Epistrophe lentiggini Mutin, 2023

Mutin, V. A., 2023, A new species of the hover flies genus Epistrophe Walker, 1852 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the Russian Far East, Far Eastern Entomologist 485, pp. 1-6 : 2-3

Epistrophe lentiggini Mutin , sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 8CCAF669-D6C2-415F-8B76-05435BC4A793

Figs 1–4

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype – ♀, Russia: Khabarovskii Krai , Myaochan Mountains, upper Amutinka Stream, 11.VII 2002 ( V. Mutin).

DESCRIPTION. Female. Body length 13.5 mm, wing length 12.5 mm. Face ( Fig. 4 ) mainly yellowish gray densely pale-gray pollinose and with pale pile. Vitta bare, weakly shining, brownish, its medial part noticeably paler yellowish, almost yellow above. Gena ( Fig. 1 ) brightly yellow, non-pollinose, with longer pale pile. Frons ( Fig. 2 ) black, with black erect pile; its 1/6 anterior part almost shinning, further with medial brownish densely pollinose stripe sharply constricted rearward; densely gray pollinose along orbits. Vertex black, almost shining, with black short pile. Ocellar triangle equilateral. Occiput with pale pile. Antenna black; basoflagellomere oval, twice as long as wide.

Mesonotum ( Fig. 2 ) black, with unclear pale pollinose pattern; almost shinning sublaterally and densely pollinose laterally, with a pair of obscure submedial pale pollinose vittae. Mesothoracic pleuron densely pale pollinose, with pale pile. Scutellum yellow, with black pile.

Legs mainly yellow ( Figs 1, 3 ), except basal half of femora black and coxae, trochanters, and subapical annulus of metatibia brownish. Proleg mainly with pale pile. Mesoleg mainly with black pile, except tibia with short pale pile. Metaleg mainly with black pile.

Wing hyaline and entirely microtrichose ( Fig. 2 ).

Abdomen ( Fig. 2 ) mostly black and weakly shinning dorsally, mainly with black pile on terga III, IV, and V, with narrow pale-gray pollinose fascia slightly interrupted in anterior half of terga III, IV and in middle of tergum II. Tergum I almost entirely pale-gray pollinose. Sterna black, with weakly yellow marks on sterna II and III basally.

Male is unknown.

DIAGNOSIS. The female of this new species clearly differs from all other congeners by the following combination of the characters: the face with a dark medial vitta, its median part noticeably paler than sides; the antennae black; the eyes bare; the abdomen with narrow gray fasciae on terga II, III and IV; the metafemur black basally and yellow apically; the pro- and mesotarsus yellow dorsally.

DISTRIBUTION. Russia: Khabarovskii krai (Myaochan Mountains).

BIOLOGY. The holotype of the new species was caught on blooming Aruncus dioicus at the edge of a dark coniferous forest with Picea jezoensis and Abies nephrolepis (about 900 meters above sea level).

ETHYMOLOGY. The specific name originates from latin " lentiggini " referring to peculiar coloration of the face, located on both sides of median vitta ( Fig. 4 ), which looks like freckles on human face.

Figures

Figs 1–7. Epistrophe spp. 1–4 – E. lentiggini sp. n., female, holotype; 5–7 – E. griseofasciata, female, holotype; 1, 5 – habitus, lateral view; 2 – habitus, dorsal view, 3, 7 – fore- and mesolegs; 4, 6 – head, frontal view. Scale bar: 1 mm.