ZOOTAXA

ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)

ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)Copyright © 2015 Magnolia Press

Zootaxa 3986 (1): 144–150

www.mapress.com/zootaxa/Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3986.1.9

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C6AC4F56-6224-41FD-90C0-C31191DF92A0

A remarkable new species of Chalcosyrphus Curran from the Oriental Region

(Diptera: Syrphidae)

MARTIN HAUSER1,3 & HEIKKI HIPPA2

1California Department of Food and Agriculture, Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch, 3294 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, CA 95832–

1448, USA. E-mail: Phycus@gmail.com2Gribbylunds allé 2, SE 183 65 Täby, Sweden. E-mail: Heikki.hippa@gmail.com3Corresponding author

Abstract

Chalcosyrphus blanki sp. nov. is described from material collected in China, Thailand and Burma. The new species is

outstanding because of its size and metallic blue coloration. It is remarkable that only a few specimens have been found

so far, all from different countries and only with Malaise traps. The species was only collected at altitudes above 2500 m.

It fits very well in the genus Chalcosyrphus, but cannot be placed in any existing subgenus.

Key words: new species, Oriental region, malaise trap

Introduction

The Diptera fauna of the Oriental region is the least understood of all major faunistic regions (Grootaert 2009). The

last catalog Knutson et al. (1975) list 771 species of Syrphids for the Oriental region, but this catalog is very much

outdated by now. Most Diptera groups are not revised recently and compared to other regions there is little ongoing

taxonomic research. This might explain why such a remarkable fly has not been described so far.

The new species belongs to the genus Chalcosyrphus, the species of which have xylobiont larvae and are

associated with forest habitats. This genus belongs to the tribe Xylotini, which has been revised by Hippa (1978).

Material and methods

Genitalia were macerated in 10% KOH overnight to remove soft tissue, rinsed in distilled water, and dissected

under a Nikon SMZ 1500 binocular dissecting microscope. The microphotographs were made with a NIKON DS–

5M camera, mounted on the microscope. The drawings of genitalia were made by aid of a drawing tube attached to

a Leitz Diaplan compound microscope from a specimen placed in lactic acid. The morphology follows Merz &

Haenni (2000).

Collection acronyms:

BMNH The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.

CSCA California State Collection of Arthropods, Sacramento, California, USA.

MNHN Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.

MZH Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki, Finland.

NHRS Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden.

QSBG Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden—Entomology collection, Chiang Mai, Thailand

144 Accepted by C. Kehlmaier: 18 May 2015; published: 15 Jul. 2015

Description of Chalcosyrphus blanki sp. nov.

Figs 1A–B, 2A–B, 3A–B, 4A–C

Diagnosis. This species is easily recognized by its robust size and its blue metallic coloration, combined with the

golden pubescence on the face. Among syrphids, a blue body coloration (often with a golden face) is mainly found

in Chile (e.g. Macrometopia Philippi, Philippimyia Shannon, some species of Sterphus Philippi, and Stilbosoma

Philippi), but rarely found in Asia (e.g. Axona Walker).

FIGURE 1. Chalcosyrphus blanki sp. nov., male habitus (paratype, China). A. lateral view. B. dorsal view.

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FIGURE 2. Chalcosyrphus blanki sp. nov. A. male face frontal view (paratype, China). B. female face 3/4 view (paratype,

Thailand).

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FIGURE 3. Chalcosyrphus blanki sp. nov. A. male right hind leg (holotype). B. female left hind leg (paratype, Thailand).

Description. MALE. Body length: 10–12 mm; wing length: 11–12 mm. Head. Subtriangular in frontal view

(Fig. 2A). Eye contiguity short, about twice as long as the frontal ocellus. Frontal triangle with dense, golden

pubescence anterior to frontal ocellus, ocellar triangle without pubescence, wrinkled, shining blue/green metallic,

with long erect black setae. Face covered with dense golden pubescence, except lateral part of oral margin, which is

polished black; gena with less dense silver-golden pubescence; eye margin, a small area beneath the antenna and

gena with longer silver setae; frons strongly protruding towards antennal insertion, strongly convex beneath

antenna, chitin shining bluish metallic through golden pubescence beneath antenna; oral margin protruding as far

as antennal socket. Small part of lateral oral margin polished black. Occiput densely silver pubescent with long

white setae. Scape and pedicel black with short black setae, flagellomere dark brown, small, round; arista pale

yellowish. Thorax. (Figs 1A–B). Scutum shiny blue with erect dark brown to white setae of two different sizes:

short dense setae and more sparse ones of twice the length, these setae are getting longer towards the scutellum.

The setae on anterior part of scutum are more often white and the dark ones are more numerous towards the

scutellum. Postpronotum with a mix of long white and dark brown setae. A pair of depressions, covered with silver

pubescence on anterior part of scutum, median to postpronotum. Pair of white pubescent vittae reach from the

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FIGURE 4. Chalcosyrphus blanki sp. nov., male genitalia (paratype, Burma). A. lateral view. B. surstylus. C. aedeagus, lateral

view.

anterior margin of scutum to beyond the transverse suture, fading out and not reaching the scutellum. Thorax with

brown pubescence lateral to the white vittae. Notopleuron, median part of scutum and scutellum metallic blue with

purple reflections. Scutum just above wing base with short thick black setae. Postalar callus partially brown,

otherwise blue metallic, with thick black setae and a few thinner white ones. Scutellum with distinct margin and

long brown setae along the margin. Anepisternum, katepisternum and anepisternum metallic blue, weakly covered

with brownish pubescence and brownish setae. Anterior anepisternum, katatergite, katepimeron and anatergum

black, also weakly covered with brownish pubescence and brownish setae. Wing. Densely covered with brown

microsetae, vein r-m surrounded with brownish infuscation. Pterostigma narrow, brownish. Alula white with black

HAUSER & HIPPA 148 · Zootaxa 3986 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press

posterior border and long black setae along border. Legs. (Fig. 3A). Black, femora with blue metallic reflections,

covered with brown to whitish setae. Hind-femur thick with short, thick, black setulae from the base to apex on the

anterior ventral part, and with some strong black setulae on the apical part of the posterior ventral part. Hind tibia

ventrally at apex with a long extension. Metasternum with white setae. Abdomen. (Fig. 1B). dorsally blue metallic

with purple reflections, covered with short black to brown setae dorsally and longer white setae laterally. Tergite

two with a pair of blue metallic rectangular lateral spots, dull black on a narrow anterior margin connected through

a median dull black stripe to the broader dull black hind margin. Tergites three and four metallic blue with slightly

reddish hind margins. Sternum dull black to brownish. Genitalia: surstylus with ventral and dorsal lobe round,

cercus simple, lateral arm with prominent ventral spur, ejaculatory hood with anteroventral notch (see Figs 4A–C).

FEMALE. Similar to male except for the usual sexual dimorphism. Body length:10–11 mm; wing length: 10–12

mm. Width of frons posteriorly at vertex ca. 1/5 of the width of head. Frons without pubescence, except posterior

part with narrow lateral patch of golden pubescence along the eye margin. Hairs on frons pale, some dark hairs

intermixed at vertex. Lower face completely golden pollinose. Tergite 5 polished.

Etymology. We dedicate this species to Stephan M. Blank (Müncheberg, Germany), an expert in Symphyta

and collector of one of the specimens. Although not a dipterist, he collected countless interesting specimens of

Diptera over the years.

FIGURE 5. Chalcosyrphus blanki sp. nov., distribution map, (star symbol = type locality, circle = precise collection localities,

cross = region in which specimen was collected).

Type material. HOLOTYPE. ♂ Thailand, Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon NP, Summit marsh, 2500 m, Malaise

trap, 18°35.361'N 98°29.157'E, 23.III–1.V.2007, leg. Areeluck T1818 (QSBG). PARATYPES. 1 ♀, Thailand,

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Chiang Mai: Chomthong, Doi Inthanon NP, Checkpoint 2, trap 2, 18.523°N, 98.493°E. 1639 m. 1.IV.–2.V.2014,

leg. W. Srisuka & R. Sawkord Mal Tp. QSBG 2014–85 (QSBG); 1 ♂, China, Yunnan: Degin 33 km SE, 28.282°N

99.162°E, 3200 m, 18.VI.2009, leg. Blank, Liston, Taeger, 040 (CSCA); 1 ♂, NE Burma, Kambaiti 2000 m,

12.IV.1934, leg. R. Malaise (MZH); 1 ♂, NE Burma, Kambaiti 2000 m, 19.IV.1934, leg. R. Malaise (NHRS); 1 ♀,

NE Burma, Kambaiti, 7000 ft, 7.V.1934, leg. R. Malaise (BMNH); 1 ♀, NE Burma, Kambaiti 2000 m, 25.V.1934,

leg. R. Malaise (MZH); 1 ♀, NE Burma, Kambaiti 2000 m, 26.V.1934, leg. R. Malaise (NHRS); 1 ♂, NE Burma,

Kambaiti 2000 m, 1.VI.1934, leg. R. Malaise (NHRS); 1 ♀, Vietnam, Tonkin, 1926, leg. E. Poilane (MNHN).

Distribution. Burma (Myanmar), China (Yunnan Prov.), Thailand and Vietnam. See Fig. 5 for distribution

map.

Discussion

It is remarkable that such a striking species has not been described earlier. Nothing is known about the life history,

but we can speculate that the larvae are xylobiont like most of the known larvae in this tribe. The adults seem to

evade traditional hand collecting, all specimens have been collected with Malaise traps. It could be that the

specimens fly very quickly without, or only sporadically visiting flowers. All localities are at altitudes of at least

2000 m.

With its hairy metasternum and pollinose non-carniated face, the species fits right into the genus

Chalcosyrphus according to the key in Hippa (1978). But it could not be placed in any of the existing subgenera,

which never have been tested to be monophyletic. There is also a significant number of undescribed Oriental

species of Chalcosyrphus, and it is likely that the subgeneric concept will change to accommodate these species.

Before a complete revision of all Chalcosyrphus species and a phylogenetic analysis of the subgeneric groupings,

we do not want to introduce a new name and therefore leave this species without subgeneric placement. It could be

possible that this species belongs into its own genus, but for right now, this is not the aim of this study and this

problem is left for future investigations.

Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Stephan Blank (Müncheberg, Germany), Michel J. Sharkey (Lexington, USA), Adrian

Plant (Cardiff, UK) and Brian Brown (Los Angeles, USA) for providing the material. As well we would like to

thank Chaweewan Hutacharern (Bangkok) and Wichai Srisuka (Chiang Mai) for their immense support and help in

Thailand during fieldwork of one of us (MH). We also want to thank the reviewers for the helpful suggestions and

comments.

References

Grootaert, P. (2009) Oriental Diptera, a challenge in diversity and taxonomy. Chapter 8. In: Pape, T., Bickel, D. & Meier, R.

(Eds.), Diptera Diversity: Status, Challenges and Tools. Brill, Leiden & Boston, pp. 197–224.

Hippa, H. (1978) Classification of Xylotini (Diptera, Syrphidae). Acta Zoologica Fennica, 156, 1–153.

Knutson, L.V., Thompson, F.C. & Vockeroth, J.R. (1975) Family Syrphidae. In: Delfinado, M.D. & Hardy, D.E. (Eds.), A

catalog of the Diptera of the Oriental Region, Vol. 2. University Hawaii Press, Honolulu, pp. 307–374.

Merz, B. & Haenni, J.-P. (2000) Morphology and terminology of adult Diptera (other than terminalia). In: Papp, L. & Darvas,

B. (Eds.), Contributions to a manual of Palaearctic Diptera, Vol. 1. Science Herald, Budapest, pp. 21–51.

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