Argentinomyia festiva ( Fluke, 1945 )

Montoya, Augusto L. & Wolff, Marta, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Argentinomyia Lynch-Arribálzaga, 1891 (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of 16 new species, Zootaxa 5234 (1), pp. 1-157 : 60-62

Argentinomyia festiva ( Fluke, 1945)

( Figs 32 , 33 and 94D )

Rhysops festiva Fluke, 1945: 10 . Type locality: Ecuador. Tungurahua, Baños, 1800m. HOLOTYPE Male AMNH (Examined). Refs.: Fluke, 1945: 26 ( Fig. 13 , head, lateral view, male) 28 ( Fig. 42 , male abdomen)

Rhysops festivus . Thompson et al. 1976, 43

Argentinomyia festiva . Martín-Armijos et al. 2017: 168

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Adult Male, ECUADOR. Tungurahua, Baños , 1800 m, 4.vii.1938, W. C. MacIntyre ( AMNH).

Length (n= 3): Body, 8.5–9.1 mm; Wings, 8.3–8.9 mm.

Diagnosis. Facial pubescence golden and very thick, face heavily golden pollinose, a shining area just dorsal the antennae, down the middle of the face with dorsal part forked by a broad dash of pollen, which reaches to the base of very low but elongate tubercle; mesonotum bronze reticulate, heavily coated with yellowish pollen and three dark brown vittae on anterior half, the median one slender; costal cell bare on basal 1/3; abdominal with three pairs of yellow vittae on 2 nd to 4 th terga of male, 2 nd to 5 th terga of female, maculae on 3rd and 4th terga reaching from the base to the apical 1/4 and 1/3, 5 th tergum with a pair of small rounded maculae; metafemur black, only the narrow yellow basally 3/4.

Redescription. MALE. Head ( Fig. 32A ): Face heavily golden pollinose, a shining area just dorsal the antennae, down the middle of the face with dorsal part forked by a broad dash of pollen, which reaches to the base of very low but elongate tubercle, also a shining area from the eyes to the oral angles; pile everywhere yellow whitish except for a few black hairs near the frontal ocellus. Gena shining black with thin, more whitish pollen, pile white. Ocellar triangle black with thin yellowish pollen, yellowish-white pilose. Occiput with yellow hairs dorsal, the long cilia yellow-white, pollen and paler pile ventrally. Antennae orange-yellow, relatively short, ratio 1.2:1.9:1.3, scape and basoflagellomere subequal, the pedicel a little more than 1/2 as long as the basoflagellomere; arista yellow at the base and dark on apical 1/3, black pilose. Thorax ( Figs 32B–C ): Bronze reticulate, mesonotum rather heavily coated with yellowish pollen; with three dark brown vittae on anterior half, the median one slender. Pleura yellow whitish pollinose; pile everywhere yellow. Scutellum aeneous, the disc slightly rugose, the apex with two longer pale hairs. Wing ( Fig. 32C ): Hyaline, stigma brown; microtrichose, except costal cell bare on basal 1/3; calypter wholly whiteyellowish; plumula whitish, halter whitish, capitulum slightly yellowish. Legs ( Fig. 32C ): Yellowish red to brown; metafemur and tibia brown except the narrow base and tip yellow whitish; pro- and mesofemora as well as tibia orange, mesofemur slightly brown on anterior edge, pro and mesotibiae mostly yellow, tarsi orange, pro-metatarsus brown anteriorly; pile mostly yellowish, black on metatibia and dorsal sides of all the tarsi. Abdomen ( Fig. 32B ): Opaque black, the sides shining, three pairs of yellow vittae on 2 nd to 4 th terga of male, 2 nd to 5 th terga of female, lateral maculae on 2 nd tergum reaching from the basal corners along the sides to the apical 1/5, maculae on 3 rd and 4 th terga reaching from the base to the apical 1/4 and 1/3, 5 th tergum with pair of small rounded maculae; pile mostly yellow, only black on maculae; male genitalia: surstylus in lateral view ( Fig. 33A ) with dorsal and ventral margins approximately of the same width in the whole length, elongated, at least two times longer than broad; hypandrium in ventral view ( Fig. 33C ) narrowed laterally towards the apex; aedeagal lobe in ventral view ( Fig. 33C ) with apex acute.

FEMALE ( Figs 32D–F ). Similar to male except for usual sexual dimorphism and differing in Frontal triangle is wide with large transversal dark brown pollinose maculae, including a narrow short brown vitta in front of the lunule. Mesonotum more shining copper bronze, with golden vittae. The abdomen is more oval, semi-shining on disc, highly polished alongside; yellow spots on 2 nd tergum are comparatively wider than in male, pro and mesolegs yellow. The female of A. lanei differs from A. Festiva by the frontal triangle with two rounded maculae, mesonotum punctulate, shining bronze to aeneous, 3 rd to 4 th terga with a pair of oblique maculae.

Taxonomic notes. Argentinomyia festiva is similar to A. fastigata and A. lanei , differing by the following combination of characters: Facial pubescence golden and very thick, face heavily golden pollinose, a shining area just dorsal the antennae, down the middle of the face with dorsal part forked by a broad dash of pollen, which reaches to the base of very low but elongate tubercle ( Figs 32A, C , D-F); mesonotum bronze reticulate, heavily coated with yellowish pollen and three dark brown vittae on anterior half, the median one slender ( Figs 32B, E ); costal cell bare on basal 1/3; metafemur black, only the narrow yellow basally3/4 ( Figs 32A, C , D-F); abdominal with three pairs of yellow vittae on 2 nd to 4 th terga of male, three pairs on 2 nd to 5 th terga of female, maculae on 3rd and 4th terga reaching from the base to the apical 1/4 and 1/3, 5 th tergum with a pair of small rounded maculae ( Figs 32B, E ). Based on males, A. festiva differs from A. fastigata and A. lanei in having the surstylus in lateral view ( Fig. 33A ) with dorsal and ventral margins approximately of the same width in the whole length, elongated, at least two times longer than broad [versus surstylus with dorsal and ventral margins approximately of the same width in the whole length, shorter than broad in A. lanei ( Fig. 41A ); surstylus with dorsal margin slightly concave and ventral margin slightly convex, shorter than broad in A. fastigata ( Fig. 31A )]; hypandrium in ventral view, narrowed laterally towards the apex in A. festiva ( Fig. 33C ) and A. lanei ( Fig. 41C ) [versus hypandrium expanded laterally towards the apex in A. fastigata ( Fig. 31C )]; aedeagal lobe in ventral view with apex acute in A. festiva ( Fig. 33C ) and A. lanei ( Fig. 41C ) [versus aedeagal lobe circular, with apex rounded in A. fastigata ( Fig. 31C )] (see “differential diagnosis” under each species or key).

Comments. The Holotype specimen of R. festiva is currently in the AMNH. Photos are available on their website AMNH: https://sci-web-001.amnh.org/imulive/iz.html?#details=ecatalogue. 10021709.

Biology. Label data suggest that A. festiva visits flowers of Coffea arabica (Rubiaceae) and Taraxacum officinale (Asteraceae) .

Geographical range. Argentinomyia festiva (n= 20) is distributed in Argentina * (Bermberg), Bolivia * (Cochabamba, La Paz), both slopes of Central Cordillera in Colombia * (Antioquia) and Ecuador (Tungurahua, Pichincha), Eastern slope of Eastern Cordillera in Colombia (Cundinamarca) and Perú * (Huanuco) ( Fig. 94D ). The species is endemic to the Northern Andes domain, distributed at middle and high altitudes (1500–2810 m) in the provinces: Cauca (2100–2810 m) , Magdalena (1500 m) , North Andean Páramo (1800 m) .

Non-type material examined. ARGENTINA . Bermberg, -34,663428, -58,841536, 30 m, 4.x.1927, R.C. Shannon (1♀, USNM ENT 01443817 ) . BOLIVIA. Cochabamba, Campero, 6km al sur de la Alquile a Sucre , - 18,251 667, -65,218333, 2428 m, 1.iv.1999, P. Hibb (1♀, USNM ENT 00023642 ) ; La Paz, NE de Santa Fe Colonia Luayza, Entel ( Telephone ) Antenna , -15,77648, -67,595115, 1900 m, 13.iv.2001, A. Norrbom (3♁, USNM ENT 00055173 , 00055171 , 00055172 ) ; Nor Yungas arriba Coroico, Cerro Uchumachi , lower slope 2°, forest and shrubs, -16,197498, -67,71861, 2048 m, 4.v.2001, A. Norrbom (3♁, USNM ENT 00056122–23 , 00055190 ) . COLOMBIA. Antioquia, La Ceja, Alto de La Unión, en Forest secundario, 6.016132, -75.370182, 2500 m, Net, 10.ix.2008, A. L. Montoya (1♁, CEUA 47452 ) ; Rionegro, Cabeceras, Finca La Escondida , 6.140929, -75.411164, 2100 m, 17.v.2013, D. Caraballo, Manual (1♁, CEUA 114295 ) ; Caldas, Vereda La Clara , 6,051 67, -75,62194, 1840 m, Van SomerenRydon (VSR) Fish , 6-8.xii.2010, Y. Durango, H. Areiza, D. Carvajal (3♁, TdeA 1990-1992) ; Cundinamarca, Silvania, Vereda Azafranal , 4.342730, -74.404917, 1500 m, Net, en Coffea arabica , 6.xii.2009, N. Flores (1♀, UNAB) ; ECUADOR. Pichincha, Malchigui , 0.045695, -78.350088, 2643 m, 10.iv.2011, S. López (1♁, QCAZ 103706 ) ; -0.069732, -78.459566, 2810 m, 27.i.2000, in top of flower Taraxacum officinale, C. Enríquez (1♁, QCAZ 103705 ) ; Yaruqui, -0.167036, -78.318787, 2583 m, 23.x.2005, J.M. Viera (1♁, QCAZ 103704 ) ; 6.i.1986, G. Correa (1♁, QCAZ 103707 ) . PERÚ. Huanuco, NE Huanuco , -9,337663, -76,24039, 2500 m, 17.ix.1954, W.M. Mathes (1♀, CAS) .

Figures

FIGURE 13. Argentinomyia altissima (Fluke, 1945), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm. D–E. Natural habitus of a female specimen in Pumapaccha, Cuzco, Perú (iNaturalist catalogue number# 37168068; https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37168068). Photo taken by ©Jared Shorma.

FIGURE 31. Argentinomyia fastigata (Fluke, 1945), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm. Male (USNM ENT 01443847): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 32. Argentinomyia festiva (Fluke, 1945), male (USNM ENT 000055190): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 00023642): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 33. Argentinomyia festiva (Fluke, 1945), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 41. Argentinomyia lanei (Fluke, 1936), male genitalia. A. Whole genitalia, lateral view; B. Epandrium, dorsal view; C. Hypandrium, ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 42. Argentinomyia lineata (Fluke, 1937), male (USNM ENT 01406413): A. Head, frontal view; B. Dorsal view; C. Lateral view. Female (USNM ENT 01406353): D. Head, frontal view; E. Dorsal view; F. Lateral view. Scale bars: 5 mm.

FIGURE 94. Geographical distribution of Argentinomyia species in southeastern South America.