Ceratophya scolopus

Ceratophya scolopus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Flies
Suborder:	Aschiza
Family:	Syrphidae
Subfamily:	Microdontinae
Genus:	Ceratophya
Species:	C. scolopus
Binomial name
Ceratophya scolopus Shannon, 1927

Diagnosis

This species is unique among Ceratophya - species in the presence of a strong basoventral tooth on the first tarsomeres of all tarsi. Furthermore, it's the only known Ceratophya - species with an almost black abdomen (except for the yellow posterior margin of tergite 4). Notes. When Shannon (1927) described this species, he mentioned the similarity in general appearance to the stingless-bee mimics which he described in the subgenus Ubristes. Nonetheless, he did not place it in Ubristes, as Thompson et al. (1976) did. Examination of the type revealed that it has all the characters of the genus Ceratophya. The specimen is a little dirty and greasy, so colours and pilosity are not always easy to assess.

Distribution

Neotropical: Amazon

REFERENCES

• Reemer, Menno, 2013, Taxonomic exploration of Neotropical Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) mimicking stingless bees, pp. 1-88 in Zootaxa 3697 (1) on pages 49-51

• Shannon, R.C. 1927. A review of the South American two-winged flies of the family Syrphidae. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 70(9)[2658], 34 p.