Citrogramma chola Ghorpadé
Citrogramma chola Ghorpadé, 1994.
Ghorpadé, K. (1994) Diagnostic keys to new and known genera and species of Indian subcontinent Syrphini (Diptera: Syrphidae). Colemania Insect Biosystematics 3, 15 pp.
Citrogramma chola Ghorpadé, 1994.
Ghorpadé, K. (1994) Diagnostic keys to new and known genera and species of Indian subcontinent Syrphini (Diptera: Syrphidae). Colemania Insect Biosystematics 3, 15 pp.
Ghorpadé (1994) explained that Citrogramma sp. A of Wyatt (1991) was Citrogramma chola.
Species very similar to C. citrinum, but with anepisternum yellow, different shape of abdominal fasciae and the macula of katepisternum usually connected with the yellow area of the anterior anepisternum. C. citrinum has anepisternum black, and the dorsal yellow macula on katepisternum is not reaching the yellow anterior anepisternum. Females of C. citrinum have frons completely yellow; meanwhile females of C. chola have a medial diffuse triangular brown macula.
From Mengual (2011).
MALE.
Head. Face with facial tubercle, gradually sloping dorsally, more abrupt ventrally, entirely yellow, yellow pilose ventrally, mainly yellow with some black pile on medial section, black pilose dorsally and laterally; gena yellow, dark pilose medially, yellow pilose posteriorly, white pollinose posteriorly; lunule dark, black area forming semicircular area; holoptic; frontal triangle yellow, black pilose; vertical triangle black, small, shorter than eye contiguity (1:1.3), black pilose; ocelli reddish; antenna dark, scape brownish, pedicel black, scape and pedicel black pilose; basoflagellomere orangish, dark dorsally, oval; arista black; occiput black, silver pollinose, pale pilose on ventral 1/2, golden yellow pilose on dorsal 1/2.
Thorax. Scutum black with dorsomedial area almost uniformly grey pollinose with a metallic blue iridescence, mainly black pilose dorsally with some yellow pile, with a lateral yellow vitta; postpronotum yellow; notopleuron yellow, orangish pilose with black pile posterolateraly; yellow vitta continuing until scutellum, supra-alar area orangish yellow and black pilose; postalar callus entirely yellow, mainly black pilose; scutellum bright yellow with a dorsomedial small diffuse light brown macula, black pilose, with a complete subscutellar fringe with dark pile. Pleuron mostly yellow, except katepisternum black with dorsal yellow macula, meron black, posterior anepisternum yellow with black vertical macula on anterior 1/3, entirely orangish yellow pilose; metasternum pilose; ventral calypter yellow with long yellowish pile on margin, dorsal calypter yellow basally and blackened distally with short black pile on margin; plumula yellow; halter yellow; spiracular fringes yellow. Wing. Wing membrane light brown, entirely microtrichose. Alula microtrichose, broad, broader than cell BM. Legs. Procoxa yellow, dark basally; protrochanter brown; mesocoxa and mesotrochanter brownish; metacoxa and metatrochanter yellowish brown; pro- and mesofemur yellow, mainly black pilose with yellow pile; metafemur yellowish on basal 1/2, dark on distal 1/2, mainly black pilose with yellow pile; pro- and mesotibia yellow, black pilose; metatibia black, black pilose; tarsi black, black pilose dorsolaterally and golden pilose ventrolaterally.
Abdomen. Parallel-sided, slightly oval; 3rd, 4th and 5th terga margined. Dorsum mainly black, black pilose dorsally and laterally except 1st tergum yellow pilose laterally and 2nd tergum yellow pilose laterally on anterobasal 1/4 and on dorsal yellow maculae; 1st tergum black, brownish anteriorly, yellow laterally; 2nd tergum black with 2 mesolateral broad yellow maculae very narrowed laterally and extending forward to anterolateral tergal margin, yellow lateral margin on anterior 1/3; 3rd, 4th and 5th terga black with an anterior broad yellow fascia markedly emarginate posteriorly and narrowed to lateral margins, with a narrow black fascia on anterior margin; lateral margins partially yellow: 1/4–1/3 on 3rd tergum, 1/2 on 4th tergum and almost the entire lateral margin on 5th tergum; sterna yellow, black pilose; genital segments yellowish.
FEMALE.
Similar to male except normal sexual dimorphism and as follows: frons yellow with medial triangular brown macula towards ocellar triangle not reaching posterior black area, black lateral margin on posterior 1/2; posterior section of anepimeron dark; abdominal fasciae narrower without emargination, 4th tergum with yellow fascia very sinuate medially.
Variation. One paratype specimen has a small brownish area on facial tubercle that looks like a medial vitta but does not reach the antennal base. The yellow portion of lateral margin of abdominal terga varies slightly. Some individuals have yellow pollinosity on anepisternum and posterior anepisternum, and they can look completely shiny yellow. Females can present frons yellowish, with a very diffuse brownish triangular macula not present in the lightest specimen. This specimen lacks medial brownish macula on scutellum.
Ghorpadé (1994) mentioned that Citrogramma flavigenum Wyatt, 1991 would key out to C. chola Ghorpadé, 1994 in his key. The most evident difference is the coloration of legs and anepimeron, with pro- and mesofemur black basally and metafemur entirely black in C. flavigenum. Citrogramma flavigenum and C. chola could be the same species. Both taxa are similar and sympatric, collected on the same dates at the same location, but they can be distinguished perfectly by anepimeron, lunule and metafemur coloration.
Length: body, 9.5-11.0 (10.3) mm; wing, 8.5-9.2 (8.9) mm.
Species known from India.