Phytomia pallida, Meyer & Goergen & Jordaens, 2020

Meyer, Marc De, Goergen, Georg & Jordaens, Kurt, 2020, Taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical Phytomia Guérin-Méneville (Diptera: Syrphidae), Zootaxa 4803 (2), pp. 201-250 : 228-229

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4803.2.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C0F5754-9530-4072-AF45-BDFE4A8A2B57

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/921A48D4-F4CA-4B76-8248-B7A107ACA27B

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:921A48D4-F4CA-4B76-8248-B7A107ACA27B

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Phytomia pallida
status

sp. nov.

Phytomia pallida View in CoL sp. nov.

( Figs 12 View FIGURES 11–20 , 52 View FIGURES 49–60 , 74 View FIGURES 73–84 , 95 View FIGURES 85–100 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:921A48D4-F4CA-4B76-8248-B7A107ACA27B

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: ETHIOPIA, ♂, nr Mago National Park , Southern Province, 23.IX.2012, A. Pauly ( KMMA) . PARATYPES: BURUNDI, 1♂, Mumirwa, Nyakibande , 27.I.2018 ; 1♀, Mumirwa, Nyambuye , 29.I.2018, all E. Sinzinkayo ( OBPE) . CAMEROON, 1♀, Meskine (agricultural site), 23.V.2018, M. Azo’o Ela ( MAPC) . CONGO (DR), Faradje, Uele , November 1912, Lang & Chapin , 1♂ ( KMMA) ; 1♂ ( AMNH) ; Garamba , Uele , 2♂, June–July 1912, Lang & Chapin ( AMNH) ; July 1912, Lang & Chapin, 3♂ ( AMNH) ; 5♂ 1♀ ( KMMA) ; 1♀, Kisenyi , N Kivu, February 1928, C. Seydel ( KMMA) ; 1♀, plaine Lac Edouard, Parc National Albert , Novem- ber 1932, Hoier ( KMMA) ; 1♀, Lubumbashi , 9.IV.1923, M. Bequaert ( KMMA) . ETHIOPIA, 2♂ 3♀, nr Mago National Park, Southern Province , 23.IX.2012, A. Pauly ( KMMA) . KENYA, 1♂, Kasaala area, Eastern Province , 19.XI.2015, R.S. Copeland ( ICIPE) ; 1♂, Mbita Point, Nyanza , 17.V.2006, R.S. Copeland ( ICIPE) ; nr Ukazi Hill, Eastern Province , 1♂, 21.XI.2011; 1♂, 27.XII.2011, all R.S. Copeland ( ICIPE) . SOUTH AFRICA, 1♀, Royal Na- tal National Park, the Crack path, 8.XII.2012, M.N. Morales ( MZH) . TANZANIA, 1♂, Bwawa Mbili, Tarangire National Park , 21.III.1995, Lesio & Liseki ( AMNH) ; 1♂ 2♀, Lemiyon, Tarangire National Park , 23.III.1995, Lesio & Liseki ( AMNH) ; 2♀, nr Morogoro, Uluguru Mts , January 1962 ( CNC) ; 1♀, Sausage Camp, Tarangire National Park , 22.III.1995, Lesio & Liseki ( AMNH) . UGANDA, 1♀, Entebbe , 26.X.1971, H. Falke ( CNC) ; 1♀, Kalinzu Forest, Ankole , June 1972, H. Falke ( CNC) ; 1♀, Mabamba Swamps, Wakiso District, Nansubuga Hill , 16.XII.2018, K. Jordaens ( KMMA) . ZAMBIA, 1♂, Abercorn , 11.XII.1962 ( CNC) ; N. Lake Bangweolo , 1♀, 25.V.1908; 1♀, 1.VI.1908; 3♀, 8.VI.1908; 1♀, 13.VI.1908, all S.A. Neave ( OXUM) .

Material at NRMS, collected at Kilimandjaro ( Tanzania) during the 1905-1906 Sjöstedt expedition and identified by Speiser (1910) as Eristalis (Phytomia) natalensis var. curta appear to also belong to this new species. They were not studied by the authors but the identification is based on images and information provided by the curator (courtesy of Y. Brodin). They are not included in the type series .

Body size. Body length (n=10): 10.0– 15.1 mm. Wing length (n=10): 8.4–12.4 mm.

Description. MALE ( Fig. 12 View FIGURES 11–20 ). Head. Eye bare; holoptic, touching for about 3 times length of ocellar triangle, facets enlarged in dorsal half. Frons ground colour brownish; completely obscured by yellowish to yellowish grey pollinosity; dispersed pilosity of medium long pale pile; rugose area shining black-brown, occupying about onefourth to one-third of entire width and two-thirds of entire height; with shorter and more dispersed pale pile. Face ground colour black-brown; in upper half to two-thirds with dense whitish pollinosity except below antennae where weakly shining; pilosity of short pale pile, along eye margins medium long pile; lower half to third weakly shining with more dispersed and very short pilosity; facial tubercle shining and bare, well developed. Gena dark brown to black-brown, largely shining, dispersed white pollinosity and long pale pilosity only in posterior part. Occiput dorsal third black, with greyish pollinosity; ventrally more densely yellow-white, with dispersed pale pile. Antennal segments brown to black-brown; arista yellow-brown, in basal half with medium long pile equal to width of pedicel.

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum black-brown ground colour, scutum with anterior two-fifths with dense yellowish pollinosity and medium long pale pilosity; middle with fascia of dark pollinosity and short black pilosity; posterior fourth with dense yellowish pollinosity and short pale pilosity; along lateral margin pale pilosity of anterior and posterior bands extended and touching; scutellum brownish pollinosity and very short black pilosity, along posterior margin somewhat longer. Pleural sclerites ground colour black, mainly weakly shining with weak greyish to greyish-brown pollinosity except dorsal part of anepisternum where more densely and yellowish; covered with dispersed pile of long white pile except meron, anterior part of katepisternum and anterior anepisternum; dorsal part of anepisternum more densely pilose.

Legs. Yellow-orange to brown. Fore leg, femur brown, apical margin narrowly paler; with dense short dark pilosity, anteriorly and posteriorly longer; tibia pale in basal half, otherwise brownish; with short black pilosity, except in basal part where pale; tarsal segments orange-brown. Mid leg as in fore leg, except tibia pale for basal half to three-fifths. Hind leg, femur yellow-orange and with long pale pilosity in basal half to two-thirds, apically blackbrown, with long black and denser pilosity; tibia orange-brown to brown, pale in basal third; dorsally with short to medium long pale pilosity in basal part, black in apical part, ventrally with short to medium-long black pilosity; tarsal segments orange-brown.

Wing ( Fig. 52 View FIGURES 49–60 ). Mainly hyaline, base for short part brownish. Upper calypter black-brown, with fringe of dark pile; lower calypter partially pale, with fringe of pale pile, sometimes fringe more brownish at base.

Abdomen ( Fig.74 View FIGURES 73–84 ). Mainly yellow and black patterned. Terga 2–4 without distinct bullae but with small medial swelling. Tergum 2 yellow for entire length except posterior fifth (medially) to seventh (at lateral margin) where black, sometimes not reaching lateral margin; with short to medium long pale pile except in black part where short dark pile. Tergum 3 anteriorly yellow to orange-yellow; with posterior black fascia broadening medially but not reaching anterior margin, laterally often not reaching lateral margin; with short to medium long pilosity throughout, along lateral margins somewhat longer. Tergum 4 predominantly brown except occasionally anterolaterally narrowly paler brownish, sometimes well-defined small yellow maculae or continuous fascia, reaching at most to halfway along lateral margin; pilosity as in tergum 3 except pile longer. Terga 3 and 4 mainly weakly shining, dark pollinosity limited to isolated areas between medial swelling and anterolateral maculae, posterior margin broadly weakly shining. Sterna pale yellow, with widely dispersed long pale pile. Male genitalia as in Fig. 95 View FIGURES 85–100 .

FEMALE. As male except for the following character states. Eye, facets of equal size; dichoptic. Frons in lower half more orange-brown; with greyish pollinosity, except in dorsal third where brown; covered with short dispersed pale pile, except in dorsal third where predominantly black; rugose area shining brown; occupying onefourth to one-third of entire width and equal in height to at most 2 times length of ocellar triangle.

Diagnosis. Recognizable by the more extensive yellow fascia on both thorax and abdomen.

Distribution. Burundi, Cameroon, Congo (DR), Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia.

Etymology. After the Latin word ‘pallidus’, meaning pale and referring to the more extensive yellow coloration. The specific epithet should be treated as an adjective (nominative singular feminine).

Comments. Phytomia pallida is closely related to P. natalensis and P. curta . It differs mainly from both by the more extensive posterior fascia on the thorax (absent in P. natalensis , narrower in P. curta ) and the presence of a continuous fascia along the anterior margin of the third abdominal terga (anterolateral maculae in the other species). The latter was observed in a few specimens of P. curta from Cameroon (in sympatric occurrence). However, they could be differentiated by the completely pale pilosity of the anterior anepimeron in P. pallida (partially black in P. curta ). DNA barcodes, obtained from specimens from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa showed that the species presents a well-differentiated cluster from P. curta (mean p-distance of 4.7 %) and P. natalensis (mean p-distance of 4.5 %) while the mean intraspecific p-distance is much lower ( P. pallida and P. curta : 0.6 %, P. natalensis : 0.4 %). Phytomia pallida is widely distributed and its range largely overlaps with the other two entities, except that there are no records from western Africa.

KMMA

Koninklijk Museum voor Midden Afrika

AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

MZH

Finnish Museum of Natural History

CNC

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids, and Nematodes

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Syrphidae

Genus

Phytomia

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