Sphegina (Asiosphegina) ensifera, Hippa, Heikki, Steenis, Jeroen Van & Mutin, Valeri A., 2015

Hippa, Heikki, Steenis, Jeroen Van & Mutin, Valeri A., 2015, The genus Sphegina Meigen (Diptera, Syrphidae) in a biodiversity hotspot: the thirty-six sympatric species in Kambaiti, Myanmar, Zootaxa 3954 (1), pp. 1-67 : 48

Sphegina (Asiosphegina) ensifera sp. n.

Figs 1E, H, 29A–C

MALE. Body length 4.5–4.8 mm, wing length 4.0– 4.3 mm. Head (Figs 1E, H). Face strongly concave, weakly projected antero-ventrally, frontal prominence very weakly developed. Width of vertex at anterior ocellus:width of head 1:4.3; the depth of occipital concavity ca. 1/5 of the width of an eye in dorsal view. Width of face:width of head 1:4.3. Face black, pale pollinose. Gena shiny brown. Frons and vertex black, lunula shiny brownish, frontal prominence shiny brown or black, behind frontal prominence more densely pale pollinose, the pile very short, erect and pale. Occiput dull black. Eye with a large area of enlarged facets at anterior margin. Antenna brown; basoflagellomere oval, basally reddish; arista almost bare. Thorax. Colour black, pale pollinose, the pile very short, infrequent, pale, the dorsal pile almost invisible; scutellum trapezoidal, ratio of length:width 1:2.7, shiny, with a pair of pale, thin, short, shorter than length of scutellum, setae at apical margin. Wing. Hyaline, stigma yellow. Legs. Pro- and mesoleg yellow, tarsomeres 4 and 5 black. Metaleg: coxa brown; trochanter simple, yellow; femur brown, the basal 1/5 and a broad annulus on the apical 1/2 yellow; tibia without apico-ventral tooth, brownish, the basal 1/4 and an annulus on the apical 1/2 yellow; tarsus dark brown. Abdomen. Length ratio of tergites I, II, III and IV 1:3.8:2.2:2.0. Tergites shiny black; tergite III with a subanterior yellow fascia, in medial part nearly 2/5 as wide as the length of tergite, in lateral part about 1/2 of the length of tergite; the pile of tergites pale, short, adpressed, becoming longer towards the lateral margin; tergite I with an oblique row of 3 pale setae laterally; sternite IV ( Figs 29 A, C) brown, with short pale pile, the sword-like lobe on the left side pale; sternite VI ( Figs 29 A, C) with a small tubercle at the posterior margin, black, the pile pale; sternites VII and VIII dark brown, the pile short and pale. Genitalia, Fig. 29 B. Note the very large cercus. Surstyli and the superior lobes are symmetrical. FEMALE. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE. ♂, N.E. Burma, Kambaiti, 2000 m, 11.v.1934, R. Malaise ( SMNH). PARATYPE. 1♂ with same data as holotype except 7000 ft., 12. v. and Sphegina lateralis Dsbg det. v. Doesburg ( NBC).

Etymology. The name is Latin, ensifera , sword-bearing, referring to the sword-like lobe on the male sternite IV.

Discussion. Sphegina ensifera is similar to S. cultrigera and S. siculifera . For further discussion, see under S. siculifera .

Figures

FIGURE 29. Sphegina (Asiosphegina) ensifera sp. n. (holotype). A. Posterior part of abdomen, lateral view. B. Genitalia, lateral view. C. Posterior part of abdomen, ventral view. Scale 0.5 mm.