Pelecocera

Key to the French species of Pelecocera For several years we have used various keys to identify our specimens: Verlinden (1994), Stubbs & Falk (2002), Van Veen (2004), Haarto & Kerppola (2007), Speight & Sarthou (2017), but some features were not satisfactory: the colour of the legs is variable; the tergites may or may not have pairs of yellow or grey spots for the same species, especially on the autumn specimens (P. pruinosomaculata, P. caledonica), as already noted by Mik (1896) who recognised Pelecocera rectinervis Kertész, 1896 as a black morph of Pelecocera latifrons, now Pseudopelecocera latifrons; and the presence or absence of a few white or black bristles on the anterior anepisternum is also variable for four of the six species. For this work we examined about twenty-five characters and retained the most reliable ones. Characters examined, but not retained are: shape of the basoflagellomere, position of the arista on the basoflagellomere, shape of the face on lateral view, colour and pruisosity of the face, occiput width behind the inner corners of the eyes, colour of the setae on anterior anepimeron, pruinosity of the notopleuron, length of pili on the scutellum, leg colour, alula shape and distribution of microtrichia, pterostigma colour, pruinosity of the sternites, abdomen colour pattern, and genitalia shape. For females, the most diagnostic feature is the shape of the vertex and frons, which is unique for each species (Fig. 7). In P. lugubris and P. caledonica, the vertex appears as a continuation of the upper frons. In the other species, there is a discontinuation (ridge) between the lower and the upper frons, the latter being continuous with the vertex. The length from the anterior ocellus to the ridge of the vertex is also characteristic of each species. Pelecocera garrigae females have the peculiarity of not having any pollinose transverse band above the lunule (Fig. 2C), unlike all the other species. 1. Arista thick, inserted apically on basoflagellomere, composed of 3 highly visible segments in females, very short in males (Fig. 8A). Anepimeron, katepisternum and katepimeron partly shiny black....................................................................... P. tricincta (Abdomen with 3 yellow fasciae, sometimes narrowly interrupted in the middle) - Arista hair-like, inserted dorsally on basoflagellomere (Fig. 8B). Anepimeron, katepisternum and katepimeron entirely grey pollinose................................. 2 (Abdomen with orange or greyish pairs of maculae, or completely black) 2. Basal radial (r) and basal medial (bm) wing cells partly bare......................................... P. caledonica (Lunule polished on lateral arms and median triangle. Female frons polished black and slightly swollen and regularly convex, flanked by two parallel lines along the eyes, which reach the transverse pollinose band above the lunule, without being reduced anteriorly as in P. lugubris) - Basal radial (r) and basal medial (bm) wing cells entirely covered with microtrichia................................. 3 3. Anterior anepisternum with some white pile on the anterodorsal part (few and short in P. garrigae). Middle paraface wider (or as wide) than the diameter of the anterior ocellus (Figs. 9A and 9B)............................................. 4 - Anterior anepisternum without pile. Paraface narrower than the diameter of the posterior ocellus (Fig. 9C and 9D)........ 5 4. Lunule entirely grey pollinose (Fig 10A). Paraface wider than diameter of anterior ocellus (Fig. 9A)........... P. lugubris (Female: Frons strongly swollen after the vertex, forming a large, polished triangle bordered by two lines directed towards the lunule. Distance between the anterior ocellus and the apex of the triangle is approximately 4-5 times the diameter of the anterior ocellus. Punctation of the frons very thin and sparse. Transverse pollinose band above the lunule. Male: grey pollinose frons.) - Lunule brownish or blackish, slightly polished, and not pollinose (Fig 10B). Paraface as wide as diameter of anterior ocellus (Fig. 9B)............................................................................. P. garrigae sp. nov. (Female: Frons polished posteriorly to the vertex, delimited by a curved transverse line (ridge) between the two eyes: the distance between the anterior ocellus and the ridge is 2 to 3 times the diameter of the anterior ocellus. Anterior half of the frons strongly punctate, hardly polished, without transverse pollinose band above the lunule unlike all other Pelecocera species. Male: Frons punctate, slightly polished.) 5. Lunule with grey pollinose median triangle strongly contrasting with polished lateral arms (Fig. 10C). No setae on posterior anepisternum and notopleuron. Metafemora and metatibia completely yellow........................... P. scaevoides (Female: Distance between anterior ocellus and ridge very short, barely as long as diameter of the anterior ocellus. Ridge straight in the middle between the two eyes. In some specimens there is no visible ridge, the curvature of the frons is regular. Narrow transverse pollinose band above lunule.) - Lunule completely grey pollinose (Fig. 10D). Setae present on posterior anepisternum and notopleuron. Metafemora and metatibia usually with black ring............................................................. P. pruinosomaculata (Female: Distance between anterior ocellus and ridge short, about 1.5 - 2 times longer than diameter of the ocellus. Male: Flagellum almost entirely black or only black on the distal half. Spring specimens have more contrasting black and yellow legs, and less variability on the abdomen, especially males with obvious yellow spots. In large populations of autumn, there is a high variability in the coloration of the legs and the abdominal pattern. We do not know any locality with both generations, spring and autumn).Published as part of Lair, Xavier, Ropars, Lise, Skevington, Jeffrey H., Kelso, Scott, Geslin, Benoît, Minssieux, Elise & Nève, Gabriel, 2022, Revision of the genus Pelecocera Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from France taxonomy, ecology and distribution, pp. 1-24 in Zootaxa 5141 (1) on pages 14-16, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5141.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/657766

Pelecocera garrigae Lair & Ropars & Skevington & Kelso & Geslin & Minssieux & Nève 2022, sp. nov.

Pelecocera garrigae Lair & Nève sp. nov. Figs 1, 2, 7D, 8B, 9B, 10B Type material. HOLOTYPE: FRANCE: Pyrénées-Orientales: Sournia, Chemin de Roquebert, 42.7250°N 2.4660°E, alt. 480 m, 1 ♂ 17 April 2019 (X. Lair). Holotype deposited in the MNHN, specimen ED11396. PARATYPES: FRANCE, Bouches-du-Rhône: Marseilles, National Park of Calanques, La Panouse, 43.2564°N 5.4401°E, alt. 160 m, 1 ♂, 2 April 2017, IMBE 1001 and 1 ♀, 5 April 2018 (L. Ropars), paratype deposited in the MNHN, specimen ED11397; National Park of Calanques, La Gardiole, 43.2406°N 5.4781°E, alt. 203 m, 1 ♀, 3 May 2017, IMBE 1002; 1 ♀ 7 May 2018 (L. Ropars), CNC 1619206; Pyrénées-Orientales: 1 ♀, Sournia, chemin de Roquebert, 42.7250°N 2.4660°E, alt. 480 m, 24 April 2013 (X. Lair), this specimen was mentioned as P. lusitanica by Speight et al. (2013) and in Lair et al. (2021), XL01001; 1 ♀, 3 May 2018, (X. Lair), XL01002; 3 ♂, 17 April 2019 (X. Lair & C. Kassebeer), XL01003-01005; 1 ♂, 25 April 2020 (X. Lair), XL01006; 1 ♂ and 1 ♀, 28 April 2020, (X. Lair & E. Lecointe), XL01007-01008; 1 ♀, 4 May 2020 (A. Parret), XL01009; Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: 1 ♂, Saint-Michel l’Observatoire, 43,9300°N 5.7189°E, alt. 650 m, Malaise trap, 19-26 May 2010 (J.P. Orts & G. Nève), GN00524. Additional examined material: SPAIN, Malaga: ♀, Istan, 500 – 600m [ca. 36.5828°N 4.9494°W], 5 April 1972 (leg V. S. van der Goot & J.A.W. Lucas), NBC (mentioned as Pelecocera (Chamaesyrphus) Lair & Nève spec. nov in van Eck & Mengual 2021). FRANCE, Vaucluse: ♀, Caromb, Lac du Paty [ca. 44.1322° N 5.1136° E], 30 May 1995 (leg. Merz & Eggenberger), det. G. Pétremand 2020, MHNG. Diagnosis. Pelecocera garrigae sp. nov. is readily identified as belonging to the Chamaesyrphus subgenus due to the hair-like arista located dorsally on the basoflagellomere, and the anterior anepisternum with some white pile anterodorsally. In P. garrigae, the face protrudes forward and is entirely black with a shiny median stripe and mouth edge; the face sides are strongly pollinose, appearing light grey. The parafaces along the eyes are wide, reminiscent of Cheilosia Meigen, 1822. The lunule is slightly shiny and not pollinose. The frons is punctuate and not pollinose. The abdominal pattern is variable, either entirely black, or with pairs of lateral reddish-brown spots of varying size on tergites 3 to 5 (females), or 4 to 5 (males), or only on tergite 5 (females). Description. MALE. Measurements . total body length (without antennae): 4.8 mm; wing length: 3.6 mm (holotype). Total body length: 4.8−6.4 mm; wing length: 3.6-4.7 mm (n = 3). Head. Antenna black, basoflagellomere with small ventral posterior orange spot. Arista black, bare, inserted dorsaly before the apex (from the middle to the three quarters of the ridge). Face: protrudes forward, entirely black and strongly pollinose, appearing whitish, except shiny mouth edge. Paraface narrower than in females. Frons: punctate and hardly polished, delimited by a curved transverse line (ridge) between the two eyes: the distance between the anterior ocellus and the ridge is 2 to 3 times the diameter of the anterior ocellus. Lunule: black, slightly shiny. Eyes bare. Thorax. Mesoscutum and scutellum shiny black, finely punctuate. covered with semi erected short white pile. Postpronotum and notopleuron pollinose. Scutellum shiny black. Pleura black, entirely pollinose. Anterior anepisternum with 3 or 4 white pile. One black seta on posterior anepisternum, postero-dorsally. Legs: Mainly black, with yellow trochanters. Covered with short white hairs. Femora 1-3 black, narrowly yellow at basal and apical ends. Tibiae 1-2 black, with third to half basal yellow bases and apex narrowly yellow. Tibia 3 black with yellow knees. Tarsi 1 and 2 yellowish to entirely black. Tarsus 3 black. Wing: Entirely covered with microtrichia. Upper outer cross-vein M1 strongly sloping. Stigma pale yellow. Alula: narrow, entirely covered with microtrichia. Abdomen. Narrow, with parallel edges. Tergites entirely black or with badly defined red brown lateral spots on tergites 3 and 4. Pregenital segment with white pile. Sternites: lustrous black, slightly pollinose, densely punctuated. Genitalia. The surstyli are symmetrical. Viewed laterally, their shape is subtriangular with a blunt apex covered with whitish pile. The cerci are semicircular, with long whitish pile. The hypandrium is elongate, subcylindrical, with a black cap at its apex and a bifid appendix ventrally. FEMALE. Very similar to males. Measurements: Total length (without antennae): 5.1 to 8.0 mm, wing length 4.4 to 6.5 mm (n=4). Head: Antenna black, basoflagellomere orange ventrally, with black upper ridge, the face protrudes forward and is entirely black, with a shiny mouth edge and a black shiny median stripe, the lateral face is pollinose, appearing light grey. The paraface are wider than in the male, reminiscent of Cheilosia. The anterior half of the frons is punctate and hardly polished, without any transverse pollinose band above the lunule unlike all other Pelecocera species. The lunule is dark brown or black, slightly shiny. Abdomen: The tergites are completely black, or with pairs of reddish-brown lateral spots on tergites 3 to 5, or only on tergite 5. Etymology. From the French noun “garrigue” (Bigot & Picard 1989), describing the Mediterranean scrubland on limestone where the species was found. Distribution. This species is known only from the locations mentioned above, in the French administrative departments of Pyrénées-Orientales, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse (Fig. 3). In the Parc National des Calanques it has been found at localities up to 5.5 km apart. The species is probably still to be found in other limestone areas of Mediterranean France. The specimen from the Spanish province of Malaga indicates that the species is also be present in Spain.Published as part of Lair, Xavier, Ropars, Lise, Skevington, Jeffrey H., Kelso, Scott, Geslin, Benoît, Minssieux, Elise & Nève, Gabriel, 2022, Revision of the genus Pelecocera Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from France taxonomy, ecology and distribution, pp. 1-24 in Zootaxa 5141 (1) on pages 8-10, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5141.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/657766