Sisyromyia rutila ( Walker, 1849 )

Li, Xuankun & Yeates, David K., 2019, Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Sisyromyia White, 1916 (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Acrophthalmydini), Zootaxa 4711 (2), pp. 201-244 : 226-229

8. Sisyromyia rutila ( Walker, 1849)

( Figs 17–19 )

Bombylius rutilus Walker, 1849: 289 . Type-locality: Australia (NSW); holotype, BMNH.

Bombylius albavittus Macquart, 1850: 421 (117). Type-locality: “ Nouvelle-Hollande, côte orientale” [= eastern Australia]; ho- lotype, MNHN. New synonym. albovitta, albovittata, errors for albavitta.

Type specimens. Holotype of Bombylius rutilus Walker , ♂ ( NHMUK 010921896 ) ( Figs 17 ab) . Holotype of Bombylius albavittus Macquart , ♂ ( MNHN ED9263 ) ( Figs 17 cd) .

Other specimen examined. Australia, ACT, ♀ (2), Bendora , 2 Mar 1949, Paramonov . ♀ (2), Mt. Gingera , 28 Mar 1951, Common & Day . ♀ (2), Mt. Franklin , 13 Apr 1949, DF Waterhouse . ♀ Brindabella Range , 1400 m, 13 Apr 1979, MG Jefferies . ♂ Lees Spring , 26 Feb 1938, TG Campbell. NSW , ♀ 3 ml SE Pilot Hill, Bago Forest, Batlow , 2 Mar 1957, TG Campbell . ♂ Sydney , 26 May 1923 . ♀ Broulee , 26 Apr 1978, MS Upton . ♀ Wilson’s Val- ley, Mt. Kosciusko , 4700 ft, 26 Mar 1967, IFB Common. Qld ., ♂ 35 mls fr Wondai , 4 Jun 1959, E Exley ( QM) . ♂ Dunwich, SE Qld. , 1 Oct 1978, A Molyneux ( QM) . ♀ Adar Ck. , 20 Jan 1960, K Korboot ( QM) . ♀ Caloundra , 17 Aug 1934, FA Perkins ( QM) . Tas., Sir John Falls Camp, 22 Feb 1976, D Coleman . ♀ 42.42°S 145.47°E, 16 Feb 1977, G Howard [by hand, probably C Howard]. ♀, 42.34°S 145.40°E, S.W. Tasmania, Butler Island , 10 Feb 1976, C Howard. Vic ., ♂ (1) ♀ (1), Mt. Pinnibar , 3500-4000 ft, 9 Mar 1967, KR Norris . ♀ Mt. Buffalo , 27 Mar 1949, IFB Common. WA , ♀ N. Perth. ♂ (1) ♀ (1), S31°35’ E115°48’, Cypress R [oa]d, Pinjar , 31 May 1981, MJ Smart . ♀ 37km W. of Binnu , 9 Jul 1972, N McFarland . ♀ Hamel ( QM) .

Diagnosis. Large-sized fly, body mostly with reddish hairs. Wing membrane uniformly infuscated. Abdominal tergites 2–7 with median stripe consisting of dense, decumbent short white scales.

Redescription. Male. Body length 9.1–10.0 mm, wing length 10.5–11.5 mm.

Head. Head about 2.3 x wider than long, mostly blackish with thick pale pruinescence and covered in admixed pale yellow to golden scales and brown to black hairs. Eyes holoptic. Frons short, 2.1 x length of ocellar tubercle, upper narrow and black; lower half triangular, 0.9 x length of upper half, with thick pale pruinescence and golden scales admixed with black hairs. Ocellar tubercle slightly raised, blackish brown to black with grey pruinescence, with black hairs admixed with few golden scales. Face with thick pale pruinescence and golden scales admixed with long black hairs, parafacial area with pale yellow scales. Gena with thick pale pruinescence and long pale yellow hairs. Clypeus with thick pale pruinescence and otherwise bare. Occiput with thick pale pruinescence and red scales admixed with some black hairs. Posterior eye margin slightly convex. Antennal scape and pedicel black with thick pale pruinescence, scape with long black hairs admixed with some golden scales ventrally, pedicel with long black hairs; flagellum black without pruinescence, subapex with 1 long ventral hair, dorsal face of basal half with 2–4 long hairs. Scape 3.0 x as long as wide, and 3.0 x as long as pedicel, uniform from base to apex. Pedicel as long as wide. Flagellum 8.0 x as long as wide, 1.7 x as long as scape + pedicel, 2.7 x as long as scape, conical and slightly laterally compressed, one-segmented with apical stylus ( Fig. 18c ). Palpus long, just extending beyond oral cavity, yellow with pale yellow hairs, one-segmented, without palpal pit. Mouthparts slender, 4.6 x as long as eye length, 3.5 x as long as head length, labellum thin and filiform ( Fig. 18h ).

Thorax. Integumental colour of scutum mostly black with sparse pale pruinescence. Scutum covered with short hairs, hairs pale yellow basally, turning reddish yellow on apical half and apex black. Scutellum brown with sparse pale pruinescence, with reddish yellow hairs, hairs apex turning black. Pleura black with thick pale pruinescence, mostly covered in long pale yellow hairs, except anepisternum with pale yellow hairs turning reddish on apical half and few hairs with black apex, anepimeron, meron, laterotergite and mediotergite bare.

Legs. Legs mostly brown, femora dark yellow. Femora with dense long pale yellow hairs admixed with few black hairs on basal half, apical half with more short yellow scales. Fore femur with some anterior bristles in the middle; mid femur with one row of anteroventral bristles and more separate bristles on apical half; hind femur with one row of anteroventral bristles, and some ventral bristles in the middle. Bristles and other hairs on legs brown. Fore tibia 1.7 x longer than fore basitarsus, mid tibia 2.1 x longer than mid basitarsus, hind tibia 2.0 x longer than hind basitarsus.

Wings. Wing membrane uniformly infuscated. Cell r 5 open, M 1 close to R 5; cell br nearly as long as cell bm, crossvein r-m arising from base of cell dm; crossvein m-m nearly as long as crossvein r-m; cell cup open ( Fig. 18d ). Haltere stem and knob dark yellow.

Abdomen. Integumental colour of tergites black mostly with sparse pale pruinescence. Tergite 1 with thick pale pruinescence and dense reddish hairs; tergites 2–7 with long reddish hairs admxied with few black hairs, most of the reddish hairs with black apex, but less black apexes laterally; tergites 2–7 with median stripe consisting of dense, decumbent short white scales. Sternites black except posterior margin yellow, with thick pale pruinescence, covered with pale yellow hairs, hairs turning reddish apically. Genitalia. Epandrium anterior margin slightly concave, posterior margin slightly convex ( Fig. 19d ). Lateral margin of gonocoxite nearly straight ( Figs 19 ab); lateral ejaculatory process narrow; inner and outer apices of gonocoxite short and acute; gap between inner apices of gonocoxites short and narrow; phallus nearly as long as gonocoxite ( Fig. 19c ).

Female. Body length 10.6–12.0 mm, wing length 10.3–13.5 mm. Very similar to male, except frons black with thick pale pruinescence, 3.4 x as wide as ocellar tubercle, frons with short golden scales admixed with long black hairs ( Fig. 18l ). Around 30 acanthophorite spines present on each side of tergite 9+10 ( Fig. 19g ).

Remarks. We examined the holotype of Bombylius rutilus and Bombylius albavittus , and determined the latter is a new junior synonym of the former.

Distribution. Australia (ACT, NSW, Qld., Tas., Vic., WA).

Figures

FIGURE 17. Sisyromyiarutila (Walker, 1849). Types: (a, b) Holotype of Bombylius rutilus Walker, 1849(NHMUK 010921896); (c, d) Holotype of Bombylius albavittus Macquart, 1850 (MNHN ED9263), photograph from digitized type collection of Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle: https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/ed/item/ed9263. (a, c) dorsal; (b, d) lateral. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 18. Sisyromyia rutila (Walker, 1849). External (a–i (♂); j–o (♀)): (a, j) dorsal; (b, k) lateral; (c) antenna, lateral; (d) wing; (e, l) head, dorsal; (f, m) head, frontal; (g, n) head, profile; (h, o) head, lateral; (i) abdomen, dorsal. Scale bars = 1 mm (a, b, d–o); = 0.1 mm (c).

FIGURE 19. Sisyromyia rutila (Walker, 1849). Genitalia (a–e (♂); f, g (♀)): (a) genitalic capsule, dorsal; (b) genitalic capsule, ventral; (c) genitalic capsule, lateral; (d) epandrium, dorsal; (e) epandrium, lateral; (f) sternite 8, ventral; (g) genitalia and spermathecae. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.