Pipiza luteibarba, Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Sne Ž Ana & Polić, Dubravka, 2008

Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Sne Ž Ana & Polić, Dubravka, 2008, A review of the luteitarsis group of the genus Pipiza Fallén (Diptera: Syrphidae) with description of a new species from the Balkan Peninsula, Zootaxa 1845, pp. 33-46 : 35-40

Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.

( Figs. 2 , 4, 5 , 10 , 12 , 14, 15 , 19, 20 )

Material studied (ɗ, Ψ): Holotype: Serbia, Seličevica, 16.04.1989, ɗ, leg. Vujić ( PMB, coll. 595773: Inv. No. 40). Paratype: Serbia, Obedska bara, Debela gora, 23.04.1986, Ψ, leg. Vujić.

Etymology: the name is derived from Latin words luteus – yellow, golden colour and barba – beard, refer to the yellow colour of hairs on face.

Diagnosis: hind femora without pair of ventral longitudinal ridges at the distal end ( Fig. 12 ); basoflagellomere elongated (about 1.5 times longer than wide, Figs. 4, 5 ), ventral half of basoflagellomere reddish ( Figs. 4, 5 ); body hairs predominantly pale; all tarsi pale, except metatarsus of hind legs. Closely resembling Pipiza luteitarsis and P. a c c o l a but differs in the following characteristics: male: face yellowish haired, predominantly black in P. luteitarsis and P. a c c o l a; body hairs longer; abdomen broader; tergite 2 with long sticking out hairs ( Fig. 10 ); genitalia: basal part of surstyli with well-developed semicircular lobe ( Figs. 19, 20 : sl), in P. luteitarsis it is reduced ( Figs. 21, 22 : sl) and in P. a c c o l a small ( Figs. 23, 24 : sl); female: basoflagellomere elongated (more than 1.5 times longer than wide, Fig. 5 ), in P. luteitarsis and P. a c c o l a oval and shorter (1.1 – 1.2 times longer than wide, Figs. 7, 9 ); pollinose lateral spots on frons smaller (about 1/6 of frons width, Fig. 2 ), in P. a c c o l a and P. luteitarsis about 1/5 of frons width ( Fig. 1 ). The species is related to two East Palaearctic species P. a u re a and P. magnomaculata . P. luteibarba n. sp. differs by completely pale tarsi of pro- and metalegs (apical 2–3 segment darkened in P. a u re a and P. magnomaculata ) and in structure of male genitalia (in P. a u re a surstyli more similar to P. a c c o l a; in P. magnomaculata semicircular lobe on basal part of surstyli extremely well-developed, almost as long as rest of surstyli, in P. luteibarba n. sp. about 1/3 of length of surstyli, Fig. 19 ).

Description:

MALE

Head: face black, dark-grey pollinose, covered with yellowish hairs. Frons heavy dark-grey pollinose, pale haired, except black hairs above and laterally of antennae; angle of eye approximation about 120 0; height of frons 1.7 times longer than eye suture. Vertex dark pollinose, covered with mixed pale and dark long hairs; ocelar triangle equilateral. Occiput silver pollinose, pale haired, except a few longer black hairs. Eyes uniformly covered with long grey hairs. Antennae dark, except reddish ventral area on basoflagellomere; arista pale; basoflagellomere elongated ( Fig. 4 ).

Thorax: mesoscutum slightly pollinose, moderately punctured, completely pale haired, except few black hairs on lateral sides; scutellum with pale hairs. Pleurae slightly pollinose, pale haired, except mixed pale and black hairs on upper half of anepisternum; katepisternum with upper and lower hair patches separated, and shiny central area; metasternum bare. Femora dark, except pale apices; fore tibiae pale with dark submedian area; middle tibiae pale with dark submedian ring; hind tibiae dark, except pale basal 1/4 and top 1/5; all tarsi pale, except dark dorsal surface of hind basitarsus; legs almost completely pale haired. Squamae reddish; halteres reddish, except darker spot on capitulum. Wing with dark-brown to yellow-brown veins; without darkened area; microtrichia slightly reduced in basal part of alula and cells BR and BM.

Abdomen ( Figs. 10 , 15 ): entirely black, with blue lustre; yellow haired except short, black hairs on hind margin of tergites 2 and 3. Tergite 2 with long, porrect hairs ( Fig. 10 ). Besides long pale-yellow hairs, sternites 1 – 2 and anterior half of sternite 3 covered with dense microtrichia; the rest of sternites slightly microtrihose.

Genitalia ( Figs. 19, 20 ): theca of hypandrium ( Fig. 19 : th) and basale of epandrium elongated ( Figs. 19, 20 : b). Lower gonocercus short (1/3 length of theca; Fig. 19 : lgc). Upper gonocercus without conspicuous teeth ( Fig. 19 : ugc). Basal semicircular lobe of surstyli well-developed, petiolate ( Figs. 19, 20 : sl).

Size: Body length 9.1mm, wing length 8.0mm.

FEMALE: differs from the male in the following characters: Frons and vertex shiny black except pollinose lateral spots that occupy about 1/6 of frons width ( Fig. 2 ). Frons, vertex and occiput predominantly yellow haired except black hairs above and laterally of antennae and along eye margin, above pollinose lateral spots. Hairs on mesoscutum shorter than in male, all yellow. Microtrichia on wing more reduced than in male: basal 1/3 of cell CuP, basal 1/2 of cell BR and almost complete cell BM bare. Tergit 2 with two lateral yellow spots.

Distribution: Presently known only from two localities in Serbia. Seličevica Mountain belongs to biome of Submediterranean mostly oak woodlands while Obedska bara marsh lies in the biome of South European mostly deciduous woods in inundated areas (based on Matvejev & Puncer 1989). This is the first discovered locally endemic species from the Pipiza luteitarsis group. All other species have wide distributions, mainly Europe or in the Palaearctic generally.

Habitats. The species was discovered on two localities about 200km apart from each other. Mountain Seličevica is placed in south-eastern part of Serbia. It is a medium high mountain with the highest peak on 902m. The Seličevica is 20km long and 5–10km width, its area is about 150km 2. It lies in a semiarid region with temperately continental clime and great influence of the Mediterranean. 80% of Seličevica is covered by forest vegetation from associations: Orno-Quercetum pubescentis Gaj. 52, Quercetum frainetto-cerris Rud. 49, Quercetum montanum moesiacum Č ernj. Et Jov. 50, Quercetum-Carpinetum moesiacum Rudski 1940 and Fagetum moesiacum Rudski 1940 ( Ranđelović 1980).

Obedska Bara marsh is located in the south part of the Pannonian plain. The site is important for threatened breeding bird species, rare insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. Its status has been established by the Ramsar Convention on swamps since 1977, and included in the List of areas of special significance for birds of Europe of Important Bird Area project, and UNESCO's list of world's most important wetland areas. The site is a seasonally inundated area of the River Sava floodplain, with marshes, ponds, wet meadows and the Obedska Bara oxbow lake. Obedska Bara has a great variety of plant communities, such as coastal, shallow water, surface water, swamp, and wet forest communities, with all types of vegetation. The oxbow lake is 13.5 km long, with a maximum width of 0.75 km. The whole area of Obedska Bara proper includes the oxbow lake, the inner area bordered by the lake and the immediate outer belt; this measures about 2.400 ha ( Janković 1974).

Conservation and traits: The specimens of Pipiza luteibarba n. sp. were found in similar habitats. In both localities the specimens were captured along water (river in Seličevica and Obedska bara oxbow) in Quercus forests, where grow the same plant species from the family Apiaceaea ( Epilobium spp, Heracleum spp) and some species from the family Asteraceae ( Cirsium spp). Regarding presence of these plant species in both localities, we can suppose that there is some connection with the life cycle of P. luteibarba n. sp., which can explain their appearance in similar habitats. Such localities are extremely rarely preserved in Serbia, because of high human impact in past centuries. The lowlands and hilly areas in central part of Serbia were occupied by humans during history because of excellent condition for inhabitation and especially for agriculture. That can explain the scarcity of data for species during long term faunistic investigations in these areas (since 1958). The Seličevica mountain is unprotected and increasingly becomes part of the large city Niš. The presence of P. luteibarba n. sp. has not been reconfirmed after the first record in 1989. Therefore, we can supposse that P. luteibarba n. sp. could be extinct from Seličevica mountain. A similar situation concerns the Obedska bara marsh, but this Nature reserve is protected and can offer an opportunity for conservation of this endemic species. Future conservation efforts must be concentrated to rediscover populations of species in natural habitats and to study species biology. Based on these results strict protection of these localities must be one of the conservation priorities.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 3. Frons of female, dorsal view. 1. Pipiza luteitarsis; 2. Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 3. Pipiza quadrimaculata. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 4 – 9. Antenna, lateral view. 4, male, 5, female, Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 6, male 7, female, Pipiza luteitarsis; 8, male, 9, female, Pipiza accola. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 10, 11. Tergites 1 – 3 of male, lateral view. 10. Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 11. Pipiza luteitarsis; T 1 – tergite 1; T 2 – tergite 2; T 3 – tergite 3. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 12, 13. Hind femur of male, ventral view. 12. Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 13. Pipiza festiva; lr – longitudinal ridge. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 14 – 18. Abdomen, dorsal view. 14, female 15, male, Pipiza luteibarba n. sp.; 16, female, Pipiza luteitarsis; 17, male, 18, female, Pipiza quadrimaculata; T 4 – tergite 4; T 5 – tergite 5. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 19, 20. Male genitalia of Pipiza luteibarba n. sp. 19. lateral view; 20. dorsal view of epandrium; th – theca of hypandrium; b – basale of epandrium; lgc – lower gonocercus; ugc – upper gonocercus; sl - semicircular lobe of surstylus. Scale 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 21, 22. Male genitalia of Pipiza luteitarsis. 21. lateral view; 22. dorsal view of epandrium; sl - semicircular lobe of surstylus. Scale 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 23, 24. Male genitalia of Pipiza accola. 23. lateral view; 24. dorsal view of epandrium; sl - semicircular lobe of surstylus. Scale 0.1 mm.