Frank M. Hull.
New Species of Exotic Syrphid Flies.
Psyche 44:12-32, 1937.

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Psyche
[March- June
NEW SPECIES OF EXOTIC SYRPHID FLIES
University of Mississippi
Some time ago, Professor Nathan Banks placed in my hands for study an interesting collection of Syrphid flies that had accumulated in the collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. These flies have come from many sections of the world and, as was to be expected, include a number of new species, the descriptions of which are pre- sented in this paper. Notes on the occurrence and distribu- tion of other species will perhaps be published at a later date. I wish to thank Prof. Banks for the opportunity of studying this interesting assortment of Syrphids as well as for the facilities for study in the Museum which he so kindly placed at my disposal.
Meromacrus melmoth n. sp.
Male. Eyes narrowly joined. Vertex slightly raised, black. Face and front black, conspicuously yellowish white pilose along the sides of the front, on the eye margins, run- ning down the sides of the eyes and thence to the oral margin as a diagonal facial stripe. This leaves the face obscurely shining black, the black as a V-shaped wedge below antennae, reaching to oral margin, its widest part at the base of the antennae. Cheeks shining blackish. The facial stripe be- neath the sparse pile is whitish pruinose and much more conspicuous than the pile. The pile on the sides of the front assumes the curious appressed character typical of the genus. Occiput and lower part of vertical triangle below the ocelli, similarly colored, pilose and pruinose. Face somewhat cari- nate. Antennae blackish brown, the third joint lighter brown, extraordinarily truncated dorso-apically and coming to a rounded point, the arista basally thickened, yellow, quite pale at tip, and twice as long as the third joint. Thorax, pleuraa, and scutellum dull black, except that the Pi\rht 4412-12 (IW). hup Wpsychi; enlclub argH4M4-012 html



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1 93 71 Exotic Syrphid Flies 13
latter has a brownish rim.
The markings unfortunately
obscured by poor preservation but a yellow tomentose spot on the inner medial angles of humeri, a vertical narrow similar stripe on the middle of pleurae, and some evidence of the same on the posterior calli. Halteres brownish; stalk darker.
Abdomen black, very dark brown laterally and on the posterior half of the last segment and the hypopygium, covered with microscopically short, black bristles, some scattered short pale pile, and a transverse narrow band of pale tomenturn on the post border of first segment. Legs black, tarsi brown, the femora covered with thick, quite long, pale, very fine hair. Hind femora extraordi- narily thick.
Wings with a strong black anterior border, the black keeping to the configuration of the third longitudinal vein, but filling the anterior part of the first basal and the first posterior cells, and the loop of the third longitudinal vein is filled, but bears a small clear spot.
Length 15mrn.
One male. Bolivia. Province of Sara (Steinbach) . Type in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
This peculiar species is very close to Meromacm niger Sack, from which it differs in the extraordinarily thickened hind femora besides other characters. The dull black color and femora serve to distinguish it.
Velocimyia n. gen.
Small flies. Eyes bare, touching in male for a short dis- tance. Face and front heavily pubescent and with some longer pile on the former. Face with a very low weak tu- bercle on bump in the middle, the lower face bluntly conical. Antennae of the simple Eristaliform type ; arista bare, basally thickened. Thorax simple. Scutellum small, two or three times as wide as long, and without margin. Abdomen taper- ing posteriorward, but four segments and tip of hypogynium visible. The last segment of the abdomen together with the hypopygium wide, round, exceptionally prominent and con- spicuous. In this respect the form resembles the new world Meromacrus.




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14 Psyche [March- June
Legs except for thickened hind femora largely simple. The hind femora apicoventrally possesses a low setse-beset tubercle. Hind tibiae basally incised.
Wings Eristaliform.
The kink of third vein is formed
like that of Eristalis rather than Protylocera and there is no spur on the kink.
Genotype : Velocimyia velox, new species. Velocimyia velox n. sp.
Plate 11, Figs. 1, 2,3
Male. Eyes narrowly touching for less than distance of posterior ocelli.
Front, face, vertex black, the latter cov- ered with dark brown pollen, the front with grey pubescence, the face thickly covered with white pubescence. A small shining bare space above the antennae without trace of wrinkles. No shining median stripe on face, but an obscure bare, shining stripe on cheeks. Antennae black, third seg- ment grey pollinose or pubescent. Arista two and one-half times length of oval third joint, light brown in color, bare. Thorax black, with a bluish cast, dully shining, heavily dark grey pollinose. Scutellum wide, translucent, yellowish brown, without pile, except on the corners, although its punctate surface indicates that it was pilose. Pile of thorax thick, erect, moderately long, pale in color. Squamae and fringe pale yellow, very large. Abdomen with venter and hypopygium entirely bright orange with one exception. The base of the second segment with a broad basal triangle, its apex reaching less than one half of the length of the seg- ment, the triangle continued to the first segment, where it is bluish black, leaving only the lateral corners of that seg- ment pale. Abdomen practically opaque except for the last segment. Last two segments and third and fourth with parallel sides, narrower than the second. Hypopygium very large. Pile of abdomen pale, rather long terminally. Legs black, base of face and mid tibiae yellowish brown, mid basitarsi dark brown. Hind femora very thick, but confined to anterior surface, posterior surface straight, a nodular prominence beset with bristles near the apex. Hind tibiae opposite nodule of femora noticeably incised, its apex spurred.




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19371 Exotic Syrphid Flies 15
Wings hyaline, stigma brown. A deep loop of third longitudinal vein into first posterior cell; the marginal cell closed before the apex of first longitudinal vein, and the first posterior cell closed before apex of third longitudinal vein.
Length 10 mm.
Three co-types. Males. One is from Mandritsara, Mada- gascar (Wulsin) whose type no. is 2270 in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. The two others, Antananarivo, Madagascar, were discovered in the collections at the Mu- seum fur Naturkunde, Berlin. Dr. G. Enderlein has kindly presented me with one of them, which is in my own collection. The third is in his collection.
The first specimen studied, from the Museum of Com- parative Zoology, curiously bears no evidence of the spotted eyes, and I was inclined to view this species as nearest to Protylocera. The discovery of subsequent specimens reveals that the eyes are generously spotted. Nevertheless, the distinctive type of abdomen, much enlarged hypopygium, as well as the excised tibia and nodulate hind femora show that it is not an ordinary Lathyrophthalmus. Another species which Speiser placed under Lathyrophthalmus, myiatro- pinus, agrees in these peculiarities and differs from the present species in its dark terminal segments, etc. The two forms may very well be grouped under the name given, since besides the other distinctions mentioned, they lack either the metallic color or the characteristic stripes of Lathyroph- thalmus. It may be remarked that the spotted nature of the eyes probably shows no close relationship to Lathyrophthal- mus whatever, since at the present no less than five genera show such spots. Three genera show the enormous hypo- pygium : Meromacroides of Curran (Africa), Meromacrus Rondani (S. America) and the present group of species. Lathyrophthalmus vitrescens n. sp.
Plate 11, fig. 4
Female. Eyes distant by one and one-half times width of posterior ocelli ; side of front diverging considerably towards antennas. Front yellow and grey-brown pollinose, varying according to direction, but apparently with a con-



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16 Psyche [March- June
stant, pale, narrow eye stripe, a large pale region above an- tennae surrounding a brown central elevation. Middle of lower front with a narrow dark brown streak. Face with pale yellow brown pubescence, except for bare central knob. Face rippled. Antennae light or orange brown, darker dor- sally on third joint. Arista very long, pale brown. Cheeks more or less bare shining light brown. Eyes spotted, of which it may be said that the spots are very numerous, small, mostly regularly spaced, rarely confluent, and usually sepa- rated by from one to two times their own diameter. Thorax blue black, shining, five vittate, the vittae dull grey but being obscurely shining posteriorly. Scutellum strongly shining greenish blue. Squamae dark brown, halteres lighter. Abdomen shining, greenish or bluish black, except that the first segment and base of second is dark brown, and the second, third and fourth segments are crossed by opaque black bands, first barely interrupted, the latter two well in- terrupted medially and laterally.
Legs dark brown, apices of femora very narrowly, basal half or third of tibiae, and all the tarsi light yellow or brownish yellow, palest on the tibiae. Wings very hyaline. Stigma quite small.
Length 12 mm.
One female. Fiji; Lomoti. (W. M. Mann.) Type in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
I should be inclined to place this species in L. nitidus Wulp, did not specimens I have seen from Samoa agree better with the notes and interpretation of the species by Herve-Bazin and Bezzi. These I have commented on in my paper on Samoan Syrphidse. The more totally blue black coloration, entire opaque bands of abdomen, and minor differences con- vince me that the two forms are at least quite different species.
Korinchia simulans de Mei j.
Originally described by de Meijere as a Milesia, but should probably be placed in Korinchia.
Two females in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Java ; Tijboda (T. Barbour).
Eumerus obtusiceps n. sp.
Male. Eyes touch for the short length of front. Vertical



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19371 Exotic Syrphid Flies 17
triangle is therefore long, acute in front, its sides parallel behind. Occiput remarkably thick, pale brownish polinose, black punctate. Vertex similarly pollinose and punctate, anterior ocelli far removed, lying in brown pollen, the posterior pair in a black area. Eyes bare. Pile of the vertex largely blackish except just in front. Front and face covered with brilliant silver scalose pubescence and some erect white pile. Occiput punctate white scalose, short white pilose. Antennae situated slightly below middle, black. Third joint large, ventrally pointed. Arista basally thickened, yellow, remainder very wiry, slender and dark.
Dorsum of thorax black, obscurely shining, thickly punc- tate, pile short, thick, black with some pale hairs, the suture narrowly pale whitish or greyish pollinose. Scutellum concolorous, flat, its edge with a conspicuous narrow yel- lowish brown pollinose border, its apex with outwardly directed short pile of the same color, and its erect surface pile longer than that of the thorax and entirely pale. More- over, the bulk of the pile is also on the rim and directed upward at an angle of forty-five degrees. Squamae and hal- teres brownish yellow.
Abdomen decidedly flared basally ; abdomen shining black, thickly black punctate, bearing thick appressed black bristles most prominent on terminal segment, and considerable fine white pile, particularly on the sides of the abdomen. First segment with a narrow V of white punctate pollen, barely interrupted medially, the angle anteriorly directed, and the ends continued (narrow1y)into the corners of the third segment. Third segment similarly marked, and fourth similar except that the pollinose spot spreads out posteriorly and is largely broken by black punctate spots. Fore and middle legs brown, apices of the femora, of the tibiae and their base and all the tarsi brownish yellow. Hind femora and tibiae black, except narrow apex of former, and base of latter; both thickened, the femora greatly enlarged. Hind tarsi brown, basi tarsi greatly dilated. Wings with terminal segment of fourth longitudinal vein oddly angulated, just before reaching the third longitudinal vein, it forms an acute V-shaped angle; the angle of the V is spurred. Wings slightly fumose.
Length 8.5 mm.




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18 Psyche , [March- June
One male. Neumannis Boma, British East Africa (Allen and Brooks). Type in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. This species traces to Eumerus scaber in Bezzi's key. That species is said to have a bare bluish front; its genitalia are reddish. The occiput of this species cannot be described as black pilose, etc. In Herve-Bazin's key it traces to Eumerus fee Bez. with which it could hardly be confused. Microdon argentinae n. sp.
Plate 11, fig. 5.
Male. Front narrowed sharply above antennae. The nar- rowest width slightly better than one-half width at vertex measured from upper eye angles. The narrowest portion marked by a prominent groove on its front side obtusely widened and leading down to a point between antennae. Front and vertex and face rich shining brown. Cheeks a little darker brown. Face strongly convex, both from the side and from above. Vertex slightly raised. First joint of antennae light shining brown, as long as front from vertex to depression. Remainder of antennae wanting. Pile of face and head everywhere pale yellow, sparse, shorter on the front, rather long and thicker on the sides of face below antennas. Middle of face nearly bare, possibly due to denu- dation.
Dorsum of thorax, pleurae, scutellurn, and legs rich shin- ing brown, the abdomen pale brown. Pile of thorax short, pale, appressed, with a few scattered darker hairs. Scutel- lum quite wide, trapezoidal, the small but slender, sharp, bare points, quite far apart, slightly diverging. Middle of scutellum not emarginate. Halteres dark brown. The abdomen is of the short broad form, pointed apically, with ventral flexure at the edges of the flared second segment. Piles of legs dark brown, becoming golden brown on lower surfaces of tarsi and apical portions of tibiae. Hind basitarsi not remarkably thickened, its greatest thickness basally, twice its distal thickness, perhaps a little more than twice as thick as the second tarsal segment.
Wings tinged rather uniformly with brown. Veins dark brown. Last section of fourth longitudinal vein very angu- lated, emitting a stump on each side toward margin of wing,



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19371 Exotic Syrphid Flies 19
and trace of an inward stump on one wing. Lower terminal section of vein closing first posterior cell and one closing discal cell remarkably rounded. An extensive spur is present from the third longitudinal vein almost reaching spurious vein.
Length 10.5 mm.
One male, Cordova, Argentina (Davis). Type in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Microdon digitator n. sp.
Plate 11, fig. 6.
Male.
Head rounded in profile; similar to Microdon in- vestigator. Front narrowest above antennae, but the sides nearly parallel, diverging toward the vertex. Antennae, face, front and vertex black, the latter shining. Antennae short, the first joint and third subequal, either twice the length of second. Arista short, much thickened basally, reaching just past third joint. Pile of head everywhere pale yellowish to whitish, sparse:
Thorax and scutellum everywhere shining black. Pile sub-appressed, sparse, yellowish to golden. Scutellum evenly rounded, a little more pointed centrally, without spines, margins, dentations, etc. Halteres brown. First and fourth abdominal segments brown to black, obscurely shining ; second and third pale brownish yellow, the second the palest, subtranslucent. Pile very short except on the outer edges of the second segment where it is long and golden. Pile black or brown elsewhere, except on the posterior lateral angles of the third segment where it is golden. Leg's light brown except for the middle of all the femora, and quite small spots in the middle of each tibiae. Hind basitarsi not at all thickened.
Wings rather uniformly suffused with brown, lighter in the first posterior, discal, first basal cells. Termination of fourth longitudinal vein straight, nearly rectangular, angle of discal cell rounded. Spur of third longitudinal present, spurious vein not prominent. Angle of first posterior cell spurred to near by wing margin.
Length 9 mm.
One male, Tjibodas, Mt. Gede, Java. 1909, 4500 ft. (Bry-



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20 Psyche [March- June
ant and Palmer). Type in the Museum of Comparative Zoology.
Microdon investigator n. sp.
Plate 11, fig. 7 and 8.
Male.
Sides of front nearly parallel, slightly converging to vertex, narrowest just across ocelli. Front smooth, shin- ing brownish black, punctate. Antennae situated just below upper point of middle third of profile. Profile of head evenly rounded, remarkably convex. Cheeks very narrow, invisible in profile. Face widest just below antennae. Sides nearly parallel. No antenna1 prominence. Antennae light orange, first joint twice length of second, third equal to first and second concave dorsally, drawing out to a sharp point, sug- gesting a thumb. Arista pale, slightly longer than third joint. Face shining brassy brown, with a suggestion of violaceous color. Pile of face, front, vertex sparse brassy yellow, appressed on face.
Thorax and scutellum dark, moderately shining brown, pile golden, thick and markedly appressed. Pleurae similarly colored with a conspicuous patch of dense golden pile. Pile of scutellum erect. Squamae and halteres light yellow. Abdomen pale yellowish brown, third and fourth with basal halves and nearly the whole of the fifth segment dark brown. Pile of light area exceptionally dense and appressed, golden ; of dark area black. Venter pale brownish yellow, sub-translucent, the lateral edges continuously black. Legs light brownish yellow, except for a dark brown spot about the middle of antero-ventral surface of each femur and the basal third of the tibiae, paler yellow. Hind femora with anterior diagonal scar or cicatrix on basal half. Hind basitarsi nearly as long as remaining segments inclusive; twice their thickness.
Wings palely but uniformly brownish; termination of fourth longitudinal vein sharply rectangular, its angle emitting a spur; an angle of discal cell rounded. Spurious vein quite faint. Spur from third longitudinal vein promi- nent.
Length 13.5 mm.
One male, Galog River, Mt. Apo, Mindanao, Philippine



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19371 Exotic Syrphid Flies 21
Islands, Sept. 12
(C. S. Clagg). Type in the Museum of
Comparative Zoology.
Hypselosyrphus n. gen.
Plate 11, fig. 9.
Small flies, related to Microdon with the weak and flat- tened abdomen somewhat longer than broad. Face round
convex, with the vertex produced into a curved jutting knob. Scutellum sulcate, tumid, angularly directed upward. Hind basitarsi and forebasitarsi swollen. Hind tibiae convex, with a swollen ornament suggesting a load of pollen, heavily pilose. Hind femora not greatly thickened. No trace of spur from third vein is directed into the first posterior cell. Terminal (bent up) portions of fourth and fifth longitudinal veins, that is, subapical and posterior cross veins, nearly straight, bulging at their basal corners and making angles of approximately seventy-five to eighty degrees with the veins they join.
Genotype : Hypselosyrphus trigonus n. sp. This fly suggests very strongly a trigonid bee, as do the species of Ubristes of the Microdontini. Microdon scutellaris Shannon, described from the Amazon, seems to fall into Hypselosgrphus, but differing in the differently colored abdomen.
Hypselosyrphus trigonus n. sp.
Plate 11, fig. 9.
Male.
Front enormously swollen as a shining knob, the oeelli on top. Front excavated, flat, leaving a considerable concavity in profile. Face in profile convex, evenly rounded. Antennae situated at upper third. First and third joints subequal, the latter pointed, second quite short. Arista slender, as long as third joint. Color of antennas dark brown. Face, front and vertex shining dark mahogany red or brown, almost black.
Thorax very dark brown, almost black, a row of white pile across at suture, and on base of scutellum, remainder densely erect short black pilose. Pleurae shining dark brown, sparsely pilose. Halteres and squamae dark blackish. Scutellum dark blackish, prominent, directed upward at an



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22 Psyche [March- June
angle of forty-five degrees, deeply sulcate medially, the sides swollen, rounded, without spines.
Abdomen short oval, flat, vitreous, dark reddish brown on first, second and narrowly on base of third segment. Re- mainder bright orange.
Legs dark shining purplish or reddish black, tarsi except hind basitarsi light yellowish brown. Fore basitarsi swollen anteriorly. Hind basitarsi considerably swollen. Hind tibiae greatly swollen and dorsally arcuate, a curious crease run- ning around it, below the part of greatest swelling. Tibiae heavily long black pilose.
Wings brownish especially basally, with a faint pale yel- low spot beginning past the stigma. Last section of fourth longitudinal vein straight, not angular, no spurs present, not even from the angle of the fourth longitudinal vein. Length 7 mm. or about 8 mm. with the antennae. One male. Barro Colorado, Panama, July 16, 1924 (Nathan Banks).
Type in the Museum of Comparative
Zoology.
This remarkable species suggests Microdon panamensis Curran, which lacks the interesting structural characters of this form. It is a handsome and peculiar species, that like Ubristes resembles Trigonid bees, but differs from that genus in the development of the vertex and scutellum, etc.