Paragus (Pandasyopthalmus) megacercus Tot, Vujić et Radenković, 2020

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 : 346-349

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4780.2.7

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:69AA3571-E914-4650-BCF5-4A92129B607D

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3854353

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F73D88A0-75CA-4008-AA8A-4C078BB4B144

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:F73D88A0-75CA-4008-AA8A-4C078BB4B144

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Paragus (Pandasyopthalmus) megacercus Tot, Vujić et Radenković
status

sp. nov.

Paragus (Pandasyopthalmus) megacercus Tot, Vujić et Radenković View in CoL sp. nov.

Figs 5 View FIGURE 5 , 6 View FIGURE 6 , 7B View FIGURE 7

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F73D88A0-75CA-4008-AA8A-4C078BB4B144

Type material. HOLOTYPE: Republic of South Africa, ♂, pinned. Original label: “ RSA, Kwazulu–Natal Province, Drakensberg Mountain, Gardens Castle, 29°44’51.039”S, 29°12’28.944”E, 1900 m a.s.l., 12.ii.2016, leg. Vujić (ZA2_095, FSUNS)”. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Eyes uniformly pilose (typical of subgenus Pandasyopthalmus ), covered with dense white pile as long as diameter of posterior ocellus and narrowly separated by a length of three ommatidia ( Fig. 7B View FIGURE 7 ). Face with less pronounced tubercle. Spurious vein ends before the meeting point of vein M and the discal cross-vein ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). Tarsi dorsally black, except for yellow meso- and metabasotarsomere, ventrally yellow except for fifth tarsomere ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Abdomen elongated, about 3 times longer than wide. Tergum 2 with long white pile at lateral margins. Sterna shiny black, covered with long white wavy-tipped pile. In male terminalia, the cerci are enlarged, 5.9 times longer than the narrowest medial part of the epandrium in dorsal view, covered with a short dense and yellow pubescence and very long wavy-tipped yellow pile ( Figs 6 View FIGURE 6 A–B). Surstylus small, tapering towards the apex ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ). Paramere relatively small, dorsal and ventral margins sub-parallel ( Fig. 6D View FIGURE 6 ). Ejaculatory apodeme large, umbrella-like ( Fig. 6E View FIGURE 6 ). Based on the shape of its hypandrium, Paragus megacercus sp. nov. is most similar to Paragus haemorrhous Meigen, 1822 ( Figs 10 View FIGURE 10 K–L). The enlarged cerci distinguish this species from all other known members of the genus.

Description. MALE. Body length 6.1 mm, wing length 4.4 mm. Head ( Figs 5 View FIGURE 5 A–B, 7B). Eyes covered with white, uniformly distributed pile, as long as diameter of posterior ocellus; eyes narrowly separated by a length of about three ommatidia ( Fig. 7B View FIGURE 7 ); antenna black; basoflagellomere 2.8 times longer than wide, with rounded apex; arista bare, dark brown; face yellow except black medial vitta extending from the oral margin to the tubercle, dense- ly covered with yellow pile; frontal triangle yellow with yellow pile except for some black pile at the base of lunule; vertical triangle mostly shiny black, but yellowish pollinose anterior to anterior ocellus, covered with predominantly black pile, except yellow pile on the area posterior to ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle equilateral with black pile; occiput narrow, whitish pollinose, covered with yellow pile. Thorax ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Scutum black, covered with yellow pile; pile just behind the postpronotum yellow, wavy-tipped and longer than pile on the other parts of scutum; scutel- lum covered with yellow pile; pleuron black, whitish pollinose except ventral part of katepisternum; anepisternum and dorsal part of katepisternum with patch of long, dense, white pile; anepimeron with some yellow wavy-tipped pile; wing hyaline, covered with microtrichia, except for some bare areas in cells C, SC, R, BM, CuP and alula; stigma dark brown; spurious vein ending before the meeting point of vein M with discal cross-vein; calypter whit- ish; pedicel of halter brown, capitulum yellow; coxae and trochanters black; femora predominantly yellow, pro- and mesofemora black in basal 1/4; pro- and mesotibiae yellow, metatibia with dark medial ring; tarsi dorsally black, except yellow meso- and metabasotarsomere, ventrally yellow except fifth tarsomere. Abdomen ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 ). Shiny black, elongated, about 3 times longer than wide; terga black, with white pile on the anterior 1/4 and black adpressed pile on the posterior 3/4; tergum 2 with long white pile on lateral margins; terga 3 and 4 with a pair of poorly visible silver pollinose maculae; sterna shiny black, covered with long white wavy-tipped pile. Terminalia ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ). Cerci extraordinarily large, covered with short yellow pubescence and long dense, yellow, wavy-tipped pile ( Figs 6 View FIGURE 6 A–B); surstylus small, tapering to the apex ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ); hypandrium on Figs 6 View FIGURE 6 C–D; paramere relatively small with sub-paral- lel dorsal and ventral margins ( Fig. 6D View FIGURE 6 ); ejaculatory apodeme distally with large umbrella-like cap ( Fig. 6E View FIGURE 6 ).

FEMALE. Unknown.

Etymology. The name ʻ megacercus ʼ (mega is derived from the ancient Greek word ʻ megas ʼ meaning ʻlargeʼ) refers to the extraordinarily large cerci of the male terminalia.

Distribution. Republic of South Africa, Drakensberg Mountains ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ).

FSUNS

Faculty of Science, The University of Novi Sad

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Syrphidae

Genus

Paragus

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