Toxomerus pulchellus (Macquart)

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 : 51-52

Toxomerus pulchellus (Macquart)

( Figs. 143–145)

Syrphus pulchellus Macquart, 1846: 266 (descr.); Osten Sacken, 1878: 52 (cat.).

Mesogramma pulchella Loew, 1866: 157 ; Schiner, 1868: 347; Aldrich, 1905: 372 (cat.); Curran, 1934: 399 (key); Hull, 1943b: 9, 34 (key & ill.).

Mesogramma laciniosa Loew, 1866: 159 (descr.); Williston, 1896: 350 (note); Aldrich, 1905: 371 (cat.); Curran, 1925: 307; 1930: 3 (key); 1934: 401 (key); Hull, 1943b: 6, 34 (key & ill.).

Mesograpta laciniosa Loew, 1872: 120 ; Roeder, 1885: 343; Osten Sacken, 1875: 48 (cat.); 1878: 48 (cat.); Fluke, 1956: 224 (cat.).

Mesograpta pulchella Osten Sacken, 1875: 49 (cat.); 1878: 125 (cat.); Wulp, 1883: 4 (ill.); Fluke, 1956: 229 (cat.).

Toxomerus pulchellus Kertész, 1910: 149 (cat. & n. comb.); Thompson et al., 1976: 54 (cat.).

Toxomerus laciniosus Kertész, 1910: 147 (cat. & n. comb.); Wolcott, 1923: 219; Thompson et al., 1976: 51 (cat.); Thompson, 1981: 95 (syn.).

Toxomerus punctatus Sack, 1921: 128 (descr.); Fluke, 1956: 233 (cat.); Thompson et al., 1976: 54 (cat.), syn. nov.

Male. Head: face 1/3 as long as eye width, yellow, shiny except sparsely white pollinose and pilose laterally; gena black; frontal triangle yellow, white pilose; vertical triangle black, bronze pollinose, black pilose; occiput black, silver pollinose, with thick white pile, with a short row of brownish pile superiorly; antenna yellow, white to black pilose, arista brown.

Thorax: postpronotum yellow; proepisternum black, white pollinose; proepimeron black; scutum black except broadly yellow laterally, bronze pollinose except for two lateral and one medial bluish-white pollinose vitta, yellow pilose; scutellum yellow, yellow pilose on anterior 2/3 and black pilose on posterior 1/3; anterior anepisternum black, short and sparsely yellow pilose; posterior anepisternum black on anterior 1/2, bare, posterior ½ yellow, yellow pilose; katepisternum black except dorsal 1/3 yellow, dull, yellow pilose; 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 sometimes brownish posterodorsally; methatoracic pleuron yellow to brownish; metasternum brown; 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 yellow except for black annulus on apical 1/3, yellow and black pilose; pro- and mesotibiae yellow, yellow pilose; metatibia yellow, brownish on basal 1/3, yellow and black pilose; pro- and mesotarsi yellow, yellow pilose; metatarsus brown, yellow and black pilose. Wing: hyaline, extensively bare, as follow: mostly of cells C, SC, R, BM, CuP, basal 2/3 of cell R1, basal 1/3 of cell R2+3 and anterior basal 1/2 of cell R4+5; 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; 3 rd to 4 th terga mostly yellow with sublateral black maculae, black medial vittae continuous posteriorly and laterally, and brownish posterior fascia; 5 th tergum yellow with sublateral black maculae and medial black vitta as a “V” shape. Male genitalia: surstylus slender dorsally and very broad laterally, with scattered short setae; postanal process little distinct; aedeagus not so enlarged, proeminent dorsally; superior lobe somewhat rectangular, with hairs anterodorsally, with small lobe ventrally with hairs.

Female. Similar to male except for the frons black, white pollinose, black pilose. Anterior anepisternum with rare piles superiorly. Female genitalia: 9 th tergum with somewhat cilindric black macula broader posteriorly; epiproct slender; cercus very broad; hypoproct somewhat triangular; 9 th sternum as in Fig. 144; two elliptical spermatecae similar in size ( Figs. 143–145).

Length. Body 7.0–7.2 mm, wing 5.2–5.8 mm.

Discussion. T. pulchellus presents a characteristical color pattern of abdomen and the synonomy with Toxomerus punctatus was based comparing the female syntype of Syrphus pulchellus with the original description of that.

Type material examined. Syntype. MEXICO. San Domingo : Syrphus pulchellus , ♀, Ex. Coll. Bigot ( OXUM) .

Other material examined. MEXICO. Quintana Roo: Felipe Carrillo Puerto , 4 ♂, 5 ♀, 11–13/10/1986, R. J. McGinley ( USNM) . HONDURAS. Zamorano : ♀, 11/ X, W. P. Cockerell ( USNM) . EL SALVADOR. San Salvador: 2 ♂, ♀, 12/V/1958, O. L. Cartwright ( USNM) . CUBA. Aguada : ♂, ♀, II/15/1970 ( USNM) . JAMAICA. Worth Park: Parrish St. Catherine, 2 ♂, 4 ♀, 9–19/XI/1968, R. E. Woodruff ( USNM) . PANAMA. Gamboa: C. Z. Pipeline Rd , 12 ♂ & 12 ♀, VII/1967, W. W. Wirth ( USNM) . VENEZUELA. Zulia: El Tucuco , ♂, 5–6/VI/1976, A. S. Menke & D. Vicent ( USNM) ; Aragua: Ocumare de la Costa , ♂, A. S. Menke & D. Vicent ( USNM) ; Puerto de Cata , ♀, A. S. Menke & D. Vicent ( USNM) . ECUADOR. Portoviejo : ♂ & ♀, 14/ IV/1964, P. Alcivar ( USNM) . BRAZIL. Amazonas: Mirapinima , ♂ & ♀, 8/IV/1972, E. G., I & E. A. Munroe ( CNC) . Manaus , 4♀, 12/V/1967, 13/V/1967, Y. Sedman ( USNM) . Pará: Belém , 13♂, 14♀, 4/V–23/VI/1967, Y. Sedman ( USNM) . Rio de Janeiro: Tijuca , 2 ♂, II/1974, Seabra ( MNRJ) ; Mangaratiba , ♂, X/1961, M Alvarenga ( DZUP) . Estrada Rio-São Paulo, ♂, ♀, 15/I/1945, 22/I/1945, B. Ramos ( MNRJ) . São Paulo: Guarujá , 2 ♂ & ♀, III/1939, Ramalho ( MZSP and MNRJ) .

Geographical record. Widespread, from Mexico to southern South America.