Afromicrodon Thompson

Cheng, Xin-Yue & Thompson, Christian, 2008, A generic conspectus of the Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of two new genera from Africa and China, Zootaxa 1879, pp. 21-48 : 26-28

Afromicrodon Thompson , gen. nov.

( Figs. 1–2 )

Type-species, Microdon johannae van Doesburg.

Face evenly convex, narrow, about 1/5 head width, pilose; mouthparts normal; eye bare; male dichoptic, with eyes separated by about width of ocellar triangle; gena very narrow, not visible in lateral view; antenna short, shorter than face; scape slightly longer than basoflagellomere, about twice as long as wide; basoflagellomere short, about twice as long as wide; ocellar triangle equilateral, anterior, about its length anterior to posterior eye margin; occiput very narrow except slightly expanded on dorsal 1/3.

Thorax: postpronotum pilose; propleuron bare; anepisternum pilose except bare along posterior margin; katepisternum bare; anepimeron bare except pilose ventroposteriorly; katepimeron (barrette) bare; metasternum underdeveloped, bare; transverse suture normal, incomplete medially; scutellum simple, convex or only slightly excavated apically, without teeth; legs normal, not enlarged, without pile brushes; femora with cicatrices indistinct, without spinose patches. Wing: microtrichose; vein R4+5 without appendix; vein M without appendix; crossvein r-m basal, at basal fourth of cell DM; vein M1 straight, joining vein R4+5 perpendicularly; vein M2 present, short; cell DM rounded apicoposteriorly.

Abdomen: oval. Male aedaegus bifid apically, hypandrium posteriorly prolonged and with tuft of long pile (see fig. 2 ( De Meyer et al. 1990: 571).

Included species: Ceratophya comoroensis De Meyer, De Bruyn & Janssons (1990: 571) , Microdon johannae van Doesburg (1957: 109), Ceratophya madecassa Keiser (1971: 256) and Ceratophya stuckenbergi Keiser (1971: 258) .

Distribution. All known species are restricted to the Malagasy Region.

Afromicrodon is easily recognized among the microdons as 1) lacking an appendix on vein R4+5, 2) short antenna, about as long as face or shorter; 3) basoflagellomere simple; 4) scutellum simple, without calcar; and 5) abdomen oval. The species of Afromicrodon were previously and erroneously placed in the genus Ceratophya due to an error in Hull's world key to the genera of Microdontinae (1949: 306) .

Etymology. The name, Afromicrodon , is a combination of "Afro," from the Afrotropical region, and " Microdon ," and is to be treated as masculine.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Afromicrodon johannae (van Doesburg). 1, male, habitus, lateral view. 2, male, thorax, dorsal view.