Vol. 5, p. 79-82. April 7 1924. 



Occasional Papers 



OF THE 



Boston Society of Natural History. 



NEW SPECIES OF SYRPHIDAE. 1 



BY C. HOWARD CURRAN. 



Syrphinae. 



Syrphus johnsoni, sp. nov. 

 Belongs to the americanus-nitens group; the spots on the second segment 

 reach broadly forward to the anterior angles of the segment, the two following 

 bands broadly separated from the lateral margins and practically straight, not 

 bi-concave in front as in Syrphus nitens. Differs from Syrphus opinator O. S. 

 in having the lower lobe of the squamae without pile. 



Male. — Length, 9 mm. Face reddish yellow, dulled by pale yellowish pollen,, 

 the jowls, cheeks, broad oral margin and broad facial stripe, which is well 

 separated from the base of the antennae, shining black. Facial pile black. 

 In profile the face is gently concave above, almost perpendicular to the apex 

 of the tubercle, sharply retreating below the tubercle to the not prominent 

 oral tip. Frontal triangle shining black, the orbits yellow pollinose, pile mod- 

 erately long, black. The frontal triangle is gently convex. Vertical triangle 

 black, black pilose, a little prominent, slightly longer than broad. Occiput 

 opaque black, the orbits grayish pollinose; pile whitish, slightly yellowish 

 above, the cilia black. Antennae reddish; second joint above, the third above 

 and on apex, broadly brown. Arista brown, gradually tapering. 



Thorax brassy black, with yellow or reddish-yellow pile. Scutellum pale 

 yellow with bluish opalescence, its base narrowly black, the pile wholly black. 



Posterior legs black, the apex of the femora and base of the tibiae reddish 

 yellow; front four legs reddish yellow, the basal third of their femora and last 

 four joints of the middle tarsi black. All the long hairs on the legs are black. 



Wings hyaline, stigma pale yellow; the third vein ends in the tip of the wing. 

 Squamae whitish, the upper lobe slightly tinged with brown, the border and 

 fringe pale yellow. Halteres yellow. 



Abdomen opaque or sub-opaque black, with three broad reddish-yellow 

 fasciae, the first broadly interrupted, the others entire; first segment wholly, 

 the entire side margin's, narrow apex of the second, broad apices of the two 

 following, and whole of the fifth segment shining black. The yellow spots on 

 the second segment lie mostly behind the middle, are triangularly oval, their 

 small end inward, their outer end produced broadly forward almost to the 

 base of the segment. Band on the third segment separated from the front 

 margin by one-third its width, its anterior margin almost straight but a small 

 triangle projects forward in the middle; behind there is a broad triangular 

 black, median angulation, the band slightly wider laterally, its outer ends 

 obliquely truncate. Band on fourth segment similar, but slightly narrow, its 

 outer ends more oblique. Apex of fourth segment rather broadly reddish; a 



1 Contribution from the Division of Systematic Entomology, Entomological 

 Branch, Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Canada. 



