Psilota azurea Thompson and 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 : 32-34

Psilota azurea Thompson and Young sp. nov.

(Species plate: Fig. 11 ; Genitalia: Fig. 37 E–F; Map: Fig. 52B )

Psilota sp. 88-39 Thompson, unpublished

Diagnosis: Antenna entirely bright orange, thorax and abdomen almost entirely black pilose. Thorax dark metallic and dark blue, abdomen metallic indigo on tergites 3 and 4. Hind leg simple. Halter and calypter dark. Body length: 8.4–11.0 mm.

Description: MALE: Head: Face black, with a metallic green sheen. Face sparsely yellow pollinose. Face with yellow pile, frons and vertex with black pile. Antenna entirely bright orange. Eye densely pilose, pile entirely yellow. Thorax: Thorax dark metallic blue. Hind femur unmodified, with only a few weak, black setulae apicoventrally. Femora mostly dark, with fore and mid femora obscurely dull orange to brown on apical half. Thorax entirely black pilose. Wing faintly brown tinted, entirely microtrichose. Halter dark brown. Calypter brown. Abdomen: Tergites 1 and 2 dark metallic blue, tergites 3 and 4 metallic indigo blue in most specimens. Tergites 2 and 3 entirely black pilose, tergite 4 mostly black pilose with some mixed white pilosity. All sternites dark metallic blue, white pilose. Genitalia: Epandrium compact, about as long as tall. Cercus approximately triangular. Outer lobe of surstylus inserted near top of inner lobe, smoothly curved downwards at its midpoint. Inner lobe of surstylus narrow, approximately 4.5 times as long as wide, swollen at base, somewhat abruptly constricted at two-thirds its total length, and abruptly swollen and rounded at apex, with the ventral margin curved downwards. Inner lobe of surstylus also with a medially projecting bulge at two-thirds its total length, and upper margin of the tip of the inner lobe curved medially. Phallapodeme with a small ventral tooth. Gonostylus not darkened.

FEMALE: Identical except for normal sexual dimorphism.

Etymology: The specific epithet azurea derives from the Latin “azureus”, which means “a deep blue colour”. This is in reference to the distinctive indigo blue abdomen.

Specimens examined: HOLOTYPE: AUSTRALIA: New South Wales: Bald Rock N.P.; -28.860783 152.055686; on Leptospermum minutifolium blossom, 6-7.XI.1984; D.K. Yeates; UQIC_ Reg 94741; (1♂, QM) . PARATYPES: Australian Capital Territory: Black Mtn. , -35.274519 149.096908, 25.xi.1959, J.F.B. Common, light trap, CNC _ Diptera 255027 (1♂, ANIC); Blundell’s , -35.292886 149.141800, 24.x.1950, Paramonov, USNM _ ENT_ 00249841 (1♂, USNM) ; New South Wales: 20 miles South of Milton , -35.319178 150.439158, 30.ix.1952, S.J. Paramonov, ANIC29034933 (1♀, ANIC) ; 4 miles North of Bateman’s Bay , -35.658458 150.177744, 14.x.1952, S.J. Paramonov, ANIC29034934 (1♀, ANIC) ; 6.5 miles North of Bateman’s Bay , -35.658458 150.177744, 14.x.1959, Z. Liepa, ANIC29034974 (1♂, ANIC) ; Grondera Ridge, Royal National Park, -34.114342 151.046586, 18.xi.1978, G. Daniels, GDCBReg_19681 (1♂, GDCB) ; Nadgee Reserve , Merrika River Crossing , -37.306786 149.926247, 13-16.x.1986, E.A. Sugden, Jeff _ Skevington _ Specimen 43827 (1♂, QM) ; Woy Woy , -33.489839 151.319942, 22.ix.1923, Mackerras, ANIC29034973 (1♂, ANIC) ; Queensland: Mount Moffatt National Park, West Branch campsite, -24.976000 148.010000, 760m, along flowing creek, 23-27.ix.2013, S. Wright, Malaise trap, CNC457413 (1♀, QM) ; Stanthorpe , -28.657928 151.930344, 1924, 3.x.1924, 7.x.1928, Date is ambiguous reads ”3.10.24”, UQIC_ Reg 94803, UQIC_ Reg 94693, CNC _ Diptera 253728, ANIC29034975 (2♂♂, 3♀♀ QM, CNC, ANIC) .

Discussion: Psilota azurea sp. nov. has been collected on individuals of Leptospermum minutifolium and at a light trap.

Figures

FIGURE 11. P. azurea sp. nov., A) male dorsal habitus, B) male anterolateral face, C) male lateral habitus. Scale bar =1 mm.

FIGURE 37. P. viridis Macquart. A) male dorsal habitus, B) male anterolateral face, C) male lateral habitus. Scale bar =1 mm.

FIGURE 52. Known range of A) P. auripila sp. nov.; B) P. azurea sp. nov.