Romaleosyrphus nephelaeus Moran & Thompson, 2021

Moran, Kevin M. & Skevington, Jeffrey H., 2021, Taxonomic revision of Romaleosyrphus Bigot (Diptera, Syrphidae), including descriptions of seven new species, ZooKeys 1075, pp. 1-32 : 1

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1075.55862
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9A026704-2C38-4B2C-9221-534780145848
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E32DF62B-3528-4C3B-8C5F-5B58631C6740
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:E32DF62B-3528-4C3B-8C5F-5B58631C6740
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Romaleosyrphus nephelaeus Moran & Thompson
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Romaleosyrphus nephelaeus Moran & Thompson sp. nov.

Figures 5C View Figure 5 , 7C View Figure 7 , 9C View Figure 9 , 10C View Figure 10 , 11C View Figure 11

Type locality.

El Salvador: Montecristo, 14.3664, -89.3842.

Types.

Holotype male, pinned. Original label: "4 - 20 - 1978 // Monte Cristo // El Salvador, CA // D. R. Barger" "USNMENT // [BARCODE] // 01087036" (USNM). Paratypes: El Salvador: Montecristo, 14.36639, -89.38417, D.R. Barger, 20.iv.1978, USNM_ENT1087030; ...USNM_ENT1087058; … USNM_ENT1087078 (1♂, USNM, 1♂ CNC, 1♂ RMNH); roadside, J.H. Davis, 22.iv.1977, USNM_ENT1087092 (1♂, USNM).

Differential diagnosis. Scutellum completely yellow pilose. Tergite II black pilose, except yellow pilose in anterolateral corners. Tergite III black pilose, although lateral margins mixed black and yellow. Tergite IV yellow pilose. Male hind tibia as in Fig. 9C View Figure 9 . Male genitalia as in Fig. 11C View Figure 11 .

Description.

MALE. Body length: 13.1-17.2 mm. Wing length: 9.2-12.1 mm.

Head. Face shape as in Fig. 10C View Figure 10 ; face gold pruinose; gena yellow pilose posteriorly; anterior tentorial pit variable pilose: yellow or black; frons broad, ca. as long as broad at antenna, 2/3 as broad at vertex as at antenna, black pilose and silver-gold pruinose; vertex triangular, longer than broad, black pilose and brown pruinose; postocular setae black; occipital setae yellow; antenna reddish orange.

Thorax. Matte black; postpronotum mixed black and yellow pilose; scutum yellow pilose along margins and black pilose medially; scutellum completely yellow pilose; postalar callus yellow pilose; proepimeron yellow pilose; posterior anepisternum yellow pilose; katepisternum yellow pilose posteriorly with broadly separated patches; metasternum variable pilose: black, yellow, or mixed black and yellow; anepimeron with anterior portion yellow pilose; lower calypter with long black pile.

Legs. Coxae black; femora black except extreme apex of femora; remainder of legs reddish; hind trochanter tuberculate as in Fig. 8B View Figure 8 ; fore and mid-coxa black pilose; hind coxa mixed black and yellow pilose; fore femur black pilose, except small mix of yellow pile basally; mid femur black pilose, but with stretch of yellow pile on posterior side; hind femur black pilose; tibiae and tarsi black pilose; hind tibia as in Fig. 9C View Figure 9 .

Wing. Microtrichia absent from following areas: broad anterior margin of cell cua.

Abdomen. Tergites shiny to subshiny black; tergite I with scattered, yellow pile medially, except with short black pile in lateral corners; tergite II black pilose, except yellow pilose in anterolateral corners; tergite III black pilose, except lateral margins mixed black and yellow; tergite IV yellow pilose; tergites not pruinose; sternites I-III yellow pilose and not pruinose; sternite IV black; pile of postabdomen mixed black and yellow pilose.

Male genitalia. (Fig. 11C View Figure 11 ) Cercus yellowish brown, broader at apex, covered with long yellow pile; surstylus brown, ca. as long as hypandrium, broadened basally with apical half tapering and directed ventrally with a rounded apex, ventral margin concave, undulated; pile on dorsal surface of surstylus, increasing in length posteriorly; minute spines on ventral surface and apical 3/4 of lateral inner and outer surface.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Distribution.

El Salvador.

Habitat.

Central American montane forests ecoregion.

Etymology.

Named Romaleosyrphus nephelaeus , after the Greek nephele (cloud), after the high elevation cloud forests in which this genus is found. It is a noun in apposition.