Paragus (Pandasyopthalmus) megacercus Tot, Vujic et Radenkovic 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Tot, Tamara
name: Radenković, Snežana
name: Nedeljković, Zorica
name: Likov, Laura
name: Vujić, Ante
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Syrphidae
Paragus
Paragus megacercus

description: Paragus (Pandasyopthalmus) megacercus Tot, Vujić et Radenković sp. nov.
Figs 5, 6, 7B
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F73D88A0-75CA-4008-AA8A-4C078BB4B144
Type material. HOLOTYPE: Republic of South Africa, ♂, pinned. Original label: “ RSA, Kwazulu–Natal Province, Drakensberg Mountain, Gardens Castle, 29°44’51.039”S, 29°12’28.944”E, 1900 m a.s.l., 12.ii.2016, leg. Vujić (ZA2_095, FSUNS)”.
Diagnosis. Eyes uniformly pilose (typical of subgenus Pandasyopthalmus), covered with dense white pile as long as diameter of posterior ocellus and narrowly separated by a length of three ommatidia (Fig. 7B). Face with less pronounced tubercle. Spurious vein ends before the meeting point of vein M and the discal cross-vein (Fig. 5B). Tarsi dorsally black, except for yellow meso- and metabasotarsomere, ventrally yellow except for fifth tarsomere (Fig. 5A). Abdomen elongated, about 3 times longer than wide. Tergum 2 with long white pile at lateral margins. Sterna shiny black, covered with long white wavy-tipped pile. In male terminalia, the cerci are enlarged, 5.9 times longer than the narrowest medial part of the epandrium in dorsal view, covered with a short dense and yellow pubescence and very long wavy-tipped yellow pile (Figs 6 A–B). Surstylus small, tapering towards the apex (Fig. 6A). Paramere relatively small, dorsal and ventral margins sub-parallel (Fig. 6D). Ejaculatory apodeme large, umbrella-like (Fig. 6E). Based on the shape of its hypandrium, Paragus megacercus sp. nov. is most similar to Paragus haemorrhous Meigen, 1822 (Figs 10 K–L). The enlarged cerci distinguish this species from all other known members of the genus.
Description. MALE. Body length 6.1 mm, wing length 4.4 mm. Head (Figs 5 A–B, 7B). Eyes covered with white, uniformly distributed pile, as long as diameter of posterior ocellus; eyes narrowly separated by a length of about three ommatidia (Fig. 7B); antenna black; basoflagellomere 2.8 times longer than wide, with rounded apex; arista bare, dark brown; face yellow except black medial vitta extending from the oral margin to the tubercle, dense- ly covered with yellow pile; frontal triangle yellow with yellow pile except for some black pile at the base of lunule; vertical triangle mostly shiny black, but yellowish pollinose anterior to anterior ocellus, covered with predominantly black pile, except yellow pile on the area posterior to ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle equilateral with black pile; occiput narrow, whitish pollinose, covered with yellow pile. Thorax (Fig. 5). Scutum black, covered with yellow pile; pile just behind the postpronotum yellow, wavy-tipped and longer than pile on the other parts of scutum; scutel- lum covered with yellow pile; pleuron black, whitish pollinose except ventral part of katepisternum; anepisternum and dorsal part of katepisternum with patch of long, dense, white pile; anepimeron with some yellow wavy-tipped pile; wing hyaline, covered with microtrichia, except for some bare areas in cells C, SC, R, BM, CuP and alula; stigma dark brown; spurious vein ending before the meeting point of vein M with discal cross-vein; calypter whit- ish; pedicel of halter brown, capitulum yellow; coxae and trochanters black; femora predominantly yellow, pro- and mesofemora black in basal 1/4; pro- and mesotibiae yellow, metatibia with dark medial ring; tarsi dorsally black, except yellow meso- and metabasotarsomere, ventrally yellow except fifth tarsomere. Abdomen (Fig. 5). Shiny black, elongated, about 3 times longer than wide; terga black, with white pile on the anterior 1/4 and black adpressed pile on the posterior 3/4; tergum 2 with long white pile on lateral margins; terga 3 and 4 with a pair of poorly visible silver pollinose maculae; sterna shiny black, covered with long white wavy-tipped pile. Terminalia (Fig. 6). Cerci extraordinarily large, covered with short yellow pubescence and long dense, yellow, wavy-tipped pile (Figs 6 A–B); surstylus small, tapering to the apex (Fig. 6A); hypandrium on Figs 6 C–D; paramere relatively small with sub-paral- lel dorsal and ventral margins (Fig. 6D); ejaculatory apodeme distally with large umbrella-like cap (Fig. 6E).
FEMALE. Unknown.
Etymology. The name ʻ megacercus ʼ (mega is derived from the ancient Greek word ʻ megas ʼ meaning ʻlargeʼ) refers to the extraordinarily large cerci of the male terminalia.
Distribution. Republic of South Africa, Drakensberg Mountains (Fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Tot, Tamara, Radenković, Snežana, Nedeljković, Zorica, Likov, Laura & Vujić, Ante, 2020, Descriptions of two new species of the genus Paragus Latreille (Diptera: Syrphidae) with a key to males of all South African species, pp. 341-355 in Zootaxa 4780 (2) on pages 346-349, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4780.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/3842534