Toxomerus watsoni (Curran)

Borges, Zuleica M. & Couri, Marcia S., 2009, Revision of Toxomerus Macquart, 1855 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Brazil with synonymic notes, identification key to the species and description of three new species 2179, Zootaxa 2179, pp. 1-72 : 68-69

Toxomerus watsoni (Curran)

( Figs. 167–169)

Mesogramma watsoni Curran, 1930: 5 (descr.); 1934: 399 (key); Hull, 1943b: 7, 32 (key and ill.).

Mesogramma lanei Hull, 1942: 74 (descr.).

Mesograpta watsoni Fluke, 1956: 233 (cat.).

Toxomerus watsoni Thompson et al., 1976: 54 (cat. & n. comb.); Thompson, 1981: 99 (key).

Mesograpta Fluke, 1956: 2224 (cat.).

Toxomerus lanei Thompson et al., 1976: 51 (cat. & n. comb.), syn. nov.

Male. Head: face 1/2 as long as eye width, yellow, shiny except sparsely white pollinose and pilose laterally; gena black; frontal triangle yellow, white pilose; vertical triangle black, white and bronze pollinose, black pilose; occiput black, silver pollinose, with thick white pile, with a short row of brownish pile superiorly; antenna yellow to brownish, black pilose, arista brown.

Thorax: postpronotum yellow; proepisternum black, white pollinose; proepimeron yellow; scutum black except broadly yellow laterally, bronze pollinose except for bluish-white pollinose medial vitta, yellow pilose; scutellum yellow, black pilose; anterior anepisternum black, long yellow pilose; posterior anepisternum black on anterior 1/2, yellow pilose dorsally, posterior ½ yellow, yellow pilose; katepisternum black except dorsal 1/ 3 yellow, dull, yellow pilose; anterior and dorsomedial anepimeron yellow; posterior anepimeron black; plumula yellow, calypter yellowish with yellowish fringe except brown fringe on dorsal lobe; posterior mesothoracic pleuron (katepimeron, meron, katatergum, anatergum and postscutellum) black, anatergum yellow posterodorsally; methatoracic pleuron yellow; metasternum yellow; halter yellow. Legs: pro- and mesocoxae black on basal 2/3, yellow apically, yellow pilose; metacoxa yellow, yellow pilose; trochanters yellow, yellow pilose; pro- and mesofemora yellow, yellow pilose, mesofemur black pilose on apical 1/3; metafemur usually yellow, sometimes with black annulus on apical 1/3, yellow and black pilose; pro- and mesotibiae yellow, yellow pilose; metatibia usually yellow, sometimes brownish on medial 1/3, black pilose; protarsus yellow to brown, black pilose, mesotarsus yellow, black pilose; metatarsus brown, black pilose. Wing: hyaline, extensively microtrichose, bare only: on basal 1/2 or less of cell C, basal 1/5 of cell R1, basal 2/3 or less of cell R and basal 3/4 or less of cell BM; alula broader than cell BM appically, microtrichose.

Abdomen: terga yellow and black pilose; 1 st tergum black except yellow anteriorly and laterally; 2 nd tergum black with medial yellow fascia extended medio-posteriorly; 3 rd to 4 th terga black with yellow fascia on anterior 2/3 with two medial black macula; 5 th tergum yellow with black macula medially. Male genitalia: surstylus flattened apically in dorsal view, with scattered short setae; postanal process almost as long as surstylus; aedeagus enlarged, proeminent dorsally; superior lobe somewhat quadrangular with dorsal extension, forked distad, with hairs along anterior, ventral and posterior margins.

Female. Similar to male except for the frons black, bronze pollinose, black pilose. Anterior anepisternum bare. Female genitalia: 9 th tergum with a concave-convex black macula; epiproct somewhat elliptical; cercus slender; hypoproct somewhat triangular; 9 th sternum as in Fig. 168; three rounded spermatecae similar in size ( Figs. 167–169).

Length. Body 5.0–5.5 mm, wing 4.5–5.0 mm.

Discussion. No specimen of Mesogramma lanei was found labeled as holotype, however one specimen labeled as “ Mesogramma dora has the same data label of M. lanei (“Tinguá, R. Janeiro, Brasil ”, “Maio, 1940”, [pink square]) and was recognized as the holotype and properly labeled. The synonymies were based on the examination of the female holotype of Mesogramma lanei and male holotype, female allotype and male paratype of Mesogramma watsoni .

Type material examined. Holotype. HAITI. Aux Cayes : Mesogramma watsoni , male, 15–20/1922 ( AMNH) . Allotype. JAMAICA. Yallahs Valley : Blue Mountains, Mesogramma watsoni , female, 27/II/1911 ( AMNH) . Paratypes. JAMAICA. Yallahs Valley : Blue Mountains, Mesogramma watsoni , ♂, 27/II/1911 ( CNC) .

Other material examined. MEXICO. Veracruz: Fortin de las Flores , ♀, 2/V/1985, A. Freidberg ( USNM) . Chiapas: ♀, 23/IV/1983, W. N. Mathis ( USNM) . GUATEMALA. Yepocapa : ♂, VI/1950, H. T. Dalmat ( USNM) . EL SALVADOR. Santa Tecla : ♀, 16/I/1959, Paul Berry ( USNM) ; ♀, X/1959, N. H. L. Krauss ( USNM) . CUBA. Soledad : Cienfuegos, ♀, I– II/1927, C. T. & B. B. Brues ( USNM) . JAMAICA. Hardwar Gap : ♂ & ♀, 10/III/1970, Wirth & Farr ( USNM) . VENEZUELA. Zulia: El Tucuco , ♂ & ♀, 5–6/VI/ 1976, A. S. Menke & D. Vincent ( USNM) . PERU. Perene : ♂, R. C. Shannon ( USNM) . BOLIVIA. Cochabamba: 3 ♀, V– VI/1971, R. Hinojosa ( USNM) . BRAZIL. Pernambuco: Olinda , 2 ♂, X/1961, N. L. H. Krauss ( USNM) ; Caruaru , 6 ♀, VII/1974 ( MZSP) ; Caruaru , 3 ♂ & ♀, IV/1972, V/1972, M. Alvarenga ( MNRJ) . Bahia: Serrinha , ♂ & ♀, 6/III/1951, D. Albuquerque ( MNRJ) ; Euclides da Cunha , ♂ & ♀, 16/VII/ 1951, Comiss. F. G. Munis ( MNRJ) . Brasília: Distrito Federal , ♀, VII/1960, Exp. Formosa ( MNRJ) ; 4 ♂ & ♀, 15/X/1971, Luiz Moojen ( MNRJ) . Minas Gerais: Viçosa , ♂ & 2 ♀, 13/X – 1/XI/1985, T. J. Henry & S. P. Fiuza F. ( USNM) . Espírito Santo: Vitória , ♂, VII/1961, N. L. H. Krauss ( USNM) ; Linhares , 2 ♂ & 8 ♀, IX/ 1970, P. C. Elias ( MZSP) . Rio de Janeiro: ♂, 3/III/1952, Ayrton ( MNRJ) ; Alto da Boa Vista , ♂, 06/VII/1978, A. Almeida ( MNRJ) ; Petrópolis , ♀, II/1956, D. Albuquerque ( MNRJ) ; Estrada Rio - São Paulo, 2♀, 29–30/I/ 1945, B. Ramos ( MNRJ) . São Paulo: Barueri , ♂, ♀, 28/XI/1954, 5/VII/1955, K. Lenko ( MZSP) ; S. Amaro, ♂, 1957, J. Lane ( MZSP) . Rio Preto , ♀, 13/I/1977, L. Knutson ( USNM) ; Santos , ♀, VI/1961, N. L. H. Krauss ( USNM) ; 2 ♂, 24/VIII/1961, N. L. H. Krauss ( USNM) ; Guarujá , ♂, 3/VIII/1961, N. L. H. Krauss ( USNM) . Santa Catarina: Ituporanga , 3 ♂ & 3 ♀, 28/XI/1997, Sweeping & Artenio Driutti ( USNM) ; Nova Teutônia , ♀, VI/1970, F. Plaumann ( MZSP) .

Geographical record. Widespread, from Mexico to southern Brazil.