Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Ricarte, Antonio, Nedeljković, Zorica, Rotheray, Graham E., Lyszkowski, Richard M., Hancock, Geoffrey, Watt, Kenneth, Hewitt, Stephen M., Horsfield, David & Wilkinson, Geoffrey, 2012, Syrphidae (Diptera) from the Greek island of Lesvos, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 3175, pp. 1-23 : 18-20

Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Material examined. 4 3, Agiasos and Skala Kallonis, 2–8.iv.2010, leg. E.G. Hancock, det. E.G. Hancock 2011 [HM]; 1 3, Avlona Beach, SE of Perama, empty building with dogs, marsh and moist herb-rich meadow, 39º0.5´N 26º31.8´E, 4.vi.2010, 1 3, Neochori, olive groves, herb-rich olive grove terracing, 39º1.7´N 26º19.3´E, 7.vi.2010, 1 3, Skala Kallonis, Malemi hotel, field next door, by hotel, 39º12.7´N 26º12.4´E, 27.v.2010, leg. D. Horsfield, det. D. Horsfield 2011; 23, Mt. Lepetymnos near Aloni, 31.v.2010, leg. G.E. Rotheray; 1 3 and 1 Ƥ, Perivolis Monastery, river shingle, 39º14.63´N 26º0.0´E, 7.vi.2010, leg. S.M. Hewitt; 1 3, Agiasos, 3.vi.2010, leg. G. Wilkinson [ NMS]; 1 3, Skala Kallonis, 39°12´35.2˝ N 26°12´14.5˝E, swept in a meadow at the side of the Malemi Hotel, 29.v.2010, leg. R.M. Lyszkowski [RL]; 1 Ƥ, Ennia Camaris, near river mouth, 30.v.2010, 1 3 and 2 Ƥ, Agiasos, sweet chestnut forest, below car park, 1.vi.2010, 1 3, Agiasos, sweet chestnut forest, near car park, 1.vi.2010, 2 3, Potamia, bridge over river site, 2.vi.2010, 1 Ƥ, Potamia, Anemotia, roadside, near bridge site, false fennel (yellow umbellifer), 2.vi.2010, 1 3, Akrasi, 8.vi.2010, 1 3, Agiasos, sweet chestnut forest, 1 3, Agiasos, on a flower, 8.vi.2010, 1 3, Plomari, roadside, pea plant site, 3.vi.2010, leg. Kenn Watt, det. Z. Nedeljkoviċ 2011 [KW].

Sphiximorpha hiemalis Ricarte, Nedeljkovi ć and Hancock, sp. nov. Figs. 8–11

Material examined. Holotype: 1 3, Greece, Lesvos, near Agiasos, 27.ii–10.iii.2006, Leg.: E.G. Hancock (HM, Acc. No. 150472).

Etymology. The word hiemalis is an adjective meaning ‘winter’ and refers to the fact that the holotype was collected in February-March during the winter season.

Diagnosis. Body conspicuously hairy even at first glance; the upper margin of the frontal triangle bears an arcshaped yellow macula along the entire eye margin; antenna red; length ratio ‘scape: pedicel: basoflagellomere’ 1.8: 1: 2.3 ( Fig. 8 ); face yellow with a distinctive black pattern as in Fig. 9 ; thorax with a distinctive pattern of colour and pollinosity ( Fig. 10 ); tergum II only slightly narrowed, as wide as the tergum III; tergum II with a yellow macula at each antero-lateral corner and also with a yellow fascia on the posterior margin; tergum IV with two elongate triangular areas of pollinosity.

Sphiximorpha hiemalis sp. nov. is separated from Sphiximorpha petronillae Rondani, 1850 by a different facial pattern and different antennal segmentation ratio (in S. petronillae it is 1.6: 1: 1.85). Additionally the scutum of S. petronillae bears extra yellow spots and the yellow maculae on tergum II are more extensive and are united at the front of the tergum. In S. petronillae the body hairs are comparatively shorter and sparser. But also in S. petronillae terga III and IV have two large yellowish rectangular pollinose maculae, each of which bears a circular area free of pollinosity. Sphiximorpha hiemalis sp. nov. can be easily separated from Sphiximorpha garibaldii Rondani, 1860 by the colour of the scutellum, which is extensively yellow in the former, but black apically in the latter. Also in S. garibaldii the face has two lateral yellow vittae delimiting a central black vitta reaching the antennal insertions. In Sphiximorpha binominata (Verrall, 1901) and Sphiximorpha subsessilis (Illiger in Rossi, 1807) at least the basoflagellomere is black, while in S. hiemalis sp. nov. antennae are wholly red ( Fig. 8 ). Additionally, the shape of the facial maculae differs conspicuously amongst S. binominata , S. hiemalis sp. nov. and S. subsessilis (for reference, compare Fig. 9 with photos in Dussaix 2010). According to the original description, in males of Sphiximorpha euprosopa (Loew, 1869) the scutellum is yellow with black posterior margin, while in S. hiemalis sp. nov. the scutellum is yellow with black lateral corners. In S. euprosopa the facial lateral yellow maculae connect with the frontal yellow macula along the eye margins, while in S. hiemalis sp. nov. there is a narrow black gap between them. Additionally, in S. euprosopa there is an elongate, narrow central macula in the shape of an inverted heart, while in S. hiemalis sp. nov. the colour markings in the middle of the face are different ( Fig. 9 ). According to Violovitsh (1986), the Far East species Sphiximorpha rachmaninovi (Violovitsh, 1981) has the basoflagellomere of an unusual ‘raspberry pink’ colour, while in S. hiemalis sp. nov. is red; in S. rachmaninovi the markings of the face are different to those in S. hiemalis sp. nov. (for reference, compare Fig. 9 with drawing in Violovitsh 1986); in S. garibaldii , S. petronillae and S. rachmaninovi the tergum II is conspicuously narrowed, while in S. hiemalis sp. nov. is only slightly narrowed.

Description. Male. L = 15.2mm, WL= 10.5mm; body conspicuously hairy even at first glance (hairs predominantly pale). Head. Eye with white hairs; eye contiguity of about the length of the antennal pedicel; vertical triangle black; upper section of the occiput extensively yellow, the yellow maculae extending to the back of the head; the remainder of the occiput bears a narrow fasciae of pollinosity of variable width along the eye margin; the upper margin of the frontal triangle bears an arc-shaped yellow macula along the entire eye margin; antenna red; terminal arista relatively thick, whitish pollinose; scape and pedicel with short adpressed hairs; length ratio ‘scape: pedicel: basoflagellomere’ 1.8: 1: 2.3 ( Fig. 8 ); face yellow with a distinctive black pattern as in Fig. 9 . Thorax ( Fig. 10 ).

Scutum bears a pollinose spot at the inner end of the transverse suture; postpronotum and notopleuron yellow; a yellow vitta on the scutum near the postalar callus; posterior anepisternum with a large yellow macula; the rest of the scutum and thoracic pleuron black; scutellum yellow, only black at the extreme lateral corners; coxae blackish, remainder of legs red with metafemora slightly darkened; wing conspicuously brown-pigmented anteriorly; wing microtrichose except for the bare areas on the alula; calypter and halter yellow. Abdomen ( Fig. 11 ). Tergum I black; tergum II only slightly narrowed, as wide as the tergum III; tergum II with a yellow macula at each antero-lateral corner and also with a yellow fascia on the posterior margin; tergum III with a yellow fascia posteriorly; tergum IV with a yellow fascia posteriorly and two triangular vittae of pollinosity; sterna I–IV black except for a yellow fascia on the posterior margin, very narrow in sternum I; hypopygium black.

Notes. Although S. petronillae is only known from females and has been recorded in the Balkan Peninsula ( Speight 2011), it is unlikely that S. hiemalis sp. nov. is the male of S. petronillae , as this would imply a case of extreme sexual dimorphism, which is otherwise unknown in the genus.

The following material of other species was examined: holotype of Sphiximorpha garibaldii : male in good condition, except for the left pedicel + basoflagellomere missing, and the left wing, being torn but entire, labelled as follows: metopibraca subsessilis Ill., Rond. * Parm. (hand written); Coll. H. Loew; Garibaldii Rond. (hand written); Zool. Mus. Berlin [ZMHU]. Female of Sphiximorpha petronillae in good condition and labelled as: Yugoslavia, Boka Kotorska, Morinj, 4.v.1995, leg. A. Vujiċ [NS]. The specimen of S. binominata and the specimen of S. subsessilis examined in Ricarte and Marcos-García (2010), both deposited in CEUA.

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 11. Sphiximorpha hiemalis Ricarte, Nedeljković and Hancock, sp. nov. male holotype. 8: antennae, scale = 0.9 mm; 9: head, anterior view, scale = 2.3 mm; 10: thorax, dorso-lateral view, scale = 2.3 mm; 11: abdomen, dorsal view, scale = 2.8 mm. Legend: ps, pollinose spot; pv, pollinose vitta.