Microdon harinhalai Reemer

Reemer, Menno & Bot, Sander, 2015, Six new species of Microdon Meigen from Madagascar (Diptera: Syrphidae), Zootaxa 4034 (1), pp. 127-147 : 131-133

Microdon harinhalai Reemer sp. n.

( Figs 11–17 )

Diagnosis. A compact, blackish brown species with a diagnostic facial colour pattern: yellow with sharply defined, broadly black ventrolateral parts ( Figs 13 , 17 ).

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Adult male. MADAGASCAR. Label 1: " MADAGASCAR: Fianarantsoa / Prov., Parc National Ranomafana, / radio tower, elev. 1130 m., 14- / 23.ii.2009, ex: Malaise trap, / 21°15.05'S, 47°24.43'E, coll: M. / Irwin & R. Harin'Hala, MG-09B-242". Coll. CAS. PARATYPES. Two males from same locality as holotype, with dates as follows: 18-28.IX.2003 (coll. CSCA) and 31.I-12.II.2004 (coll. RMNH). One female from Fitovavy, Fitovinany region, Ifanadiana district, 12 km W of Ranomafana, 14-21.XII.2007, leg. M. Irwin & R. Harin'Hala (coll. CAS).

Description of male holotype. Body size: 8 mm. Head. Face pale brown, except widely black ventrolaterally; white pilose. Gena black; white pilose. Oral margin not produced. Frons dark brown; black pilose. Vertex black; yellow pilose. Occiput black; yellow pilose, thin white pollinose. Eye bare. Antennal fossa about as wide as high. Antenna brown. Arista brown, about 5/6 of length of basoflagellomere. Thorax. Mesoscutum black, except brown along lateral margins; long erect yellow pilose. Postpronotum and postalar callus brown; yellow pilose. Scutellum black anteriorly, brown posteriorly; yellow pilose; semicircular with pair of long, pale brown, more or less parallel apical calcars with mutual distance about 1/4 of width of scutellum at base and length approximately equal to half length of scutellum. Pleuron shining dark brown to blackish. Propleuron bare. Anepisternum with slight sulcus separating anterior from posterior part; yellow pilose anteriorly, black and yellow pilose posteriorly, with widely bare part in between. Anepimeron black pilose dorsally, yellow pilose ventrally. Katepisternum yellowish pilose dorsally, bare ventrally. Katepimeron without pile, shining. Katatergum and anatergum long and short microtrichose, respectively. Calypter greyish yellow, halter yellowish white. Wing. Greyish infuscate, especially antero-apically. Microtrichose, except bare in cell br, which is microtrichose only along vena spuria, bare on posterobasal 1/2 of cell bm, anterobasal 1/6 of cell cup, and on centre of alula. Legs. Brown, except femora black at basal 1/4 to 1/2. Femora and tibiae black pilose, except femora yellow pilose basally. Tarsi mixed yellow and black pilose. Coxae and trochanters blackish; yellow and white pilose. Abdomen. Tergite 1 dull black; white pilose. Tergite 2 dull black, except reddish brown along lateral margins; white pilose, except short black pilose in posterolateral corners. Tergite 3 dull black, except reddish brown along lateral margins; black pilose, except white pilose in anterolateral corners. Tergite 4 dull black anteromedially, reddish brown on other parts; black pilose, except white pilose in anterolateral corners and along posterior margins. Pregenital segments yellowish brown. Sternites brown to yellowish brown, except narrowly yellowish white along posterior margins; white pilose (incl. sternite 1), except sternite 4 black pilose posteriorly. Male genitalia as in Fig. 15 .

Female. Body size: 10 mm. As male, except for usual sexual dimorphism and following differences. Mesoscutum narrowly yellowish brown along margins. Anepimeron entirely black pilose. Abdomen with widely pale brown margins. Tergite 3 white pilose, except black pilose along posterior margin. Tergite 4 narrowly black pilose along anterior margin and entirely black pilose on posterior half, with band of white pile in between. Tergite 5 white pilose, except for median patch of black pile.

Variation. Male body size 7–9 mm. Colours are paler in one presumably teneral female (not included in type series): posterior margin of mesoscutum widely pale yellow, scutellum yellowish brown, anepimeron entirely pale pilose, femora without black base, abdomen laterally and posteriorly widely yellowish brown.

Etymology. This species is named after R. Harin'Hala, one of the collectors of the specimens on which this description is based.

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 15. Microdon harinhalai Reemer sp. n. Male holotype. 11. Habitus lateral. 12. Abdomen dorsal. 13. Head frontal. 14. Thorax dorsal. 15. Genitalia lateral (drawn from paratype).

FIGURES 16 – 17. Microdon harinhalai Reemer sp. n. Female paratype. 16. Habitus dorsal. 17. Head frontal.