[Syrphidae] determination of Syrphids from Irian Jaya

[Kumar Ghorpade]

Just seen this message.  As the others have mentioned your images are of two beautiful Graptomyza (Volucellini) species.  Most certainly they are undescribed species.  Andrew has published papers on this genus and may best be able to work your specimens (how many are there ?) to correct identities. 
   Ximo & Chris’ New Guinea (western; Indonesia) checklist needs to be checked by me but I see many errors!  The map shows what is known as Irian Jaya (NOT Papua)  which part of New Guinea island (the mind invokes A.R. Wallace !) is least well surveyed.  The syrphid on the flower on their webpage  is an Asarkina species; A. salviae listed from this area is certainly incorrect, as are other currently “lumped” Syrphini species like Betasyrphus serarius and Sphaerophoria macrogaster. 
    Hurried original descriptions of  such ‘new’ species in rare genera from poorly researched areas is counterproductive, as Darlington had emphasized in the 1970s.  Andrew Whitington is an expert on, and is interested in reviewing Oriental Graptomyza, and in my considered opinion, should be sent material of this very interesting but poorly sampled genus by all who have them, for a good revisionary monograph by him.
    The Oriental—Papuan region has many such gems of the forest still not captured, and yet unknown.  With Chris and Ximo I am trying to revise the Syrphini genera and hopefully will then go on to work the Eristalinae too.   
     One cautionary point:  nowadays this “ID by Images” hocus-pocus  is making our serious taxonomic research a bloody joke!  Besides the two images (badly curated, pointed specimens with wings and legs not spread out properly for characters to be clearly observed) and “New Guinea” Libor Mazanek, we have absolutely NO other data !  Some palaeogene species are highly restricted in their overall distribution and telling us just New Guinea is like a Palaearctic specimen being said to have come “from Europe” !  Please consider the logic. 
      Beautiful Graptomyza’s though, and the sight of such pretty hover-flies makes life worth living. . .a little more !  Thanks very much for the “peep-show.”

Dr Kumar Ghorpade, B.Sc.(Agri.), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Entomol.). 
Smithsonian Institution (U.S.A.) Postdoctoral Fellow (1982-1983) researching Oriental Syrphidae, Sciomyzidae and Ephydridae (Diptera). 
Currently: Post-Graduate Teacher & Research Associate in Systematic Entomology, Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Krishi Nagar, Dharwar 580 005, Karnataka (INDIA). 
Postal address: P.O. Box 221, K.C. Park Post Office, Dharwar 580 008, INDIA. 

--- On Wed, 24/11/10, Libor Mazánek <syrphidae at centrum.cz> wrote:


From: Libor Mazánek <syrphidae at centrum.cz>
Subject: [Syrphidae] Ask for determination of Syrphids from Papua new Guinea
To: syrphidae at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
Date: Wednesday, 24 November, 2010, 3:06 AM





Dear all,
my colleague ask me for determination or if I know somebody who is able to determine the two specimens of Syrphidae from Papua New Guinea. Please, is anybody able to determine genera or species of Syrphidae on attached two photos? For me these flies are still too exotic.
With best regards from the Czech Republic
Libor Mazánek
 
 
 
 

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