Paragus capricorni, Stuckenberg, 1954

Stuckenberg, B. R., 1954, The Paragus Serratus Complex, With Descriptions Of New Species (Diptera: Syrphidae), Trans. R. Ent. Soc. Lond 105 (17), pp. 393-422 : 399-401

Paragus capricorni sp. n.

A species with an almost entirely reddish-brown abdomen. The thorax is dull black, generally lacks coloured reflections, and is quite heavily punctate. The antennae are short, and the femora are reddish-brown without bands of darker colour. The epandrium is elongated, and there is a large, median, finger-like projection on the ventral surface of the penis sheath. The ejaculatory apodeme-isvery large.

Male.-Head: Face yellow, evenly covered with distinot punctures, and with a sparse silvery-white facial pile; a narrow, median stripe present, extending from oral margin almost to bese of antennae, conspicuously ligneous brown over the facial tubercle and almost colourless on its upper third. Oral tubercle piceous, and surrounded by a strip of dark brown. Two basal segments of antennae leather brown, the first slightly paler than the second; third segment dull crineous, paler on its lower half, and twice a4 long as first two segments together. Vertex black, with pale violaceous reflections. Stripes of hair on eyes moderately distinct, and each outer stripe broadly interrupted in the middle. Thorax: Mesonotum dull black with colourless reflections, in some positions appearing to be the colour of pencil lead; irregularly and conspicuously punctate. Mesonotal pile short, erect and yellow. Dorsal stripes pale; just meeting at anterior margin of prewutum, and diverging posteriorly, each becoming narrower and ending almost in a point at posterior margin of scutum. Scutellum fusoous on basal half, slightly paler medially, and with apical half of the same yellow aa the face. Fourteen yellowish-brown, prominent scutelhr teeth present, each tipped with brown. Laterally the scutellum bears a few longish, silvery white hairs. Legs.- All femora reddish-brown, almost dark amber, and translucent. Apical sixth of each femur and basal half of each tibia pale yellow. Tarsi ferruginous. Wings: Hyaline, with a glossy membrane. Stigma yellow, slightly tinged with brown; subcosta, humeral cross-vein, basal and apical parts of first longitudinal veiu testaceous; remainder of veins very dark brown. Abdomen ( fig. 6 ): A distinctive reddish-brown, almost ferruginous, and a little dark on the apical segments; corners and knob-like protuberances of the first segment fusco-piceous. Third and fourth segments distinctly carinate, with somewhat flattened sides. Abdomen subtruncated apically, with abruptly rounded corners; ita margins diverging, each curving only slightly, then curving rapidly into prominent shoulders; greatest width ie across middle of first segment. The three pairs of white vittae distinct, and not meeting in the median line; transverse furrows on third and fourth segments narrow and moderately deep. Surface of second, third, fourth, and to a lesser extent the fifth, segments quite heavily sculptured, and with numerous small, inconspicuous, reclinate black hairs. First tergite smoother, but quite heavily punctate. Short, white hairs present on all segments, most noticeably on the fifth, where they are quite long; elsewhere they are reclimte, sparse and inconspicuous. ffenitalia ( fig. 3 ): Epandrium elongate and rectangular, with its dorsal posterior corner broadly rounded; about twice as long as deep. Cerci inconspicuous. Seen dorsally the epandrium is as broad as long, with protuberances at each apical corner. Styles have almost parallel margins, with apex curved slightly forward and bluntly rounded; each style about as long as epandrium is deep. Inferior claspers moderately developed; drawn dorsally into projecting points, and ventrally flattened and truncated; a little shorter than the styles. Superior claspers borne on bluntly pointed processes of penissheath. Penis-sheath bears a ventral, median, finger-like projection that curves gently forward and which is about three-quarters as long as inferiorclaspers. Ejaculatory apodeme ( fig. 4 ) very large, as large as hypopygium; shaped like an open umbrella, with a broad flattened handle that is abruptly narrowed at its end; the " umbrella " portion about as deep as one-half of the length of the handle, and ellipsoidal in sh a p i ts greatest width approximately equal to the length of the handle.

Length 7.2 mm.

Holotype male. SOUTHERN RHODESIA: Sawmills , 26. xii. 1919. In the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, Bulawayo.

Ferrule.-Vestiture better developed than in the holotype, the white hairs on the abdomen and the stripes on the eyes being more conspicuous. b nt black with bluish reflections, and bordered by two strips of silvery-white tomentum which broaden at their upper ends. Mesonotum in some positions shows faint blue reflections. Thirteen soutellar teeth. Abdomen ( fig. 6 ) darker, fourth segment entirely fusco-piceous behind median vith; area between first two pairs of vittae blackish laterally with faint blue reflections, and reddish-brown in the centre; anterior corners of third segment and sides of second segment dark, also with faint blue reflections; shoulders pale; remainder of abdomen reddish-brown. Abdomen stouter, deeper and less obviously carinate than that of holotype, with tergites rounded in cross-section and margins more curved. Fourth sternite fusco-piceousand fifth reddish-brown suffused with black.

Length 7.2 mm.

Allotype female, SOUTHERN RHODESIA: Sabi River, iii. 1939. In the collection of the Department of Agriculture of Southern Rhodesia, Salisbury, (no. 6626 ) .

Paratypes: SOUTH-WEST AFRICA: Kaoko Otavi , iii. 1926, l ♂; Ombombo, ii.1926, 1 ♀. In the South African Museum, Cape Town. BELGIAN CONGO: Elisabethville, 5. iv.1912, 1 ♂ (Dr. J. C. Bequaert). In the Museé du Congo Belge, Tervuren, Belgium. UGANDA: Karamoja Province, Lobwor Hills , Aremo , iv.1951, 1 ♂ (T. H. E. Jackson). In the Coryndon Museum,Nairobi. SOUTHERN RHODESIA: Sawmills , 1.iv. 1923; 1 ♂; 25. xii. 1925,l ♀; 27. xii. 1920, 1 ♀. In the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia. ZULULAND: M’fongosi , iii. -iv.1935, 1 ♀, 2 ♂ (W. E. Jones). In the South African Museum, Cape Town. SOUTH AFRICA: Pretoria , 30, i.1915, 1 ♂; Barberton, 9.x. 1919, 1♀; P. (Premier?) Mine , 11.iv.1914, 1 ♀ (H. K. Munro). In the South African National Insect Collection, Department of Entomology, Pretoria. Komati Poort , xi. 1918, 1 ♂ (R. W. Tucker). In the South African Museum.

The male from Aremo, Uganda, is of exceptional interest as its abdomen is entirely dull black; its antennae are almost black; the sides ofthemesonotum have green and cupreous reflections, the pile is brassy,the face isdusky yellow, and the median vitta is very dark and conspicuous. The specimen from Pretoria has amber legs and slight blue-green reflections on thethorax. The abdomen of the male from Elisabethville has a coloration likethatofthe allotype, except that the sides of the second segment are testaceous. The number of scutellar teeth varies from thirteen to fifteen. The genitalia of each male paratype have been examined and no variation has bcen noticed. The female from Premier Mine, South Africa, has a distinctly orangeabdomen which is broader than that of the allotype and has the fourthand fifth sternites yellowish brown; the legs are amber. Shortest paratype 5.4 mm., longest paratype 7-8 mm.

Remarks.-This species is easily distinguished from the other African species by the shape and colour of the abdomen. The females may resemble those of P. azurea subsp. scrupeus , but differ in that they lack the spotsof pollen before the anterior ocellus. The name was suggested by the distribution of the specimens before me, which are grouped approximately across the Tropic of Capricorn. The male paratype from Elisabethville is the one mentioned by Herv 6-Bazin (1914)-the female which he records is probably also of this species. ’

Figures

FIGS.3-6.-Pafagus cuprimi pn. (3) Hypopygium of holotype. (4) Ejaculatory apodeme. (5)Abdomen of holotype. (6) Abdomen of allotype.