Psilota darwini Young, 2020

Young, Andrew D., Skevington, Jeffrey H. & Steenis, Wouter Van, 2020, Revision of the Psilota Meigen, 1822 flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of Australia, Zootaxa 4737 (1), pp. 1-127 : 49

Psilota darwini Young sp. nov.

(Species plate: Fig. 18 , Genitalia: Fig. 42E +F, Map: Fig. 56A )

Diagnosis: Metallic blue-green species with frons pale pilose, pleuron shiny and white pilose. Hind femur with a distinct rounded apicoventral setulose carina. Hind tibia simple. Calypter entirely pale yellowish-white. Tergites pale pilose. Body length: 7.5–10.1 mm.

Description: MALE: Head: Head black, face densely pale pollinose. Face and frons yellowish-white pilose, vertex black pilose. Antenna usually entirely orange, rarely dull brown dorsally on postpedicel. Eye densely yellow pilose. Thorax: Thorax dark, metallic blue-green. Legs mostly dark brown, with apices of femora, and entire fore and mid tibia orange. Tarsomeres ranging from dark brown to orange. Hind femur with a distinct rounded apicoventral setulose carina. Hind tibia simple, with no basoventral spur. Pleuron shining, free of pollinosity. Pile on pleuron white, pile on scutum and scutellum mixed black and yellow. Wing colourless, with cells c, r, bm, cua, and the anal lobe mostly bare. Wing colourless, with cells c and bm bare apically. Alula completely microtrichose. Halter pale yellow. Calypter pale yellowish-white. Abdomen: Abdomen metallic green. Tergites entirely white pilose. Sternites shining, white pilose. Genitalia: Epandrium compact, about as long as tall. Cercus approximately triangular. Outer lobe of surstylus inserted just above mid-height of inner lobe, curved downwards sharply at one-quarter its length. Inner lobe of surstylus very broad, approximately 3.5 times as long as wide, with a slight ventral excavation at midlength, broadening slightly towards the smoothly rounded apex. Phallapodeme smooth. Gonostylus thick, slightly darkened.

FEMALE: Identical except for normal sexual dimorphism.

Etymology: Psilota darwini sp. nov. is named after Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of natural selection.

Specimens examined: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Dunk Island; -17.944558 146.153289; 25.VIII.1927; UQIC_ Reg 94804, (1♂, QM) . PARATYPES: Northern Territory: Darwin , -12.463442 130.845642, G.F. Hill, I.B.E (144), ANIC 29034807 (1♂, ANIC); Entire Ck 155km NE by E of Alice Springs, -23.184569 135.232533, 13.x.1978, D.H. Colless, light trap, ANIC 29034463 (1♀, ANIC) ; Queensland: same data as holotype, UQIC_ Reg 94691 (1♀, QM) ; Grassy Hill, Cooktown, -15.475800 145.247100, 11.i.1982, G. and A. Daniels, GDC- BReg_19670 (1♂, GDCB) ; Kuranda , -16.816878 145.633497, ANIC 29034464 (1♀, ANIC) .

Discussion: Nothing is known about the biology of this North Queensland species.

Figures

FIGURE 18. P. darwini sp. nov., A) male dorsal habitus, B) male anterolateral face, C) male lateral habitus. Scale bar =1 mm.

FIGURE 42. Lateral and dorsal male genitalia of A, B) P. calva sp. nov.; C, D) P. coerulea Macquart; E, F) P. darwini sp. nov., and G, H) P. femoralis Schiner. Scale bar =1 mm.

FIGURE 56. Known range of A) P. darwini sp. nov.; B) P. femoralis Schiner.