Sisyromyia aurata ( Walker, 1849 )

Li, Xuankun & Yeates, David K., 2019, Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Sisyromyia White, 1916 (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Acrophthalmydini), Zootaxa 4711 (2), pp. 201-244 : 208-212

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4711.2.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7C94E60C-F477-4331-8E2D-CB087BC72605
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/8A27C729-5179-BC26-FF5A-F8E03B59FC7E
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Sisyromyia aurata ( Walker, 1849 )
status

Treatment

3. Sisyromyia aurata ( Walker, 1849) View in CoL

( Figs 4–6 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 )

Bombylius auratus Walker, 1849: 289 View in CoL . Type-locality: “Van Dieman’s Land” [= Australia (Tasmania)] & Australia (WA); 2 syn- types, BMNH.

Bombylius crassirostris Macquart, 1850: 421 View in CoL (115). Type-locality: “ Nouvelle-Hollande, côte orientale” [probably = Australia (NSW)]; 3 syntypes, MNHN.

Bombylius lobalis Thomson, 1869: 487 View in CoL . Type-locality: Australia (NSW); holotype, NHRS.

Bombylius loewii Jaennicke, 1867: 346 [1868: 38]. Type-locality: “ Australia ”; holotype, SMFD.

Type specimens. Syntype of Bombylius auratus Walker , ♂ (2), ( NHMUK 010921893 About NHMUK ) ( Figs 4a,b View FIGURE 4 ) . Syntype of Bombylius crassirostris Macquart , ♂ (3), ( MNHN, ED9260 ) ( Figs 4c,d View FIGURE 4 ) .

Other specimen examined. Australia, NSW, ♂ National Park , 1 Jan 1926, Mackerras . ♀ National Park , 1 Mar 1926, Mackerras . ♂ Blackheath , 1 Feb 1926, Mackerras . ♂ (6) ♀ (5), Barrington Top , Feb 1925, SU ZooExp . ♀ Bulli , CF Deuquet . ♂ Megalong , FH Taylor . ♀ Austinmer , Dec 1928, HC Davis . ♂ Wentworth Falls , FH Taylor . ♀ 35.30S 150.24E, Bawley Point , 12 Feb 1997, DCF Rentz, K McCarron GoogleMaps . ♀ Toronto , 24 Mar 1922, Health Dept . ♂ 35°32’51”S 150°20’54”E, Kioloa; creek crossing 2.5 km W, on Dangerboard Road ; temperate rainforest, 3 Feb 2015, DJ Ferguson GoogleMaps . ♀ (2), 35°51’24”S 150°10’46”E, Broulee Beach , dunes adjacent to island, 4 m, 26 Jan 2012, DJ Ferguson GoogleMaps . ♂ Countegany , 31 Jan 1937, M Fuller. Qld ., ♀ Amiens , 14 Dec 1969, CF Ashby . ♂ Brisbane , H Hacker, 27 Nov 1911 ( QM) . ♀ Brisbane , H Hacker, 20 Aug 1918 ( QM) . ♀ Brisbane , H Hacker, 20 Nov 1917 ( QM) . ♀ Bris- bane, TC Marshall ( QM) . ♀ SE Qld., Emu Creek , 31 Dec 1964, C Speed ( QM) . SA, ♂ (1) ♀ (1), Flinders Chase , Kangaroo Is., Jan-Feb 1940, DCS . ♀ Cotter R[iver], 14 Mar 1964, J Bancroft. Tas., ♂ Corinna , Pieman R [iver], 28 Dec 1953, TG Campbell . ♂ Freycinet Nat [ional] P[ar]k, 28 Feb 1963, IFB Common & MS Upton . ♀ 42.51°S 145.49°E, S.W. Tasmania, Transect 7L 900, 11 Feb 1976, D Coleman et al GoogleMaps . ♀ 42.50S 146.04E, Pelion Hut , 900 m, 7-8 Jan 1989, PB McQuillan & ES Nielsen GoogleMaps . ♀ Franklin River , 10 Feb 1967, EF Riek . ♀ 42°43’S 145°48’E, SW Tasmania, 16 Feb 1978, L Hill GoogleMaps . ♀ Rosebery , 8 Feb 1925 ( QM) . ♀ Rosebery , 9 Feb 1925 ( QM) . ♀ Barrington area, Gummi Plain , 3800 ft, 2 Mar 1935, BM Millan ( QM) . Vic ., ♀ Mt Macedon , HW Davey . ♀ (2), 37°27’S 148°35’E, East Gippsland, Martin’s Creek , 9 April 1999, K Theile & D Yeates GoogleMaps . ♀ Bright , HW Davey . ♂ Bullock Creek, NE Nat [ional] P[ar]k Rd , 11 Feb 1968, CW Frazier. WA , ♂ (3) ♀ (3), Waroona , 13–19 Mar 1909, GF Berthoud . ♀ Au- gusta, 3 Oct 1970, DH Colless. ♀ Newman.

Diagnosis. Large-sized fly, body with mostly bright golden hairs. Wing membrane slightly infuscated. Redescription. Male. Body length 8.4–12.9 mm, wing length 10.7–15.0 mm.

Head. Head about 2.4 x wider than long, mostly blackish with thick pale pruinescence and covered in admixed pale yellow to black hairs and scales. Eyes holoptic. Frons short, 2.1 x length of ocellar tubercle, upper narrow and black; lower half triangular, 0.9 x length of upper half, with sparse pale pruinescence and golden scales admixed with few black hairs. Ocellar tubercle slightly raised, blackish brown to black with grey pruinescence, with long black hairs admixed with few golden scales. Face with thick pale pruinescence and golden scales admixed with some long black hairs. Gena with thick pale pruinescence and long pale yellow hairs. Clypeus with sparse pale pruinescence and otherwise bare. Occiput with thick pale pruinescence and dense golden scales. Posterior eye margin slightly convex. Antennal scape and pedicel black with thick pale pruinescence, scape with long black hairs admixed with few golden hairs and scales ventrally, pedicel with short black hairs dorsally and short golden hairs ventrally; flagellum black without pruinescence, subapex with 3–5 long hairs. Scape 2.5 x as long as wide, and 2.5 x as long as pedicel, uniform from base to apex. Pedicel as long as wide. Flagellum 10.0 x as long as wide, 2.3 x as long as scape + pedicel, 3.2 x as long as scape, conical and slightly laterally compressed, one-segmented with apical stylus ( Fig. 5c View FIGURE 5 ). Palpus long, just extending beyond oral cavity, black with pale yellow hairs, one-segmented, without palpal pit. Mouthparts slender, 2.8 x as long as eye length, 1.5 x as long as head length, labellum large and fleshy ( Fig. 5h View FIGURE 5 ).

Thorax. Integumental colour of scutum mostly black with sparse pale pruinescence except postalar callus brown. Scutum covered with short golden scales and hairs, admixed with some short black hairs. Five brownish yellow notopleural setae present. Scutellum brownish yellow with sparse pale pruinescence, with short golden scales and long golden hairs, admixed with some long black hairs, black hairs denser posteriorly. Pleura black with thick pale pruinescence, mostly covered in long pale yellow hairs, except anepimeron, meron, laterotergite and mediotergite bare.

Legs. Legs mostly yellow, tibiae turning dark yellow apically, tarsi brownish yellow. Fore and mid femora with golden scales, ventral half of femora with pale yellow hairs. Mid femur with 3–4 anterior bristles on apical half; hind femur with one row of anteroventral bristles and more separate bristles on apical half. Bristles and other hairs on legs brown. Fore tibia 1.7 x longer than fore basitarsus, mid tibia 2.2 x longer than mid basitarsus, hind tibia 2.1 x longer than hind basitarsus.

Wings. Wing membrane slightly infuscated, darker towards wing base. Cell r 5 open, M 1 close to R 5; cell br nearly as long as cell bm, crossvein r-m arising from base of cell dm; crossvein m-m nearly as long as crossvein r-m; cell cup open ( Fig. 5d View FIGURE 5 ). Haltere stem and knob dark yellow.

Abdomen. Integumental colour of tergites black mostly with sparse pale pruinescence. Tergite 1 with thick pale pruinescence and dense golden hairs; tergite 2 with long golden hairs on anterior half and laterally, and with long black hairs on posterior half; tergites 3–7 with sparse long black hairs in the middle and dense long golden hairs laterally; tergites 2–4 with indistinct lateral stripe consisting of sparse, decumbent golden scales; tergites 2–7 with median stripe consisting of dense, decumbent short golden scales. Sternites black except posterior margin yellow, with thick pale pruinescence, covered with golden hairs. Genitalia. Epandrium anterior and posterior margins straight ( Fig. 6d View FIGURE 6 ). Lateral margin of gonocoxite strongly curved ( Figs 6a,b View FIGURE 6 ); lateral ejaculatory process wide; inner and outer apices of gonocoxite long and sharp; gap between inner apices of gonocoxites narrow; phallus shorter than gonocoxite ( Fig. 6c View FIGURE 6 ).

Female. Body length 9.1–14.0 mm, wing length 11.8–16.1 mm. Very similar to male, except frons black with thick pale pruinescence, 3.2 x as wide as ocellar tubercle, frons with short golden scales admixed with long black hairs ( Fig. 5l View FIGURE 5 ). Around 30 acanthophorite spines present on each side of tergite 9+10 ( Fig. 6g View FIGURE 6 ).

Remarks. We examined the holotype of Bombylius rutilus , which was proposed as a synonym of Sisyromyia aurata ( Roberts, 1928) , however we consider it is a separate species (see ‘8. Sisyromyia rutila ( Walker, 1849) ’ later).

Distribution. Australia (NSW, Qld., SA, Tas., Vic., WA).