A new flower fly species of Cepa Thompson & Vockeroth (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the Valdivian evergreen forest hotspot, Chile

Abstract

The Neotropical region has a high species richness of flower flies. However, there are many known species awaiting proper description. Cepa Thompson & Vockeroth is a Neotropical genus with scattered records and few individuals collected of its three species. In the present study, a female of a new species of Cepa is described, C. simonettii Barahona-Segovia sp. nov., from the Valdivian evergreen forest representing the first record of this genus in Chile. In addition, an identification key to all known species of Cepa is provided. Morphological and biogeographic aspects of this new Cepa species are discussed, as well as the potential phylogenetic relationship with other members of Merodontini.

Present and future of the knowledge about the genus Eumerus Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae) in the Iberian Peninsula

“…Eumerus belongs to the tribe Merodontini Edwards, 1915 of the subfamily Eristalinae Newman, 1834. This tribe represents a monophyletic clade which comprises six genera in total: Azpeytia Walker, 1865, Cepa Thompson & Vockeroth, 1999(Barahona-Segovia & Barceló, 2019Thompson, 1999), Eumerus, Lyneborgimyia Doczkal & Pape, 2009, Megatrigon Johnson, 1898, Merodon Meigen, 1803and Platynochaetus Wiedemann, 1830(Doczkal & Pape, 2009Doczkal et al, 2016). Nevertheless, it should be noted that Doczkal and Pape did not include the genus Cepa in their revision of the Merodontini (Doczkal & Pape, 2009).…”

New record of Cepa apeca (Diptera, Syrphidae, Eristalinae, Merodontini) in the Andean-Amazonian region of Colombia and expansion of its geographic range

“…Cepa margarita is present in the Serra do Mar coastal forests ecoregion at 768 m.a.s.l. in Brazil, while Cepa simonettii is known from the Valdivian temperate forests ecoregion in Chile at 47 m.a.s.l., and it has been restricted to the Valdivian evergreen forest hotspot, an ecosystem with Nothofagus trees and hygrophilous vegetation (Barahona-Segovia and Barceló 2019).…”

“…Cepa Thompson & Vockeroth, 1999 (Eristalinae: Merodontini) is an endemic Neotropical genus of small and robust flies of around 6 mm in length, with a distinctly metallic coloration and punctuated body pattern, concave face, a not greatly pronounced frontal prominence (see Figure 2 in Thompson 2007), with an elongated basoflagellomere that is more than twice as long as the scape and pedicel together, a short scape and the vein M 1 directed towards the apex of the wing (Thompson 1999;2007;Thompson et al 2010;Miranda 2017). Cepa is very rare in collections, with nine known specimens belonging to four described species, exclusively known from female specimens: Cepa alex Thompson, 1999 (Brazil and Paraguay); Cepa apeca Thompson, 2007 (Costa Rica); Cepa margarita Thompson, 1999 (Brazil) and Cepa simonettii Barahona-Segovia, 2019 (Chile) (Thompson 2007;Barahona-Segovia and Barceló 2019). The knowledge of the biology and ecology of adults and immatures is still incipient.…”

“…The knowledge of the biology and ecology of adults and immatures is still incipient. Individuals of Cepa were collected in lowland areas of tropical and subtropical forests, as well as temperate forests (Thompson 1999;2007;Thompson et al 2010;Barahona-Segovia and Barceló 2019).…”

“…All collected specimens were brought to the Entomology Laboratory of Universidad de la Amazonía, where the specimen of C. apeca was sorted, sexed, and identified to genus level using the keys proposed by Thompson (2007), Thompson et al (2010), andMiranda (2017). The species was identified with the keys of Thompson (2007) and Barahona-Segovia and Barceló (2019). Morphological chracteristics were observed with an Olympus SZ2-ILST stereomicroscope.…”