Stipomorpha guianica (Curran, 1925)

Reemer, Menno, 2013, Taxonomic exploration of Neotropical Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) mimicking stingless bees, Zootaxa 3697 (1), pp. 1-88 : 54-55

Stipomorpha guianica (Curran, 1925)

Figs 154–157 , 235 .

Microdon guianicus Curran, 1925: 340 .

Studied type specimens. HOLOTYPE. GUYANA. Female. Bartica. Pictures of types studied from type database of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, accessible on the internet. Coll. MCZ.

Additionally studied specimens. ECUADOR: 1 female, Limon, 900 m., II.1948, Z. Muller, coll. AMNH. FRENCH GUYANA: 1 male, Montagnes Tortue, 04°15.007’N – 52°21.512’W, 12.I.2003, leg. V. Soon, coll. RMNH. GUYANA: 1 male, Kurupkari: 4°4'N- 8°40'W, malaise trap, IX-XI.1992, coll. BMNH. PERU: 1 female, Madre de Dios, Rio Tambopata, Sachavacayoc Centre, 12°51’S – 69°22’W, 16–26.X.2008 (malaise trap), leg. & coll. J.T. Smit. SURINAM: 1 female, Perica, 20.VIII-3.IX.1997 malaise trap, leg. B. De Dijn, coll. RMNH; 1 female, Perica, 10–24.XII.1997, malaise trap, leg. B. De Dijn, coll. RMNH; 1 female, Paramaribo Leiding, 28.I– 6.II.2006, malaise trap, leg. M. Reemer, col. RMNH; 1 female, Peperpot, 2-9.II.2006, malaise trap, leg. M. Reemer, coll. RMNH; 1 male, Paramaribo Cultuurtuin, 7.III.2006, leg. M. Reemer, coll. RMNH; 1 female, Peperpot, 21– 28.III.2006, malaise trap, leg. M. Reemer, coll. RMNH; 1 male, Peperpot, 28.III.2006, leg. M. Reemer, coll. RMNH; 1 female, Peperpot, 29.III–6.IV.2006, malaise trap, leg. M. Reemer, coll. RMNH; 2 females, Peperpot, 6- 14.IV.2006, malaise trap, leg. M. Reemer, coll. RMNH; 2 females, 14–20.IV.2006, malaise trap, leg. M. Reemer, coll. RMNH; 1 female, Peperpot, 20–27.IV.2006, malaise trap, leg. M. Reemer, coll. RMNH.

Redescription (based on additionally studied material from Surinam)

Adult male. Body size: 7.5–10 mm.

Head. Face occupying about 1/4 of head width in frontal view; without tubercles along eye margin; yellow; yellow pilose, short dorsally and medially, long ventrally and ventrolaterally; with narrow strip of white pubescence along eye margin. Gena yellow. Oral cavity with lateral margins a little produced and notched anteriorly. Frons about as long as width of lunula; yellow; black pilose, except yellow pilose laterally. Vertex swollen; yellow, except black on ocellar triangle; black pilose, with pile more dense and appressed on anterior 1/2. Occiput black; yellow pilose, except black pilose anterodorsally. Eye very sparsely and short pilose, with pili about as long as ommati diameter, appearing bare under low magnification. Antennal fossa slightly higher than wide. Antenna with scape yellowish brown, pedicel and basoflagellomere brown. Antennal ratio 4:1:(4-)5; basoflagellomere parallel-sided with rounded apex. Arista slender, about 5/6 of length of basoflagellomere.

Thorax. Scutum black, with widely yellow margins; yellow pilose, except for fasciae of black pile, one of which anteriad of and the other posteriad of transverse suture. Postpronotum, postalar callus and scutellum yellow and yellow pilose. Scutellum without calcars. Pleurae yellow dorsally, brownish ventrally. Anepisternum weakly convex, without distinction between anterior and posterior part; yellow pilose anterodorsally and along posterodorsal margin. Anepimeron yellow pilose dorsally. Katatergum and anatergum yellow pilose and microtrichose, respectively. Other pleurae bare. Calypter and halter yellow.

Wing: hyaline, with a wide white fascia on apical half (best visible against dark background); microtrichose except bare on basal 1/2 of cell br, basal 1/5 of cell bm and basal 1/10 of cell cup, basomedian 2/3 of alula.

Legs: Front- and mid-legs yellow, third and fourth tarsomeres slightly darkened; yellow pilose. Hind femur yellowish brown, vaguely blackish on median 1/3; yellow pilose. Hind tibia strongly widened; brownish yellow, blackish on median 1/3; with long, dense pilosity posteriorly: white on basal 1/4, black on apical 3/4; short yellow pilose ventrally. Hind tarsus: first tarsomere yellow and black pilose dorsally; tarsomeres 2-4 blackish and black pilose dorsally; tarsomere 5 yellow and yellow pilose dorsally; all tarsomeres densely, short, golden pilose ventrally. Coxae and trochanters yellow and yellow pilose.

Abdomen. Dark brown, except tergite 1, anterior and lateral margins of tergite 2, posterolateral corner of tergite 3 and lateral and posterior margins of tergite 4 yellowish. Tergite 1 with anteromedian smooth, concave area. Second tergite slightly wider than thorax, widest at basal 1/4; third and fourth tergites narrower, more or less parralel-sided. Entirely short, yellow pilose. Sternites brownish. Genitalia as in fig. 235.

Diagnosis. The yellow vertex with patches of black pile is shared with S. crematogastri , S. goettei , S. lanei and S. maculipennis . From these species, S. guianica differs by the presence of pile on the posterior part of the anepisternum, the partly bare alula and the absence of a dark brown anteromedian spot on the wing. For further characters see key. For differences with S. goettei see table 3.

Notes. All records of " Ubristes goettei " from Surinam by Van Doesburg (1966) belong to S. guianica . In Surinam, the present author observed this species visiting flowers on two occasions: a male on 17.III.2006 and a male on 28.III.2006.

Distribution. Known from Ecuador, Guyana, Surinam, French Guyana and Peru.

Figures

FIGURES 154 – 162. 154 – 157. Stipomorpha guianica (Surinam, coll. RMNH). 154. male, habitus dorsal; 155. male, habitus lateral; 156. male, head frontal; 157. female, habitus dorsal. 158 – 161. Stipomorpha inarmata male (holotype). 158. habitus dorsal; 159. habitus lateral; 160. head frontal; 161. wing. 162. Stipomorpha lacteipennis male (holotype), habitus dorsal.

FIGURES 233 – 239. Stipomorpha, male genitalia. 233. S. fraudator (holotype); 234. S. goettei (Surinam, coll. RMNH); 235. S. guianica (Surinam, coll. RMNH); 236. S. inarmata (holotype); 237. S. lacteipennis (lectotype); 238. S. lanei (Surinam, coll. RMNH); 239. S. litoralis (holotype).