A conspectus of New Zealand flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of a new genus and species
Author
Thompson, Christian
text
Zootaxa
2008
1716
1
20
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.181009
c70896b6-ffba-4d44-95b9-62d9a262c2ab
1175-5326
181009
Anu
Thompson
, gen. nov.
Type-species:
Anu una
Thompson
,
sp. nov.
Small slender flies. Length:
5–6 mm
.
Head
: Face straight, with distinct medial tubercle, yellow, with or without black medial vitta; oral opening about 1.5 times as long as broad; gena narrow; front not swollen, with slightly divergent side dorsally in female; antennal sockets confluent; eye bare, holoptic in male, with eye contiguity as long as ocellar triangle; antenna short, with basoflagellomere oval; arista long, about as long as antenna.
Thorax
: Mesonotum yellow laterally from postpronotum (humerus) to transverse suture; scutellum slightly concave apicomedially so that subscutellum is visible dorsally; subscutellar fringe absent; anterior anepisternum bare; katepisternal pile patches broadly separated throughout; metasternum bare; metathoracic pile patch absent; postmetacoxal bridge absent; legs simple; plumula simple, short. WING: hyaline, extensively microtrichose; vein R4+5 straight; vein M1 (apical crossvein) oblique, slightly sinuous; alula narrow, about as wide as cell CuP.
Abdomen
: 1st tergum divided into lateral plates by membranous medial area; without marginal sulcus; male with terga 2-4 broadly membranous apicomedially, so abdomen is bent apicodorsally. Male genitalia: surstyles asymmemtric; lingula absent; paramere free; aedeagus two-segmented.
Etymology
:
Anu
is an arbitrary combination of letters and is to be treated as masculine.
Comparative diagnosis
:
Anu
is distinguished from all other
Syrphidae
by the male terga reduced apicomedially so that the abdomen may be bent into an apicodorsal curve (almost always in dead specimens); the 1st tergum is divided into lateral plates as the medial area is entirely membranous; and the scutellum is concave apicomedially with the subscutellum greatly produced so as to be visible dorsally. In the last key to the genera of Syrphini (
Vockeroth 1969
),
Anu
runs to couplet #24. The statement about the scutellum in couplet #21 should be ignored; otherwise
Anu
agrees well with the rest of the first alternative.
Anu
is distinguished from both
Exallandra
and
Sphaerophoria
by the unique apotypic characters listed above. In appearance and behavior
Anu una
is related to
Sphaerophoria
.
Anu una
looks like and acts like a small
Sphaerophoria
species.
Anu
, along with
Exallandra
,
Giluwea
and
Sphaerophoria
(including
Loveridgeana
) probably form a monophyletic group characterized by yellow mesonotal vitta, loss or reduced subscutellar fringe, loss or reduced lingula, bare or reduced metasternal pile, and
Anu
is probably the sister to
Giluwea
as their genitalia are most similar (both have asymmetric surstyli).