<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Just seen this message.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>As the others have mentioned your images are of two beautiful <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Graptomyza </I>(Volucellini) species.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Most certainly they are undescribed species.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Andrew has published papers on this genus and may best be able to work your specimens (how many are there ?) to correct identities. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Ximo & Chris’ </SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="COLOR: black">New Guinea</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> (western; </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Indonesia</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="COLOR: black">) checklist needs to be checked by me but I see many errors!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The map shows what is known as Irian Jaya (NOT Papua)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>which part of </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="COLOR: black">New Guinea</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> island (the mind invokes A.R. Wallace !) is
least well surveyed.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The syrphid on the flower on their webpage<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>is an <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Asarkina </I>species; <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">A. salviae</I> listed from this area is certainly incorrect, as are other currently “lumped” Syrphini species like <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Betasyrphus serarius</I> and <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Sphaerophoria macrogaster. </I><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Hurried original descriptions of <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>such ‘new’ species in rare genera from poorly researched areas is counterproductive, as </SPAN><st1:place><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Darlington</SPAN></st1:place><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> had emphasized in the 1970s.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Andrew Whitington is an expert on, and is interested in reviewing Oriental <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Graptomyza, </I>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.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Oriental—Papuan region has many such gems of the forest still not captured, and yet unknown.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>With Chris and Ximo I am trying to revise the Syrphini genera and hopefully will then go on to work the Eristalinae too.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>One cautionary point:<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>nowadays this “ID by Images” hocus-pocus <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>is making our serious taxonomic research a bloody joke!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Besides the two images (badly curated, pointed specimens with wings and legs not spread out properly for characters to be clearly observed) and “</SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN style="COLOR: black">New Guinea</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="COLOR: black">” Libor Mazanek, we have absolutely NO other data !<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some palaeogene species are highly restricted in their overall distribution and telling us just </SPAN><st1:country-region><st1:place><SPAN
style="COLOR: black">New Guinea</SPAN></st1:place></st1:country-region><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> is like a Palaearctic specimen being said to have come “from </SPAN><st1:place><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Europe</SPAN></st1:place><SPAN style="COLOR: black">” !<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Please consider the logic. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Beautiful <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Graptomyza</I>’s </SPAN>though, and the sight of such pretty hover-flies makes life worth living. . .a little more !<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Thanks very much for the “peep-show.”</FONT></FONT></DIV><BR><BR><FONT face="times new roman"><STRONG>Dr Kumar Ghorpade</STRONG>, B.Sc.(Agri.), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Entomol.). <BR>Smithsonian Institution (U.S.A.) Postdoctoral Fellow (1982-1983) researching Oriental Syrphidae, Sciomyzidae and Ephydridae (Diptera). <BR><STRONG>Currently:</STRONG> Post-Graduate Teacher & Research Associate in Systematic Entomology, Department of Agricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Krishi Nagar, Dharwar 580
005, Karnataka (INDIA). <BR><STRONG>Postal address:</STRONG> P.O. Box 221, K.C. Park Post Office, Dharwar 580 008, INDIA.</FONT><FONT face=verdana> </FONT><BR><BR>--- On <B>Wed, 24/11/10, Libor Mazánek <I><syrphidae@centrum.cz></I></B> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid"><BR>From: Libor Mazánek <syrphidae@centrum.cz><BR>Subject: [Syrphidae] Ask for determination of Syrphids from Papua new Guinea<BR>To: syrphidae@lists.nottingham.ac.uk<BR>Date: Wednesday, 24 November, 2010, 3:06 AM<BR><BR>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear all,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>With best regards from the Czech Republic</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Libor Mazánek</FONT></DIV>
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