Sphecomyia oraria Moran

M. Moran, Kevin & H. Skevington, Jeffrey, 2019, Revision of world Sphecomyia Latreille (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 836, pp. 15-79 : 36-39

Sphecomyia oraria Moran sp. n. Figs 2I, 7E, 8E, 9E, 15B, 20A, 21C, 25

Type locality.

U.S.A.: California: Marin County, 2 miles SE Inverness, Inverness Ridge, 38.1014, −122.8869.

Types.

Holotype male, pinned. Original label: "CALIF: Marin Co., // 2 mi SE Inverness, // Inverness Ridge, // at light, May 15, // 1970, J. A. Powell" "Univ. Calif. // Insect Survey // Specimen # // 111082" "UC Berkley // EMEC // 371304 // [BARCODE]". [1♂, EMEC371304, EMEC].

Paratypes: U.S.A.: California: Humboldt Co., Blocksburg, 40.2756 -123.6364, B.P. Bliven, 30.v.1937, KMM0894 (1♀, CAS); Marin Co., 2 mi. SE Inverness, Inverness Ridge, 38.1014, −122.8870, 243-316 m, H. Ewing, 7.v.1971, EMEC371305 (1♂, EMEC); Marin Co., Lily Pond, Alpine Lake, 37.9538, −122.6349, 457 m, D.D. Munroe, 10. v– 4.vi.1970, CNC47070 (1♀, CNC); Mendocino Co., NCCRP, 3 mi. N. Branscomb, 39.6464 -123.4470, 427 m, C. Strong, 21-23.v.1982, EMEC371315 (1♀, EMEC); San Luis Obispo Co., Atascadero, 35.4883 -120.6703, J. LeCroy, 4.v.1986, LACM329903 (1♀, LACM); Santa Clara Co., Creek along Sandborn road, 2.7 km SE Congree-Springs road, 37.2347, −122.0589, 440 m, P.H. Arnaud, Jr., 14.iv.1974, USNM1028896 (1♂, USNM); Sonoma Co., Plantation, 38.5903 -123.3103, D. Burdick, 1.v.1958, INHS776993 (1♂, INHS); Sonoma Co., Stillwater Cove, 38.5424, −123.2888, E.I. Schlinger, 23.v.1954, KMM0893 (1♂, CAS); USNM1028841 (1♂, CNC); Walnut Creek, 37.9103, −122.0653, v, USNM1028837 (1♀, USNM).

Diagnosis.

It can be confused with S. columbiana , S. cryptica sp. n., S. dyari , S. hoguei sp. n., and S. pattonii but can be distinguished by the following characters: tergite 1 with uninterrupted, pruinose band along posterior margin. Scutellum black pilose. Ventral calypter with long yellow pile. Sternites 2 to 4 mostly pruinose, with narrow anterior border and transverse subapical band shiny to dull black.

Description.

Male. Body length: 11.1-14.6 mm. Wing length: 8.9-11.6 mm. Head. Face yellow pruinose with shiny, black, medial vitta extending from oral margin to base of antenna; frons broad, about as long as broad at antenna, two-thirds as broad at vertex as at antenna, bare, with yellow pruinosity along posterior half; vertex triangular, longer than broad, shiny, with ocellar triangle black pilose; postocular border yellow pruinose; postocular pile black; occipital pile yellow; male narrowly dichoptic; antenna black, black pilose, with length of segments roughly in a 3:3:2 ratio.

Thorax. Sub-shiny black; postpronotum yellow pilose with occasional black pile; scutum, scutellum and postalar callus mostly black pilose with occasional yellow pile; proepimeron and posterior anepisternum yellow pilose; posterior katepisternum yellow pilose with broadly separated patches; anterior anepimeron yellow pilose; metasternum yellow pilose; postpronotum, anterior fourth of scutellum, broad posterior margin of anepisternum and dorso-posterior corner of katepisternum yellow pruinose; area between postpronota yellow pruinose, except shiny medially; anepimeron shiny; scutum without pruinose vittae; ventral calypter with long yellow pile.

Legs. Foreleg black, except extreme apex of femur and anterior third of tibia reddish-yellow; fore tarsi slightly broadened; midleg reddish-yellow, except basal four-fifths of femur and last two tarsomeres black; hind leg reddish-yellow except last two tarsomeres black; legs yellow pilose, except fore tibia, fore tarsi, apex of fore femur and last two mid and hind tarsomeres black pilose; hind coxa yellow pruinose.

Wing. Hyaline; microtrichia absent from following areas: cell bc; cell r1 from base to about halfway to crossvein r-m; broad basal portion of cell br (before origin of M) and about basal two-fifths of narrower portion of this cell (caudad of spurious vein only); cell bm, except apex and narrow anterior and posterior margins of about apical fourth; broad anterior margin of cell cua; narrow, elongate, oval area proximal to vein A1.

Abdomen. Tergites and sternites shiny to sub-shiny, black with yellow pruinose markings as follows: tergite 1 pruinose along posterior margin; tergite 2 with broad, interrupted, narrowing, medial band which meets a narrow, uninterrupted posterior band in the posterolateral corners of tergite; tergite 3 with similar, but truncate, medial band, but more narrowly interrupted; pattern on tergite 4 same as tergite 3 except medial band very narrowly or incompletely interrupted; sternite 1 shiny; sternites 2 to 4 mostly pruinose, each with narrow anterior border and transverse subapical band shiny to dull black; sternites 6 to 8 pruinose; pile of abdomen yellow, except sometimes with scattered black pile present on postabdomen.

Male genitalia. Surstylus not elongated, about as long as broad, curving upward dorsally; pile on dorsal surface of surstylus, increasing in length posteriorly; minute spines on ventral surface, with apical half of lateral inner surface also with spines; basal fourth of the ventral surface of the surstylus produced into a lobe directed anteriorly, with minute pubescence on ventral and lateral inner surface; cerci rounded, with no invagination on posterior border; aedeagus as in Fig. 2I.

Female.

Similar to male except normal sexual dimorphism.

Distribution.

U.S.A.: California (Fig. 25). A lowland species spread throughout the California Coast Ranges.

Biology.

Recorded flying late April through May.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin orarius ( Brown 1956: 576), meaning 'of the coast’.