﻿SOME ALASKAN SYRPHID FLIES — FLUKE 45 



METASYRPHUS ARCUATUS (Fallen) 



Scdcva arrudtus Fatxen, Diptera Sveciae, Syrphici, p. 42, 1817. 



Si/rphus venuHius Mkigkn, Syst. liesohr., vol. 3, p. 299, 1822. 



Mctasyrphus i-cnustns Fluke, Trans. Wisconsin Acad. Sci. Arts and Letters, 



vol. 28, p. 112, 1933. 

 Syriihus arcuatus Soot-Ryen, Ent. Tidskrift, Argang 67, p. 195, 1946. 

 Syrphella arcuata Goffe, Ent. Monthly Mag., vol. 83, p. 196, 1947. 



This species has been recorded in North America under the well- 

 known name of venustus Meigen. There are five females and one male 

 from Alaska. The American specimens do not seem to differ in any 

 way from European material. 



METASYRPHUS LUNDBECKI (Soot-Ryen) 



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Syrphus arcuatus Lundbeck (nee Fallen) , Diptera Danica, pt. 5, p. 311, 1916. 

 Syrphus lundbecki Soot-Ryen, Ent. Tidskrift, Argang 67, p. 195, 1946. 



After many years of misidentification of Fallen's species arcuatus, 

 Soot-Ryen examined the type series, which contained five specimens 

 representing three species, two males and three females. Soot-Ryen 

 selected the only nearly perfect male as type for arcuatus, but this 

 specimen unfortunately is conspecific with the species that is generally 

 known as S. venustus Meigen, 1822. Accordingly, a new name was 

 needed for Lundbeck's arcuatus, and Soot-Ryen chose limdbechi, with 

 a male specimen from Copenhagen as type, Lundbeck's original 

 description serving as the diagnosis. 



One male and eight females included in the Alaskan material fit 

 Lundbeck's description almost exactly : Puffed face and front of the 

 male, heavy black pile on the front, enlarged facets of the eyes, and 

 nearly straight third longitudinal vein. The character of the hairy 

 metasternum should be added to the original diagnosis. 



The abdominal spots on the second tergite on the male do not reach 

 the side margins, and the hind femora of the female are black on the 

 basal half to two-thirds. These minor differences do not seem 

 important enough to suggest even a subspecific name for the Alaskan 

 material. 



Genus SPHAEROPHORIA Lepeletier and Serville 



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Two species have been recorded from Alaska: S. sulphurises 

 Coquillett (1900) and 8. cyUndnca Malloch (1919). The present col- 

 lection contains 51 specimens, 26 of which belong to S. robusta Curran 

 and 25 to S. nigritarsi Fluke. Most of the specimens are females that 

 are quite difficult to separate. Both species possess the continuous 



