Spilomyia Flower Flies of the New World (Diptera: Syrphidae)
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3 JANUARY 1997 MEMOIR ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 18, 1996, pp. 261-272 SPILOMYIA FLOWER FLIES OF THE NEW WORLD (DIPTERA: SYRPHIDAE) E CHRISTIAN THOMPSON Systematic Entomology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, NHB-168, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. 20560. Abstract.—Spilomyia wirthi, new species, is described. A key to the species of Spi- lomyia of the New World is given, along with tables of their diagnostic characters and the nomenclatural details for the various names which apply to them. Key Words: key, Neotropical Biodiversity is now a global concern of two at a time. However, regardless of how high priority. Most nations have signed a they are produced, they are all critical to biodiversity convention that proclaims this the edifice. So, with that knowledge, I add concern (Convention on Biological Diver- another brick to the edifice and our under- sity 1994). So, we now must understand our standing of biodiversity. In doing so, I also biodiversity, for only through understand- honor a great mason, Willis Wagner Wirth: ing can we learn to use biodiversity in a Bill Wirth was an enthusiastic contributor, sustainable manner. The first task is enu- who over the past half century contributed meration, or the listing of all components more to building our knowledge of Diptera of biodiversity, from genes to populations than any of his contemporaries. While Bill (Solbrig 1990), with species being the cen- understood the need for architects, like Wil- tral component. Enumeration requires that li Hennig, he preferred to produce the basic the components have names. Unfortunately, alpha taxonomic work from which great most species have none. To name a species classifications are derived. Without the gen- scientifically requires more than just creat- era and species Bill described, the classifi- ing an epithet. A scientific name is a state- cations created by dipterists would be noth- ment of relationship, a hypothesis of where ing more than barren trees! the organism belongs in a classification. The Spilomyia species found in the New Our biological classification is a great edi- World have never been revised as a whole. fice that includes millions of names in a hi- Williston (1886) published a treatment of erarchical structure that expresses the rela- the North American species he knew; Cur- tionships among the concepts and organ- ran (1951) provided a synopsis; Vockeroth isms represented by those names. All great (1958) revised a species, adding two new edifices are built one brick at a time. So, it ones; Nayar (1968) figured the male geni- is with our classification and, hence, our talia of some species; Nayar and Cole knowledge of biodiversity. The first bricks (1968) redescribed two species under new are new species descriptions. Sometimes names; Maier, Waldbauer and associates these bricks are produced in great batches, (Maier 1982; Maier and Waldbauer 1979 a but more often they are produced one or and b; Waldbauer 1970, 1983; Waldbauer 262 MEMOIRS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON and Sheldon 1971; Waldbauer and Ghent on anepisternum and katepisternum; hind fe- 3 1984; Waldbauer and LaBerge 1985; Wald- mur black on apical /3 S. sayi - Pleuron extensively yellow, only black ven- bauer et al. 1977) provided data on biology, trally on katepisternum and katepimeron and flower visiting, mate-seeking, and mimicry; anteriorly on laterotergite (Fig. 15); hind fe- Thompson (1972) redescribed the genus mur yellow S. gratiosa and discussed its phylogenetic relationships 8. Abdomen with yellow fasciae narrow, with (as did Hippa (1978)); and Hippa (1986) black areas extensive, not reduced to fascia, with yellow fasciae narrower than black areas included one species in his study of female (Figs. 3,9,10) 10 genitalia. Hence, the New World Spilomyia - Abdomen with yellow fasciae very broad, are ready for a monographic treatment, but with black areas reduced to narrow fascia, this is postponed until the more compre- with these black fasciae narrower than yellow hensive taxon, Syrphidae, can be treated as ones (Fig. 2) 9 a whole. Instead, all the essential informa- 9. Propleuron yellow above coxa; discal cell completely microtrichose; anal cell almost tion necessary to know the New World spe- completely microtrichose S. texana cies of Spilomyia is presented in a slightly - Propleuron black (Fig. 12); discal cell bare on nontraditional, but highly compact format. basal % or more; anal cell completely bare Diagnoses of previously described species S. alcimus have been reduced to tables of diagnostic 10. Abdomen with some yellow fasciae discon- tinuous, with basal fasciae on 2nd, 3rd and characters and taxa. Likewise, the critical 4th terga interrupted medially (Figs. 9, 10) 13 nomenclatorial data are summarized in a ta- - Abdomen with yellow fasciae always contin- ble. uous on 2nd tergum, usually on 3rd tergum, frequently on 4th tergum also (Fig. 3) .... 11 KEY TO NEW WORLD SPECIES OF SPILOMYIA 11. Metasternum yellow S. sp. CR-3 - Metasternum black 12 1. Scutellum entirely black (Fig. 20) . S. obscura 12. Pleuron with yellow areas extending contin- - Scutellum yellow at least on apical rim (Figs. uously from katepisternum to laterotergite 19, 21) 2 S. longicornis 2. 2nd abdominal tergum entirely black, rarely - Pleuron with yellow areas broadly interrupted with apicolateral margin narrowly yellow, but along suture at junction of epimeron and la- never continuous (Fig. 1) S. fusca terotergite S. crandalli - 2nd tergum with at least a narrow continuous 13. Anepimeron and katepimeron black (as in yellow fascia (Figs. 2-11) 3 Fig. 14) S. liturata 3. Scutum dark anterior to scutellum (Fig. 21) - Anepimeron at least partially yellow (Fig. 13) S. ephippium 14 - Scutum with yellow prescutellar macula 14. Hind femur entirely yellow on anterior face; (Figs. 19-20) 4 abdomen with yellow basal and apical fasciae 4. 2nd and 3rd abdominal terga with basal fascia continuous laterally, so lateral margin entirely reduced to triangular mediolateral maculae; yellow; 4th tergum with yellow apical fascia 4th tergum without apicolateral fascia (Fig. 15 11) S. pleuralis - Hind femur black on apical %\ abdomen with - 2nd tergum with basal fascia elongate, contin- yellow fasciae isolated laterally, so lateral uous or narrowly interrupted medially, not re- margin alternating black and yellow; 4th ter- duced to lateral triangles (Figs. 2-10) 5 gum without apical yellow fascia S. wirthi 5. 2nd and 3rd terga with 2 yellow fasciae .... 8 15. Face without tubercle, not produced ventrally, - 2nd tergum with a single basal yellow fascia so ventral margin of head horizontal (see 6 Vockeroth 1958: 285, Fig. 3); pleuron with 6. 4th tergum entirely reddish yellow to yellow yellow on anepimeron extending on katepi- in ground color, yellow pollinose (Fig. 7); meron (as in Fig. 13) S. foxleei foreleg entirely pale orange S. kahli - Face with weak, but distinct tubercle, pro- - 4th tergum dark with a single medial yellow duced ventrally so ventral margin of head an- fascia (Figs. 4, 6); foreleg yellow basally, gular (see Vockeroth 1958: 285, Fig. 4); ka- dark on apex of tibia and on tarsus 7 tepimeron entirely black (as in Fig. 12) .... 16 7. Pleuron extensively black, only small supra- 16. Pleuron with yellow maculae on anepimeron procoxal yellow macula and yellow maculae and laterotergite narrowly separated by thin CONTRIBUTIONS ON DIPTERA 263 Figs. 1-9. Spilomyia abdominal pattern, dorsal view. 1, S. fusca. 2, S. alcimus. 3, S. longicornis. 4, S. sayi. 5, S. ephippium. 6, S. gratiosa. 7, S. kahli. 8, 5. obscura. 9, S. wirthi. 264 MEMOIRS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON Figs. 10-16. Figs. 10—11, Spilomyia abdominal pattern, dorsal view. 10, S. interrupta. 11, S. pleuralis. Figs. 12—16, Spilomyia thoracic pattern, lateral view. 12, S. alcimus. 13, S. longicornis. 14, S. obscura. 15, S. gratiosa. 16, S. ephippium. black vitta; male surstylus with apex blunt; and laterotergite broadly separated by a wide female 5th tergum with yellow medial fascia black vitta; male surstylus with apex distinct- expanded laterally and continuous with apical ly notched; female 5th tergum with yellow yellow fascia, so that entire lateral margin is medial fascia isolated from lateral margin and yellow S. interrupta apical fasciae, so that lateral margin black on Pleuron with yellow maculae on anepimeron basal 2A S. cilima CONTRIBUTIONS ON DIPTERA 265 Spilomyia wirthi Thompson, silvery pollinose, yellow and black pilose; NEW SPECIES trochanters black, black pilose, shiny; fore and mid femora black ventrally and dor- Male.—Head: Face yellow except sally, yellow laterally, black pilose; hind broad black medial vitta which is narrowly femur black except yellow anterobasal V separated from antennal pits and black lat- 3 and posterobasal '/4, black pilose; fore tibia erally along juncture with gena, sparsely yellow except black on anteroapical V5 and white pollinose on yellow areas, shiny on 2 posteroapical /3, yellow pilose except black areas, white pilose; gena yellow ex- brown pilose on posteroapical %; mid tibia cept black at juncture with face, shiny an- yellow, yellow pilose; hind tibia yellow ex- teroventrally, white pollinose and pilose cept brownish apical '/4; fore tarsus black dorsoposteriorly; occiput black except yel- except orange apical tarsomere, dark pilose; low ventral V6, silvery pollinose, white pi- mid and hind tarsi orange, pale pilose. lose except black on dorsal V3; frontal Wing: brownish black anteriorly, hyaline triangle black, shiny, bare; frontal lunule posteriorly, with dark color extending pos- black; vertical triangle black, black pilose, teriorly to vein R, Rs and R4+5 and slightly yellow pollinose anterior to anterior ocel- beyond vein R4+5 in apical V3 of cell R and lus; eye contiguity long, about as long as in fork between crossvein r-m and vein scape; antenna black, black pilose; basofla- R4+5, microtrichose except bare alula, cell gellomere with elongate mesial sensory BM, cell R posterior to spurious vein, cell pit; arista yellow becoming white apically.