Peradon normalis (Curran)

Reemer, Menno, Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Kelso, Scott, 2019, Revision of the Neotropical hoverfly genus Peradon Reemer (Diptera, Syrphidae, Microdontinae), ZooKeys 896, pp. 1-93 : 1

Peradon normalis (Curran) Figs 42 , 43 , 53 , 54 , 57-59 , 66 , 119-122 , 218-221 , 269

Microdon normalis Curran, 1925: 343. Holotype ♀: Guyana (AMNH) [examined]; Thompson et al. 1976: 66.

Not Microdon normalis Curran of Van Doesburg 1962: 13, 1966: 83.

Peradon normalis (Curran): Reemer and Ståhls 2013a: 146.

Peradon SUR-17a of Reemer 2014: 47.

Peradon SUR-17b of Reemer 2014: 47.

Studied type specimens.

Guyana •1 ♀, holotype of Microdon normalis Curran; Demara River, West Bank; 9 Feb. 1923; AMNH. Label 1: "W. Bank, Dem. R. / 9-ii-1923"; label 2 (red): "TYPE / Microdon / normalis / Curran"; label 3: "Microdon / normalis / Det. C.H. Curran". Coll. AMNH. Type locality according to Curran (1925): West Bank Demarara River.

Additional specimens of typical morph.

Brazil • 1 ♀; Pará, Guama; 8 May 1956; E. Lobato leg.; MZUSP.

French Guiana • 1 ♀; Roura, Kaw Road, PK37 (km 37), Relais Patawa; 04°32'43"N, 52°09'09"W; Nov. 2008; J.A. Cerda leg.; RMNH.

Suriname • 1 ♀; Brownsberg; 04°56'45"N, 55°10'59"W; 2 Apr. 2006; M. Reemer leg.; RMNH [previously published as Peradon SUR-17a by Reemer 2014].

Additional specimens of red morph.

Brazil • 1 ♀; Pará; Baker leg.; LACM.

Additional specimens of SUR-17b morph.

Brazil • 1 ♀; Amazonas, Cepiac, Manaus; 3 Apr. 1977; INPA.

Suriname • 1 ♀; Brownsberg; 04°56'45"N, 55°10'59"W; 2 Apr. 2006; M. Reemer leg.; RMNH [previously published as Peradon SUR-17b by Reemer 2014].

Additional specimens of P. cf. normalis .

Brazil • 1 ♂; Rondonia, 62 km SE Ariquemes; 8-20 Nov. 1994; W.J. Hanson leg.; LACM.

Diagnosis.

Body length: male 13 mm (based on P. cf. normalis ), female 11-17 mm. In the concept presented here, Peradon normalis is a very variable species in colouration. In females, three colour morphs are recognized. In the typical morph the abdomen and legs are black and the wings are blackish with a subapical yellow marking ( Figs 43 , 120 ). In the red morph the abdomen and legs are red, and the wings are coloured as in the typical morph ( Fig. 121 ). In morph SUR-17b the abdomen and legs are black, and the wings are yellow basally with a blackish subapical marking, almost a photo negative of the typical variation ( Figs 42 , 122 ). In all of these variations, the alula is largely bare and cell br is largely bare posteriad of the vena spuria. These characters separate P. normalis from the other species with blackish wings and subapical yellow wing markings: P. bispina , P. niger and P. pompiloides . Morph SUR-17b resembles Peradon flavipennis in wing colouration, but differs from that species by the more extensive yellow in the wing and the different position of the dark cloud in the wing, as described in the key. Additional characters distinguishing females of P. normalis from females of P. pompiloides and P. cf. sciarus are the absence of a basomedian patch of greyish pruinescence on tergite 4 ( Figs 53 , 54 ), and the presence of greyish pruinescence on the basal 1/3 of tergite 3 ( Figs 57-59 ). These characters are only visible when viewing from a frontal angle. The male is not known with certainty. One male specimen from Brazil (Rondonia) is here preliminarily assigned to P. cf. normalis because of the partly bare alula and wing cell br, and the presence of small, not interconnected yellow marks in the wing apex ( Fig. 119 ). Genitalia as in Fig. 269 .

Notes.

The typical colour morph and the red morph are considered conspecific because of the identical morphology, including the patterns of the wing microtrichosity. The pattern of greyish pruinescence on tergite 3 is also similar in both colour forms ( Figs 57-59 ). A similar case of colour variation is found in Peradon bidens . In the case of Peradon SUR-17b of Reemer (2014), the barcode is identical to that of Peradon SUR-17a (see paragraph Barcode results ). Peradon SUR-17b does not agree in morphology and colouration with any described species, but P. SUR-17a corresponds with the type of P. normalis in all morphological and colour characters, except that it is smaller (body length 11 instead of 17 mm). The specimen of Peradon SUR-17a is identical in morphology and body size to P. SUR-17b. Both specimens of P. SUR-17a and P. SUR-17b were collected at exactly the same locality within five minutes on the same day ( Reemer 2014). Combined with the identical barcodes and identical morphology this suggests that the specimens belong to the same species, so both are here assigned to P. normalis . Extra support for this conclusion is provided by the similar pattern of greyish pruinescence on tergite 3 ( Figs 57-59 ).

In the only male specimen assigned to P. normalis , the yellow wing markings are not interconnected, so they do not form one large subapical macula as is found in the females of the typical variation. However, such sexual dimorphism in which the yellow wing colouration is less extensive in the male is also known from other species of Peradon , such as P. chrysopygus , P. flavofascium and P. luridescens . Whether this male specimen really belongs to P. normalis can only be resolved based on additional material, which is currently unavailable.

The only known specimen of Peradon flavipennis only differs from P. normalis in wing colouration. Therefore, it seems possible that P. flavipennis is merely a colour form of P. normalis . Without any further specimens or DNA data available, however, it seems premature to change the taxonomic status of P. flavipennis .

Distribution.

Known from the Brazilian states Pará and Rondonia, French Guiana, Peru, and Suriname.

Figures

Figures 36 - 47. 36 - 46 Wings of Peradon species of the bidens - group: 36 P. bidens ♂ Suriname RMNH 37 P. bispina ♂ holotype 38 P. aurifascia ♂ holotype 39 P. angustiventris ♂ Suriname RMNH 40 P. angustus ♀ neotype 41 P. flavipennis ♀ holotype 42 P. normalis var. SUR- 17 B ♀ Suriname RMNH 43 P. normalis typical var. ♀ Suriname RMNH 44 P. pompiloides ♂ holotype 45 P. pompiloides ♀ paratype 46 P. niger ♂ holotype 47 Wing of P. palpator ♂ holotype (flavofascium group)

Figures 53 - 56. Tergite 4 of Peradon females 53 P. normalis typical variation (without grey pruinescence), French Guiana RMNH 54 P. normalis red variation (without grey pruinescence), Brazil LACM 55 P. pompiloides paratype (with large basomedian patch of pruinescence) 56 P. cf. sciarus (with large basal area of pruinescence) Peru CSCA.

Figures 57 - 60. Tergite 2 - 3 of Peradon females in frontodorsal view 57 P. normalis typical morph, French Guiana RMNH 58 P. normalis red morph Brazil LACM 59 P. normalis SUR- 17 b morph Suriname RMNH 60 P. pompiloides paratype. Note the similar pattern of grey pruinescence on tergite 3 in all three colour morphs of P. normalis, with pruinescence limited to anterior 1 / 3 of tergite 3. In contrast, the grey pruinescence in P. pompiloides extends over a large part of tergite 3.

Figures 61 - 66. 61, 62 Wing cell bm: 61 P. bidens 62 P. costaricensis 63, 64 Mesonotal transverse fascia: 63 medially interrupted (P. bidens) 64 complete (P. costaricensis) 65, 66 Wing cell br: 65 P. pompiloides (holotype) 66 P. normalis (Suriname RMNH).

Figures 119 - 128. Dorsal habitus of Peradon species (bidens group) 119 P.? normalis ♂ Brazil Rondonia LACM 120 P. normalis typical morph ♀ French Guiana RMNH 121 P. normalis red morph ♀ Brazil Para LACM 122 P. normalis SUR- 17 b morph ♀ 123 P. niger ♂ holotype 124 P. niger ♀ (holotype M. manni Shannon) 125 P. flavipennis ♀ holotype 126 P. pompiloides ♂ holotype 127 P. pompiloides ♀ paratype 128 P. bispina ♂ Brazil CNC. Scale bar: 10 mm.

Figures 218 - 221. Peradon normalis female, holotype 218 habitus dorsal 219 habitus lateral 220 head frontal 221 thorax dorsal.

Figures 268 - 273. Male genitalia of Peradon species 268 P. costaricensis paratype 269 P.? normalis Brazil Rondonia LACM 270 P. niger holotype 271 P. bispina holotype 272 P. pompiloides holotype 273 P. aurifascia Sao Paulo CNC.