Ornidia obesa ( Fabricius, 1775 )

Barahona-Segovia, Rodrigo M., Riera, Pamela, Pañinao-Monsálvez, Laura, Guzmán, Vicente Valdés & Henríquez-Piskulich, Patricia, 2021, Updating the knowledge of the flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Chile: Illustrated catalog, extinction risk and biological notes, Zootaxa 4959 (1), pp. 1-178 : 97-98

Ornidia obesa ( Fabricius, 1775)

Fig. 143

Syrphus obesa Fabricius, 1775: 763

Type locality and data. “ West Indies , Virgin Is., St. Croix [as “America”]” (LT, ♂, UZMC) .

Material examined. Arica y Parinacota: 1♂, Parinacota, 27.II.2017, Leg. L.E. Peña ( PCBRS) ; 1♂, Putre, 27.III.2017, Leg. R. Barahona-Segovia ( PCRBS) .

References. Fabricius, 1775: 763 (desc.); Macquart, 1842: 21 (distr.); Thompson, 1972b: 96, 106, fig. 16 (head, lateral, male), fig. 25 (wing) ( Milesiinae rev.); Thompson, 1991: 256 (desc.); Thompson et al., 2010: 789 (rev.); Miranda & Moran 2016: 15, figs 36–48, 32, 34 (female terminalia).

World distribution. Originally from southern U.S.A. to northern Argentina and Chile. It has been introduced to Afrotropical ( Madagascar), Oriental and Oceania regions.

Chilean distribution. Only recorded from Arica y Parinacota region ( Fig. 147 ).

Altitudinal range. Highland ecosystems (3,650–4,500 m.a.s.l.) .

Biology and notes. Ornidia obesa is widely distributed from the USA to northern Chile and Argentina. In the Neotropical region, the species is associated with several disturbed ecosystems due to its synanthropic behavior. It is important to notice that this species is usually distributed in low and middle elevations except for Chile where it seems to be restricted to highlands. Larvae are saprophagous of decaying plant species, fruits and non-woody plants. In addition, this species could be associated with animal waste and dung ( Rotheray et al., 2006). In Chile, adults have been recorded visiting flowers of Aldama helianthoides (Rich.) E.E. Schill. & Panero (Rodrigo Barahona-Segovia pers. obs.)

Conservation status. LC; AOO = 8 km 2 and two localities (or subpopulations). This species is widely distributed in the New World.

Figures

FIGURE 147. Distribution map of Copestylum gibbera (Schiner, 1868) (yellow circles); Copestylum pseudotachina (Hull, 1936) (blue circles); Copestyllum scutellata (Macquart, 1842) (red circles); Copestylum yura (Curran, 1930) (black circles); Copestylum willinki (Fluke, 1951) (green circles); Ornidia obesa (Fabricius, 1775) (pink circles) in Chile.

FIGURES 140–143. Copestylum willinki (Fluke, 1951): (140) lateral view and (141) dorsal view, female (Photos by Vicente Valdés). (142) Copestylum pseudotachina (Hull, 1936) feeding on Aloysia deserticola (Phil.) Lu-Irving & O’Leary, Socaire (Photo by Diego Reyes). (143) Ornidia obesa (Fabricius, 1775), dorsal view (Photo by Vicente Valdés).