Paragus punctatus Hull, 1949: 732

Tot, Tamara, Radenković, Snežana, Nedeljković, Zorica, Likov, Laura & Vujić, Ante, 2020, Descriptions of two new species of the genus Paragus Latreille (Diptera: Syrphidae) with a key to males of all South African species, Zootaxa 4780 (2), pp. 341-355 : 349-350

Paragus punctatus Hull, 1949: 732

Paragus chalybeatus Hull, 1964: 451 syn. n.

Type material studied. The holotype of Paragus chalybeatus was examined ( MZLU). This holotype is labelled :

“ Holotypus (red label)/ Paragus chalybeatus Hull (handwritten) det. F. M. Hull/Zool. Mus. Lund Sweden Type No. 300411 Syrphidae (handwritten)/S. Afr. Cape. Prov. Cape Peninsula. Hout Bay. Skoorsteenkop. 2.ii.1951. No. 166 (white label)/ Swedish South Africa Expedition 1950–1951, Brinck-Rudebeck (white label)/Insect trap Alt ft (white label)”. The holotype of Paragus punctatus was also examined on the basis of high resolution photos of the head and thorax (dorsal and lateral views) ( NHM). The holotype of Paragus punctatus is in very poor condition, lacking the abdomen and left wing, and is labelled as follows: “ Holotype Paragus punctatus Hull (red label) (handwritten)/ Cape Prov., Swellendam. Nov. 1933. (white label)/ S. Africa. R. E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1933–646. (white label)/ NHMUK010369583 (white label)” .

Comments. Hull (1949) described Paragus punctatus based on a single female, collected in Swellendam (Cape Province, South Africa) in November 1933. Stuckenberg (1954a) found in the collections of the British Museum a male, labelled the same as holotype of Paragus punctatus . He designated this male as allotype of Paragus punctatus . Hull (1964) described a new species, Paragus chalybeatus , from Hout Bay, Skoorsteenkop, South Africa. He stated that this new species shares very similar morphological characters with the allotype of Paragus punctatus designated by Stuckenberg (1954a), but also indicated the existence of differences between them.

Examining the holotype of Paragus chalybeatus we conclude that the type specimen shares the same morphological characters with the allotype of Paragus punctatus found in Stuckenberg (1954a) and with the examined males of Paragus punctatus deposited in FSUNS. We designate here Paragus chalybeatus as synonym of Paragus punctatus . Based on diagnostic characters defined by Vujić et al. (2008) (small ejaculatory apodeme with simple apical part, lateral lobe of aedeagus protruded anteriorly more than paramere, and hypandrium without characteristic lateral protuberances) ( Figs 10 I–J) Paragus punctatus belongs to the P. jozanus group.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Male terminalia, lateral view. A, B Paragus marshalli, C, D Paragus dolichocerus, E, F Paragus minutus, G, H Paragus longiventris, I, J Paragus punctatus, K, L Paragus haemorrhous. A, C, E, G, I, K epandrium and hypandrium. B, D, F, H, K, L ejaculatory apodeme. Legend: p, paramera; l, lingula; s, surstylus; ce, cercus. Scale bar, 0.5 mm.