Palpada panorama, Reemer, Menno & Morales, Mirian N., 2016

Reemer, Menno & Morales, Mirian N., 2016, Palpada panorama sp. n. (Diptera: Syrphidae), a big-eyed hoverfly from Peru and Suriname, Zootaxa 4092 (2), pp. 286-292 : 287-291

Description of Palpada panorama sp. n.

Figs 1 A, B; 2A, B; 3A, B; 4A; 5A.

Diagnosis. Palpada panorama sp. n. belongs to the scutellaris species group, which is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: katepimeron pilose, wing extensively to completely microtrichose, posterior anepimeron pilose on posteroventral portion only, apex of metatibia with ventral projection (Morales & Marinoni 2009). Within the scutellaris species group, P. panorama sp. n. is most similar to P. erratica . In both species, the apex of the hind tibia has a short ventral projection, and the scutellum is yellow with a black basal margin. The most notable character of P. panorama sp. n. are the strongly enlarged ommatidia in the dorsal half of the eye ( Figs 2 A, B; 3A, B).

Type locality. PERU: Ucayali region, Coronel Portillo Province, Calleria District, Pucallpa, 8°23′S 74°31′W. Type specimens. HOLOTYPE. Adult male, missing left arista and part of the apex of the right wing. Deposited at BMNH. Labels: “ PERU: / Pucallpa. / 10.iv.1965 / J. Schunke. / B.M.1965-529”; “ HOLOTYPE / Palpada panorama / Reemer & Morales, 2016”.

PARATYPES. Two adult males. PERU. Deposited at BMNH. Labels: same data as Holotype. “ PARATYPE / Palpada panorama / Reemer & Morales, 2016”.

One adult male, genitalia affixed in a label. SURINAME. Deposited at RMNH. Labels: “Surin. / Plantage / Berlijn / 28.8. 19 61 / P.H. v. Doesburg Jr.”; “Museum Leiden / Collectie Van Doesburg / rec. 1973”; “ Eristalis / ♂ / erratica Curran / det. v. Doesburg”; “ PARATYPE / Palpada panorama / Reemer & Morales, 2016”.

One adult male ( Fig. 1 C), missing left basoflagellomere. PERU. Deposited at AMNH. Labels: “ PERU: Rio Tambopata / Reserve, 30 Km SW / Puerto Maldonado / ix.19 -x.10.84”; “ 12°12’S, 69°16’W / 200m elev. / D.A. Grimaldi / Tropical-Moist For.”; “ PARATYPE / Palpada panorama / Reemer & Morales, 2016”.

Description of the male holotype. Body length: 14 mm. Wing length: 11.5 mm. Head ( Figs 2 A, B; 3A, B). Face shiny black, densely silver white pollinose and pilose, except for bare medial vitta of approximately 1/4 of facial width. Antenna dark brown; basoflagellomere approximately 1.5x as long as wide; arista pale brown, very short and thinly pubescent. Lunule brownish. Frontal triangle shiny black, except narrowly silver white pollinose along eye margins; black pilose medially, white pilose laterally. Vertical triangle black; black pilose and pollinose, except white pollinose before anterior ocellus. Ocelli orange; frontal angle approximately 60°. Holoptic; ratio length of frons / length of eye contiguity = 7/9. Eye with strongly enlarged ommatidia in dorsal half, conspicuously larger than in ventral half; nine of the largest ommatidia together are about as wide as the lunule; pale pilose on dorsal half. Gena black. Occiput silver white pilose and pollinose. Thorax ( Fig. 1 ). Postpronotum black; black pilose. Mesoscutum black with three wide, silver grey fasciae: along anterior margin, along of transverse suture, and just before posterior margin; short black pilose. Postalar callus black; black pilose, except for some long pale pile anterolaterally. Scutellum yellow with anterior margin black; short black pilose, longer on posterior margin. Pleuron black; greyish white pollinose and white pilose, except black pollinose and bare on anterior part of anepisternum, black pollinose and black pilose on anterior anepimeron, bare on dorsomedial anepimeron; meron bare. Metasternum black, long white pilose. Legs. Coxae black; silver white pollinose, white pilose, except medial coxae with some sparse brownish pile anteriorly. Trochanters black, white pollinose, brownish pilose anteriorly, white pilose posteriorly. Femora black, except narrowly brownish at apex; white pilose, except brownish pilose apicodorsally. Tibiae reddish brown; white pilose basodorsally, brownish pilose apicodorsally, brownish golden pilose ventrally. Tarsi reddish brown; black pilose dorsally, brownish golden pilose ventrally. Wing ( Fig. 4 A). Hyaline. Microtrichose, except bare of microtrichia on basal 3/4 of cell c, basal 1/3 of r1, basal 2/3 of r, basal 4/5 of bm, basal 3/5 of cup, basal 1/2 of anal lobe and basomedian 1/2 of alula. Calypter white with dark brown margins. Halter yellowish. Abdomen ( Fig. 1 ). Terga black, except for pairs of large yellow maculae on terga II and III. Tergum IV with medially interrupted steely blue fascia. Short black pilose, except long white pilose on anterolateral corner of tergum I and along lateral margins of terga II, III and IV. Sterna I and IV black, sterna II and III yellow, white pilose. Genitalia ( Fig. 5 A). Epandrium narrow on dorsal portion; with ventral and dorsal margins proportionally similar; surstylus, in lateral view, with ventral margin slightly convex, anterodorsal and dorsal margins slightly concave; apical half of the hypandrium elongated and straight relative to basal half, without ctenidia; aedeagus convex dorsally, apex of the lobe tapered, shorter than width of the anterior half.

Comments. The paratypes, including the specimen from Suriname ( Fig. 1 C), are very similar to the holotype and differ only slightly in body length, ranging from 12–14 mm, and size of the yellow abdominal markings. The female sex is currently unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet (noun in apposition) is composed of the Greek words pantos (all, the whole) and horama (vision, sight). It refers to the strongly enlarged ommatidia of the species, which separate it from the closely similar P. erratica .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Palpada panorama sp. n. male. A. Holotype, dorsal view; B. Holotype, lateral view; C. Paratype (from Suriname), dorsal view.

FIGURE 2. Head. A – B Palpada panorama sp. n. male (holotype). A. frontal view; B. lateral view. C – D Palpada erratica Curran, male (Peru, Pucallpa, 23. iv. 1965, J. Schunke, BMNH). C. frontal view; D. lateral view.

FIGURE 4. Basal wing cells. A. Palpada panorama sp. n., male (holotype); B. Palpada erratica (Curran), male (Peru, Pucallpa, 23. iv. 1965, J. Schunke, BMNH).

FIGURE 5. Male genitalia, lateral view. A. Palpada panorama sp. n. (paratype from Peru); B. Palpada erratica (Curran) (Brazil, Rondônia, Ouro Preto d´Oeste, 20. xi. 1987, leg. C. Elias, coll. DZUP).