Surimyia minutula (Doesburg, 1966).
Doesburg, P. H. van (1966) Syrphidae from Suriname. Additional records and descriptions. Studies on the Fauna of Suriname and other Guyanas (Uitgaven van der Natuurwetenschappelijke Studiekring van Suriname) 9 (35), 61-107.
The species is currently under the genus Surimyia based on the work done by Reemer (2008).
Synonyms:
Ceratophya minutula van Doesburg, 1966: 89.
Paragodon minutulus (van Doesburg, 1966) in Thompson (1969).
Surimyia was established for two species similar to Paragodon but with bristle-like pile on the thorax and abdomen as well as bare postpronotum (Cheng and Thompson 2008). The genus Surimyia superficially resembles Paragodon Thompson, 1969. Differs from all other known Syrphidae by the absence of microtrichia on the katatergum (= ventral part of lateral postnotal sclerite, also known as pleurotergite). It differs from all other known Microdontinae by the absence of pilosity on the postpronotum and otherwise by the presence of strong black setae on thorax, tergites and sternites (Reemer 2008).
The bare postpronotum is unique among Microdontinae (Cheng & Thompson 2008, Thompson 1999), and the lack of microtrichia on the katatergum is apparently unique among all Syrphidae (see Hippa & Ståhls 2005). Another striking character of the Surimyia-species is the presence of bristly pile on the thorax (anepisternum, anepimeron, mesonotum, postalar callus, scutellum) and abdomen (sternites and tergites). Thoracic bristly pilosity is uncommon among Syrphidae and known to occur only in a small number of genera (like Brachyopa, Cheilosia, Copestylum and Volucella). Bristly pilosity on the abdomen, especially on the sternites, is very rare among Syrphidae. Only Tachinosyrphus Hull has abdominal bristles on the fourth tergite (Thompson 1972) (from Reemer 2008).
Adapted from original description (Doesburg, 1966)
MALE.
Head: Front and face whitish yellow, occupying about one fourth of the width of head, with parallel sides, the face in profile evenly rounded. Front with a broad, shining brownish black vitta between the rear ocelli and the antennal base, and with a shallow, darker impression along each upper eye-corner. Vertex, and upper portion of occiput, broad. Antennae shorter than the face, basoflagellomere as long as the scape, pedicel about one fifth of that length. Scape and pedicel black, basoflagellomere yellow with darker tip. Arista short, rather thickened, brown. Ocellar triangle wider than long. Eyes large, their facets nowhere enlarged, their scattered pile white, short. Facial pile very short, yellowish white, the whole occiput, and the gena, with longer, white hairs.
Thorax: whitish yellow; scutum with a large, black figure composed by three broad, connected vittae, all ending into a blunt point far in front of the scutellum. The middle vitta is the broadest and begins from the anterior margin of the mesonotum, the side vittae begin beyond the postpronotum. This black figure leaves the margins of the mesonotum broadly yellow except the anterior margin where the yellow is broadly interrupted by black. Pleurae whitish yellow; the katepisternum, and a vertical vitta on the anepisternum, blackish. Scutellum black, about twice as wide as long, and strongly thickened. Metascutum rectangular, shining black. Scutum with rather long, scattered, white hair; tip of scutellum with a few long black hairs. Legs, and their pile, mostly whitish yellow, the coxae black, the tarsi more brownish yellow; metafemora somewhat swollen, black, the base and the apex broadly yellow. Wings: hyaline, somewhat darkened by microtrichia, the veins black. Vena spuria not perceptible. Stigmal cross-vein present. Vein dm-cu recurrent, vein M1 strictly perpendicular between veins M and R4+5. Posterior margin of wing shortly pilose, longer so on the posterior margin of the large alulae. Calypter white with black margins and without fringe. Halteres white.
Abdomen: shortly oval, black with yellow markings, the lateral margins narrowly bent down. First abdominal segment yellow basally, broadly bordered with black apically. Second segment yellow; a median, truncate pyramid, not reaching the hind margin of the segment, and on either side a large, broad band reaching the lateral margin, black. Third segment black with two broad, oblique, yellow vittae continued outwards along the apical margin of the segment. The yellow vittae of the fourth segment are broad, nearly parallel and widely separated. Hypopygium rather large, shining black. Dorsum of abdomen with fine, scattered punctures each bearing a hair the colour ot which is in consonance with the ground colour. Venter yellow, with short, shining yellow pile between which
several long, black bristles are visible.
Head, thorax, abdomen and legs very light yellow with dark markings. The yellow and black pattern of the abdomen recalls that of the african Graptomyza triangulifera Bigot (Volucellini).
Body length: 4 mm.
Holotype male collected in Suriname, Zanderij-savannah (trap-capture), 13/16.8.1964 (D. C. Geijskes).
Holotype collected in a savannah near Zanderij.
