Myolepta petiolata Thompson, 1971

Mengual, Ximo, 2022, New species of Myolepta Newman, 1838 (Diptera, Syrphidae) from the Indomalayan Realm, European Journal of Taxonomy 833, pp. 97-120 : 109-110

Myolepta petiolata Thompson, 1971

Fig. 6

Diagnosis

Black Myolepta species with long antenna, as long as face, with elongated postpedicel ( Fig. 6C, F ). Black body with a yellow pruinose fascia on posterior margin of tergite 3, and black legs, except basal 1 /5–¼ of femora yellow, fore basotarsomere yellow and two basal mid tarsomeres yellow ( Fig. 6 ). Scutellum orange. Pterostigma dark brown with apical part hyaline. Cell r 4+5 closed at wing margin, with petiole shorter than crossvein h. Abdomen strongly petiolate, less than half its maximum width at its minimum (on tergite 2).

Differential diagnosis

Myolepta petiolata differs from all other described species of Myolepta by the strongly petiolate abdomen, which is less than half its maximum width at its minimum ( Fig. 6B, E ). It differs from all other Indomalayan species of Myolepta by the orange scutellum (bicolorous or black in other species).

Type locality

Thailand: Northwest Chiang Mai Province, Ching Dao, 19.366467° N, 98.964902° E, alt. 450 m.

Material examined

Holotype THAILAND • ♀; Northwest Chiang Mai Province, Ching Dao ; [19.366467° N, 98.964902° E]; alt. 450 m; 5–11 Apr. 1958; T.C. Maa leg.; BPBM [photographs examined].

Other material

THAILAND • 1 ♀; Mae Hong Son Province, Ban Huai Po ; [19.4246° N, 97.9148° E]; alt. 480 m; 1–5 May 1992; Stmad leg.; ZFMK; ZFMK-DIP-00082511 • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; NMP; ZFMK-DIP-00082512 .

Remarks

No male specimen is known of this species. These are the first published records of this species after its original description, and the new record locality is 105 km west of the type locality. I assume that the specimens were collected with a Malaise trap, based on the sampling dates, and that it co-occurs with Myolepta iota sp. nov. Thompson (1971) described this species and Myolepta orientalis from the same locality and date; thus, I deduce that M. petiolata and M. orientalis also co-occur.

Figures

Fig. 6. A–C. Myolepta petiolata Thompson, 1971, ♀ (ZFMK-DIP-00082511). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Head, frontal view. D–F. M. petiolata, ♀, holotype (BPBM). D. Habitus, lateral view. E. Habitus, dorsal view. F. Habitus, frontal view. Scale bars: A–B =1 mm; C= 0.5 mm.