Mallota Meigen, 1822

Meyer, Marc De, Goergen, Georg, Midgley, John & Jordaens, Kurt, 2024, On the identity of the Afrotropical species of Mallota Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 958 (1), pp. 242-290 : 248-249

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5852/ejt.2024.958.2675
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:18DC2A7C-175B-4375-A82E-E1AFF4029A94
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13945365
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/CE3D0D14-654E-A415-9ED1-ADDB4643B7C8
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Mallota Meigen, 1822
status

Treatment

Key to Afrotropical species of Mallota Meigen, 1822 View in CoL

1. Head: eyes bare ( Figs 11–13 View Figs 11–16 ) ........................................................................................................... 2

– Head: eyes long to medium long, dense pilose ( Figs 14–17 View Figs 11–16 View Figs 17–20 ) or short and more dispersed pilose ( Figs 18–20 View Figs 17–20 ) ...................................................................................................................................... 4

2. Wing with distinct medial dark brown macula ( Fig. 39 View Figs 37–39 ); head: face brown to black ( Fig. 13 View Figs 11–16 ); thorax: scutum with short rufous pile ( Fig. 3 View Figs 3–4 ); pleura: posterior anepisternum with long rufous pile; scutellum marginated along posterior margin ( Fig. 23 View Figs 21–24 ) ................................................ M. aperta ( Bezzi, 1912)

– Wing slightly fumose, more densely coloured along anterior half, without distinct medial macula ( Figs 37–38 View Figs 37–39 ); head: face yellow to dark orange ( Figs 11–12 View Figs 11–16 ); thorax: scutum with yellow to yellow-orange pile intermixed with black pile ( Figs 1–2 View Figs 1–2 ); pleura: posterior anepisternum with long pale yellow to yellow-orange pile; scutellum not marginated, rounded along posterior margin (as in Fig. 24 View Figs 21–24 ) .............................................................................................................................................. 3

3. Head: face dark orange ( Fig. 11 View Figs 11–16 ); thorax: posterior anepisternum with yellow-orange pile; scutellum orange; abdomen subshining black to dark brown, without white pollinose fasciate vittae along anterior margin of terga 3 and 4 ( Fig. 47 View Figs 47–50 ) ........................................................ M. hirsuta Hull, 1941

– Head: face yellow ( Fig. 12 View Figs 11–16 ); thorax: posterior anepisternum with pale yellow pile; scutellum yellow; abdomen reddish, with distinct narrow fasciate vittae of white pollinosity along anterior margin of terga 3 and 4 ( Fig. 48 View Figs 47–50 ) ...................................................................... M. meromacrimima Hull, 1914

4. Head: eyes long pilose, especially in lower third ( Figs 14–17 View Figs 11–16 View Figs 17–20 ); male eyes dichoptic (the male of M. aenigma is unknown); legs: metatibia ventrally with dispersed short pilosity, pile at most one third of width of tibia ( Figs 28–31 View Figs 25–30 View Figs 31–36 ) .................................................................................................. 5

– Head: eyes short pilose throughout ( Figs 18–20 View Figs 17–20 ), male eyes holoptic; legs: metatibia ventrally with dense long pilosity in at least apical half, pile at least half as long as width of tibia ( Figs 32–34 View Figs 31–36 ) .. 8

5. Face: clypeus without tuft of hairs ( Fig. 22 View Figs 21–24 ); legs: metafemur strongly swollen, in anterior view medial part at least three times as broad as the apex ( Figs 28–29 View Figs 25–30 ) ................................................... 6

– Face: clypeus with tuft of hairs ( Fig. 21 View Figs 21–24 ); legs: metafemur moderately to strongly swollen, in anterior view medial part 2.5–3 times as broad as the apex ( Figs 30–31 View Figs 25–30 View Figs 31–36 ) ..................................................... 7

6. Legs: metatibia with apex pointed ( Fig. 28 View Figs 25–30 ); metafemur medioventrally with short black pile ( Fig. 35 View Figs 31–36 ); pro- and mesotibia largely orange-red ............................. M. dasyops ( Wiedemann, 1819)

– Legs: metatibia apically blunt ( Fig. 29 View Figs 25–30 ); metafemur medioventrally bare in distal half ( Fig. 36 View Figs 31–36 ); pro- and mesotibia largely black ................................................................................... M. glabra sp. nov.

7. Head female: frons long pilose, with pile as long as length of postpedicel ( Fig. 17 View Figs 17–20 ); legs: metafemur moderately swollen, more than three times as long as high, dorsal margin moderately convex ( Fig. 31 View Figs 31–36 ) .................................................................. M. aenigma Bezzi, 1912 (the male is unknown)

– Head female: frons short pilose, with pile less than length of postpedicel ( Fig. 16 View Figs 11–16 ); legs: metafemur strongly swollen, less than three times as long as high, dorsal margin strongly convex ( Fig. 30 View Figs 25–30 ) ..... ................................................................................................................................ M. hircus sp. nov.

8. Head: face flattened and not protruding; facial tubercle hardly visible; ocellar pile short, in lateral view about equal to ocellar triangle ( Fig. 20 View Figs 17–20 ) .................................................... M. stipulata sp. nov.

– Head: face distinctly protruding; facial tubercle distinctly pronounced; ocellar pile longer, in lateral view at least twice as long as ocellar triangle ( Figs 18–19 View Figs 17–20 ) ............................................................. 9

9. Abdomen: tergum 2 black with orange maculae restricted to anterolateral margins, not extending beyond half of the width of the tergum along margin ( Fig. 55 View Figs 55–56 ); sterna 1–3 completely black-brown to black .................................................................................................................... M. wyatti sp. nov.

– Abdomen: tergum 2 black with orange maculae more extensive, along lateral margins reaching almost till posterior margin, sometimes extending medially till halfway ( Fig. 54 View Figs 51–54 ); sterna 1–3 partially yellow-orange ............................................................................................ M. extrema ( Loew, 1858)