Asarkina (Asarkina) porcina (Coquillett, 1898).
Coquillett, D.W. (1898) Report on a collection of Japanese Diptera, presented to the U.S. National Museum by the Imperial University of Tokyo. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 21, 301-340 [= No. 1146].
Synonyms:
Syrphus porcina Coquillet, 1898: 322.
Asarkina species have postpronotum bare, antenna usually short, anterior anepisternum bare, abdomen oval, face and scutellum yellow in part, abdomen margined, metasternum pilose, metacoxa with a pile tuft posterolaterally, subscutellar fringe present and dense, katepisternum with anterior tuft of pile.
New description:
MALE.
Head: Face produced forward and dorsally, with facial tubercle, yellow, black pilose, white pollinose laterally and ventrally; gena yellow, yellow pilose; lunule yellow; frontal triangle brown-black, yellow ventrally, covered with yellow pollinosity but with a shiny black macula dorsad to lunule, black pilose; vertical triangle black, black pilose; antenna brown; occiput black, silver pollinose, yellow pilose, white pilose ventrally.
Thorax: Scutum black, with lateral broad yellow vitta from notopleuron to scutellum, yellow pollinose, fire yellow pilose; postpronotum yellow, bare; scutellum yellow, mainly black pilose, yellow pilose anteriorly and laterally; subscutellar fringe complete with yellow pile. Pleuron mostly yellow, except posterior anepisternum black on anterior 1/3, meron black and katepisternum black ventrally, dense yellow pollinose, yellow pilose; anterior anepisternum bare; metasternum pilose; meron with some pile anterad to spiracle; calypter yellow; plumula yellow; halter yellow; spiracular fringes yellow. Wing: Wing membrane mostly hyaline, slightly yellowish-brown, entirely microtrichose. Alula broad, microtrichose. Legs: Entirely yellow, metatarsi yellow except apical 3-4 tarsi brown.
Abdomen: broad, oval, 3rd and 4th terga vaguely margined. Dorsum mainly yellow with black fascia, black pilose dorsally and laterally except 1st tergum yellow pilose and 2nd tergum yellow pilose dorsally and on anterior 3/4 laterally; 1st tergum yellow with arrow medial black fascia on posterior margin not reaching lateral margins; 2nd tergum yellow with a narrow medial black fascia on posterior margin not reaching lateral margins and a very diffuse medial black vitta; 3rd and 4th terga yellow with a narrow medial black fascia on anterior margin not reaching lateral margins, and with a black fascia on posterior margin reaching lateral margins, lateral margins black on posterior 1/5; 5th tergum yellow with narrow medial black fascia on posterior margin; sterna mainly yellow, yellow pilose.
Asarkina has been related with the genus Didea, Megasyrphus and Eriozona group by previous authors. Shatalkin (1975a) also noted the similarity with Episyrphus and Meliscaeva. In the molecular phylogeny by Mengual et al. (2008a), Asarkina was resolved as sister group of Episyrphus and Meliscaeva; the same position recoverd by Mengual et al. (2008b).
Nawa (1917) reported larva of A. porcina feeding on aphids (Aphididae) from Japan.
Wide-spread species known from Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, India and Japan.
