''Sphegina guptai'' is a species of hoverfly in the family Syrphidae found in India. It's similar to '' S. elegans'' in general appearance and characters of the male genitalia. It differs from known Oriental species of

Sphegina ''Sphegina'' is a genus of small, slender hoverflies. They are widespread throughout Eurasia and North America. In flight they seem to have long hind legs which they often carry hanging down, making them resemble sphecid or ichneumonid wasps. A ...

by the shiny black abdomen with widened terga III and IV. Only '' S. quadrisetae'' has a somewhat similar appearance.

Description

In male specimens, the body length is 5.2 millimeters and wing length is 4.6 millimeters. Male genitalia is long, curved, widening towards the apex surstylus with subapical ventral sublobe. The face is yellow and concave with a weakly developed frontal prominence. The gena and mouth edge are yellow; occiput brown with soft, light yellow hairs; antenna dark brown, with black setae dorsally on scape and pedicel; thorax black; scutellum dark brown and subtriangular; proleg yellow; protarsus yellow with tarsomeres four and five dark brown; metaleg dark brown with basal half of the metafemur yellow, very weakly incrassate; tibia dark brown and yellow biannulate, slightly club shaped, without apicoventral dens, basal

tarsomere The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments (called podomeres) are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: ''coxa'' (meaning hip, plur ...

thin. A narrow fascia posterior of the lunula is non-pollinose and shiny. The basal flagellomere is squarish and the

arista Arista may refer to: Organizations *Arista Networks, a software defined networking company *Arista Records, an American record label, division of Sony Music **Arista Nashville, a record label specializing in country music *Arista (honor society) ...

is about three times as long as the basal flagellomere and covered in long, soft hairs. Female specimens are much the same except for normal sexual dimorphism; the body length is 5.7 millimeters and wing length is 5.7 millimeters. The ventral half of the face and mouth edge are yellow, as well as the postpronotum. The basal flagellomere is round and as wide as it is long; the arista is about three times as long as the basal flagellomere and covered in long, soft hairs.

References

Brachyopini Insects described in 1998 Diptera of Asia {{Brachyopini-stub