Sphiximorpha ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić, 2017

Gilasian, Ebrahim, Vujić, Ante, Hauser, Martin & Parchami-Araghi, Mehrdad, 2017, New data on the Syrphidae (Diptera) of Iran, with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 4303 (1), pp. 27-50 : 37-40

Sphiximorpha ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 24, 26 , 28–32, 34 , 35–41

Species diagnosis. Face with a distinctive median yellow and black pattern; facial median yellow macula bilobed ventrally, extending dorsally to antennal insertions; posterolateral arms of facial black macula broadened apically; antennal length ratio: 1.6: 1: 1.6; posteroapical portion of 1st basal cell (br) and most part of 2nd basal cell (bm) bare, tergite 3 with a pair of faint greyish crescent shaped pollinose fasciae (in dorsal view); dorsal lobe of surstylus, in lateral view, nearly 2.7 times longer than wide and, in dorsal view, with a distinct median U-shaped bend on inner side; cercus semirectangular in lateral view and distinctly broadened medially in dorsal view ( Figs 24, 26 ).

Description. MALE. Body length = 10.3 mm; wing length = 8 mm ( Figs 28–29 ). Head ( Figs 30–32 ). Eye contiguity half as long as pedicel; ocellar triangle black; frons yellow, with anteromedian black moustache-shaped macula limited to dorsal section of frontal prominence; frontal prominence orange; face with a distinctive median yellow and black pattern; facial median yellow macula bilobed ventrally, extending dorsally to antennal insertions; posterolateral arms of facial black macula broadened apically; face almost 3/5 as wide as head medially; antenna predominantly brownish orange, scape paler, terminal stylus narrow, yellow in apical half and dark brown in basal half; scape and pedicel covered with adpressed brownish pile; length ratio: 1.6: 1: 1.6; occiput yellow in dorsal third and covered with greyish pollinosity in ventral 2/3, along eye margin. Thorax ( Figs 28–29 ). Thorax predominantly shiny black, scutum black, covered uniformly with short white pile; postalar callus brown laterally; postpronotum, notopleuron, posterior 2/3 of anepisternum and about dorsal 1/3 of katepisternum yellow; proepisternum, anterodorsal portion of proepimeron, anepisternum, dorsal and ventral portions of katepisternum with two separate patches of pile; anepimeron with short yellowish pile; scutellum yellow in dorsal view except for a narrow black basal margin. Wing ( Fig. 34 ). Anterior margin of wing brownish up to vena spuria; predominantly microtrichose; posteroapical portion of 1st basal cell (br) and most part of 2nd basal cell (bm) bare; basal part of posterior cubital cell and anal lobe with scattered microtrichia; alula predominantly bare, narrowly microtrichose on anterior margin; calypters yellow; halter yellow, basal third black. Legs ( Fig. 29 ). Coxae black; protrochanter brownish; femora predominantly shiny black, yellow at base and apex; basal 1/3–2/5 of hind femur yellow; tibiae yellow in basal 1/2–2/3 and at apex (rest of tibiae shiny black); tarsi predominantly yellow, tarsomeres 1–4 of hind tarsus distinctly black dorsally; dorso-apical pile of tarsomere 5 black in hind tarsus. Abdomen ( Figs 28–29 ). Predominantly black; tergite 1 dorsally with short and laterally with long yellowish pile; tergites 2–4 with short adpressed yellowish pile; tergite 2 slightly narrower than tergite 1 medially and nearly as long as tergite 3; anterolateral portions and posterior margin of tergite 2 yellow; posterior fifth of tergite 3 yellow; posterior fourth of tergite 4 yellow; tergite 3 with a small pair of faint greyish crescent pollinose fasciae (visible in dorsal view); tergite 4 with a pair of arched greyish pollinose fasciae; posterior margin of sternites 1–3 yellow; hypopygium black. Genitalia. Dorsal lobe of surstylus (lateral view) nearly 2.7 times longer than wide and with a distinct median U-shaped bend on inner side (dorsal view); cercus semirectangular (lateral view) and distinctly broadened medially (dorsal view) ( Figs 24, 26 ). FEMALE. Unknown.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: 1 ♂, IRAN, Kerman province: Baft, Deh Sard , 28°45′02.2″N 56°31′21.7″E, 2280 m, 22.iv.2006 , leg. E. Gilasian. PARATYPES: 2 ♂, same data as the holotype , leg. E. Gilasian; 1 ♂, south of Baft, Basar ( Kuh-e Keyber ), 20.iv.2006 , leg. J. Ziegler.

Etymology. This new species is dedicated to Dr. Joachim Ziegler (ZMHB), who collected one of the paratypes.

Remarks. This is the first record of the genus Sphiximorpha from Iran and the third record of it from the Middle East region in addition to previous records from Transcaucasia for S. subsessilis (Illiger in Rossi) and Asiatic Turkey for S. euprosopa (Loew) ( Peck 1988; Van Steenis et al. 2016). The genus Sphiximorpha Rondani, 1850 (Cerioidini) has eight valid species in the Palaearctic region ( Yang & Cheng 1998; Van Steenis et al. 2016).

Sphiximorpha euprosopa , the most similar species to S. ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov., has been reported only from Greece and Turkey ( Van Steenis et al. 2016). A male of S. euprosopa from Greece (Lesvos island, Sikaminia, 24.iv.2001, leg. S. Rojo & C. Pérez-Bañόn [FSUNS]) was re-examined during the course of the present study and compared with S. ziegleri sp. nov.. Morphological differences between males of S. ziegleri sp. nov. and those of S. euprosopa are listed in Table 2.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Distribution of the examined material of the collected hoverfly species in Iran. 1: ■, Pocota hyrcanica Gilasian & Hauser sp. nov.; ●, Sphiximorpha ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov. 2: ■, Barchypalpus valgus (Panzer); ●, Cheilosia vicina (Zetterstedt); ▲, Criorhina ranunculi (Panzer); ♦, Eristalis alpina (Panzer); ♣, Eristalis pertinax (Scopoli). 3: ■, Merodon brevis Paramonov; ●, Merodon quadrinotatus (Sack); ▲, Merodon serrulatus Wiedemann; ♦, Merodon schachti Hurkmans; ♣, Merodon vandergooti Hurkmans; ♠, Merodon velox Loew. 4: ■, Neoascia annexa (Müller); ●, Palumbia eristaloides (Portschinsky); ▲, Pseudodoros nigricollis Becker.

FIGURES 24 – 27. Sphiximorpha spp. 24: Male genitalia of S. ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov. in dorsal view, holotype 25: Male genitalia of S. euprosopa (Loew) in dorsal view. 26: Male genitalia of S. ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov. in lateral view, holotype 27: Male genitalia of S. euprosopa (Loew) in lateral view. Scale bars 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 28 – 34. Sphiximorpha spp. 28 – 32. S. ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov. (male holotype). 28: Adult, dorsal view. 29: Adult, lateral view. 30: Head, lateral view. 31: Head, dorsal view. 32: Head, frontal view. 33: S. euprosopa (Loew) (male), head, frontal view. 34: S. ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov. (male holotype), wing. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURES 35 – 41. Habitat of Sphiximorpha ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov. and detail of the dominant plant species in this habitat. 35: Khabr (Keyber) Mountain, Baft, Kerman, Iran. 36: Crataegus songarica. 37: Pistacia atlantica. 38: Pistacia khinjuk. 39: Amygdalus scoparia. 40: Ephedra major. 41: Juniperus excelsa.