Paragus azurea Hull, subsp. scrupeus, 1804

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 : 406-408

Paragus azurea Hull, subsp. scrupeus subsp. n.

This subspecies differs from the typical form in having well developed sculpturation on the abdomen. The mesonotal stripes are complete in the male, almost complete in the female. The mesonotal pile is a little shorter, and the coloured reflections of the thorax are not as bright. The female has a small, diagonal spot of pollen on each side of the anterior ocellus.

Male.-Heud: Face a darker yellow, with oral tubercle piceous but surrounded by a fusco-piceous band. A n t e m differ in that second segment is only slightly dark above, and third segment is yellowish-brown on its lower half. Stripes of hair on eyes all of equal width. Thorax: Mesonotum a duller black, with some blue and violaceous reflections. Mesonotal pile shorter, but longer than that of P. q im i and much longer than that of pusillus : it is bombycinous. Mesonotal stripes conspicuous and white, extending to base of scutellum-quite narrow and tapering only slightly, not ending in sharp points. Twelve subequal scutellar teeth, moderately long and each tippod with dark brown. Legs: Posterior femora less extensively brown, yellowish-testaceous on basal half, creamy-yellow on apical sixth and with a brown band between. Basal third of each posterior tibia creamy-yellow, tawny on remaining two-thirds. Posterior tarsi tawny. Two anterior pairs of femora yellowish-testaceous on basal two-thirds, a little lighter than on posterior pair, and creamy-yellowon the rest. The two pairs of remaining tibiae creamy yellow on basal half and, with their tarsi, the same colour as the femora elsewhere. Wings: Stigma pale, clear yellow, and veins light brown; subcosta and apical part of first longitudinal vein yellowish-brown. Abdomen: Broader than in allotype of P. azurea, and shoulders more prominent; sides flattened and triangular in crosssection, differing in this respect from P. ca/pricorni and pusillus which have distinctly rounded sides. Third and fourth segments distinctly carinate. Sculpturation strongly developed on all segments. Transverse troughs on third segment not quite as deep or as wide. Abdomen brown, translucent, a little darker and reddish in places. Sides of second segment narrowly fusco-piceous, this dark colour continuing onto apical corners of first segment. Genitalia: Hypopygium similar to that of allotype of P. azurea described above, including presence of protuberances on each side of epandrium, but differs in some characters. Lower edge of epandrium a little arched, instead of being straight. Styles more produced apioally, and almost straight below, but with a deeply sinuous upper margin. Base of penis-sheath with a distinct transverse furrow. Ejaculatory apodeme ( fig. 14 ) larger than hypopygium, made up of two pad, an umbrella-like hood and a handle. The latter flat, expanded into wide lateral flanges along its basal attachment to the umbrella, slightly constricted apically and ending in a rounded knob.

Umbrella ellipsoidal and concave, with a furrow along line of attachment to the handle, only half as deep as that of P. qriwrni.

Length 7.2 mm.

Holotype male, ARABIA: Aden, 28. ii. 1895 (Lt. Col. C. G. Nurse). In the the British Museum (Natural History), B.M. 1934-8 .

Female.-The single female before me differs fiom the holotype of P. azurea in many features. Lower half of frons reddish-brown, lighter just above base of antennae-this light patch bordered on each side by a strip of tomentum which widens dorsally and which is enlarged inwards at the upper end, the enlargement of each side not touching the other but separated mowly. Dorsal part of from bluish-black. On each side of anterior ocellus a small, oval, diagonal spot of pollen. Thorax black, with cyanescent and violaceous reflections. Meaonotal pile moderately long. Mesonotal stripes silvery-grey, just meeting anteriorly, and narrowing very abruptly posteriorly midway between transverse suture and scuhllum, continuing to margin of scutellum as faint, broken, greyish lines. Posterior femora translucent and testaceous except for apical seventh, which is pale yellow. Wing veins light brown and thin. Scutellum fusco-piceouswith a strong admixture of brown on basal half, yellow on the rest. Fourteen scutellar teeth which are conspicuouslytipped with red-brown. Abdomen ( fig. 6 ) very strongly carinate, deep and bowl-like-very broad and enlarged. Sides curve strongly backwards from prominent shoulders. Whole abdomen, including shoulders, dark red-brown-some fusco-piceous patches prewnt on most of the segments, apparently due to consolidation of the contents of the abdomen and their adherence to the tergites. A well developed sculpturation on posterior four segments-the first segment coarsely punctate. Transverse troughs on third segment narrow and quite deep, and outer end of each curves backwards. Troughs on fourth segment likewise narrow and quite deep, but linear. Vittae white and prominent. Fourth trnd fifth sternites brown, irregularly marked with black.

Length 7.2 mm.

Allotype female, SOUTHERN RHODESIA: Sawmills , 25. xii. 1925. In the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, Bulawayo.

Paratypes: ARABIA: Aden, 5.iii. 1895, 1 ♂ (Lt.-Col. G. G. Nurse). In the British Museum (Natural History), B.M. 193-8 . ZANZIBAR: nr. Mazi Moja, 20.viii.1924, 4 ♂ (H. J. Snell). In the British Museum (Natural History). PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA: Masiene, xii.1924, 1 ♂ (R. F. Lawrence). In the South African National Insect Collection, Department of Entomology, Pretoria. Delagoa Bay, Inhaca Island , 29. iv. 1953, 2 ♂ (E. Giddy).

The male from Aden has very heavy, silvery-white mesonotal stripes. The specimens from Zanzibar have the thorax more intensely black, with very dark blue re3ections; two of the specimens have a creamy-yellow face, the other two are typical but have a very dark and conspicuous facial stripe. There is considerable variation in the colour of the abdomen, one specimen from Zanzibar being entirely fusco-piceous behind the first pair of vittae and over most of the first segment; the same specimen has pale antennae, the third segment being yellowish-brown. The male from Masiene has a very broad abdomen, shorter than in the other specimens, and which is dark fuscopiceous on the sides of the first three segments and entirely.so on the fourth and fifth segments, translucent reddish-brown elsewhere. The genitalia of each male paratype has been examined and all are similar to that of the allotype of P. azurea; in each case the lower edge of the epandrium is straight, the condition found in the holotype of scrupms apparently being unusual. The number of scutellar teeth varies from eleven to fourteen. Shortest paratype 5.4 mm., longest paratype 7.8 mm.

Remark-Specimens from the more southern part of the range of this subspecies may possibly be confused with P. capricorni as they tend to be darker than those from the north and have slightIy shorter mesonotal pile. The males may be distinguished by the genitalia and by the longer antennae, while the females have a spot of pollen on each side of the anterior ocellus. The nine specimens taken at Aden by Yerbury (Verrall: 1898) probably belong to this subspecies. The specimens from Eritrea determined by Speiser (1911) as P. serfatus almost certainly belong here, probably also the specimens from Egypt referred to by Efflatoun Bey (1926),and those from Lourenpo Marques recorded by Curran (1938).

Figures

FIGS.13-16.-(13) Hypopygium of allotype of Paragus azurm Hull. (14) Ejaculatory apodeme of male of scrupeus subsp. n. from Mozambique. (15) Abdomen of allotype of P. azurea. (16) Abdomen of allotype of serupeus subsp. n.

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