype the label states "From Luehea seemannii (Tiliaceae) ", suggesting flower visiting.

Distribution. Known from Costa Rica and Panama.

Figures

FIGURES 142 – 153. 142 – 144. Stipomorpha fallax male (holotype). 142. habitus dorsal; 143. habitus lateral; 144. head frontal. 145 – 148. Stipomorpha fraudator male (holotype). 145. habitus dorsal; 146. habitus lateral; 147. head frontal; 148. head lateral. 149 – 153. Stipomorpha goettei female. 149. (lectotype), head frontal; 150. (lectotype), head lateral; 151. (Surinam, coll. RMNH), head dorsal; 152. sternites 1 – 3 lateral; 153. sternites 1 – 3 ventral.

FIGURES 222 – 232. 222 – 224. Stipomorpha wheeleri. 222. male (paratype), head frontal. 223. female (holotype), habitus dorsal; 224. female (holotype); habitus lateral. 225 – 227. Stipomorpha zophera male (holotype). 225. habitus dorsal; 226. habitus lateral; 227. head frontal. 228 – 229. Stipomorpha, tergites 1 & 2 dorsal. 228. S. mendax; 229. S. mixta. 230 – 232. Stipomorpha, male genitalia lateral. 230. S. apicula (holotype); 231. S. elcopala (holotype); 232. S. fallax (holotype).