Paragus (Afroparagus) borbonicus Macquart, 1842

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A., Ahmad, Syed Kamran, Al-Dhafer, Hathal & Turner, James, 2020, An overview of the Syrphidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 4855 (1), pp. 1-69 : 44

Paragus (Afroparagus) borbonicus Macquart, 1842

( Figs 50–51 )

Paragus borbonicus Macquart, 1842: 166 (106)

Examined specimens. 1♀, Asir, Karatha, Al-Ethrebany fruit farm, 10.vii.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) .

Distribution. This species is the first record from Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula. It was described from Mauritius and Réunion and is widespread throughout the Afrotropical Region including Ghana, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, and Säo Tomé and Principe ( Smith &Vockeroth 1980; Kaufmann 1973; Dirickx 1998; Whittington 2003).

Remarks. Macquart (1842) described P. borbonicus . Smith & Vockeroth (1980) listed it under P. (Paragus) borbonicus . Following Vujić et al. (2008) P. (Paragus) borbonicus was therefore put under P. (Afroparagus) borbonicus . Our material of P. borbonicus agrees with the description of Vujić et al. (2008: 514) of the subgenus Afroparagus Vujić & Radenkovié. Kaufmann (1973) studied the biology of P. borbonicus and reported it as a predator which plays an important role as a controlling agent of the black citrus aphid, Toxoptera aurantii (Fonsco.) (Homoptera: Aphididae ) that damages the flush leaves of cacao, Theobroma cacao L. in Ghana. He also described the immature stages.

Figures

FIGURE 50–51. Habitus of Paragus (Afroparagus) borbonicus Macquart, 1842. 50) Male, lateral view, 51) Female, dorsal view.