NEW DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORDS AND ANNOTATED KEYS OF HOVER FLIES (INSECTA: DIPTERA: SYRPHIDAE) FROM HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA

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1 J. Adv. Zool. 2016: 37(1): ISSN NEW DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORDS AND ANNOTATED KEYS OF HOVER FLIES (INSECTA: DIPTERA: SYRPHIDAE) FROM HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA Jayita Sengupta 1, Atanu Naskar 1, Aniruddha Maity 1 *, Surajit Hazra 1 and Dhriti Banerjee 1. 1 Diptera Section, Zoological Survey of India, M Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, INDIA *Corresponding author: Aniruddha Maity, Diptera Section, Zoological Survey of India, ID: armzool2007@gmail.com ABSTRACT : Hoverflies (Insecta: Diptera: Syrphidae) is one of the major pollinating group of insects, our present study includes the distribution of hoverflies from the state of Himachal Pradesh, it was the first extensive and throughout survey in this state. In which altogether 49 species of Syrphidae under 27 genera and 9 tribes have been reported from this state including literature sources. Out of which 6 species have been recorded for the first time from this state, our current work includes the taxonomic description of these newly recorded species along with pictorial plates. In this work we have included the latest synonimisation and sub genus status as well as we have included the current nomenclature pattern. KEYWORDS: Syrphidae; New records; Taxonomy; Distribution; Himachal Pradesh INTRODUCTION Syrphid flies are commonly known as hover flies or flower flies 12. The adults of many species are reported to feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) are aphidophagous 47. Larvae of hover flies are known to exhibit variation in their feeding habit too 3. Commonly hoverflies are distinguished from other flies by a spurious vein, located parallel to the fourth longitudinal wing vein 44. Many flower fly species have been found to unveil Batesian mimicry 10. The size and colour as well as flying pattern of hoverflies are found to vary, depending on the species 11, J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1) Syrphidae family is known to exhibit cosmopolitan distribution, i.e. they are reported to occur in most biomes, except in deserts and tundra at extremely high altitudes, and in Antarctica 15. About 6,008 species under 199 genera of syrphid flies belong to 3 subfamilies namely Eristalinae, Microdontinae and Syrphinae are known to the worldwide 14, 37. Among them 352 species of 69 genera are currently recorded in India 23. Most of the available literatures were focussed mainly on the geographic distribution and occurrence of Syrphidae in southern and northern region of India. The

2 work on this family was initiated by Fabricius followed by Herve-Bazin 3, Bhatia 4, De Silva 12, Coe 11, Nayar 36, Joseph 25, Dues and Laska 13, Parui 39, Mengual 28, Ghorpade 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, Knutson 26, Mercedes 29 and Wolda 48 while there were several recent studies focussing on syrphid fauna in the North-Eastern region of India (Mukherjee & Parui 35 ; Mitra 31 ; Mengual 28 ), whereas very few literatures were available on hover flies of north-western region 24, 30, 33, 34, 36, 39. Geographical position and the subsequent development of a temperate region s climatic pattern in such area of a tropical country might influence the distribution pattern of flora and fauna of this region 22. The western Himalayan region of India has evolved as one of the major biodiversity rich area of the world. For the present study, Himachal Pradesh was selected as a representative study area of this potential species rich region. Himachal Pradesh is spreaded over 21,495 sq. mile (55,670 sq. km). This state as a part of north-western Himalaya, known for its unique climatic pattern, as well as for its diverse vegetation & topography. Though this region is remarkably recognized for being the habitat of many syrphid species 9, 17, the data on Indian Syrphidae from this region was not sufficiently updated 5, 28. Because there was no consolidated information on syrphid fauna from this region. Despite their wide distribution pattern and vast economic importance, this family of Dipteran fauna was less studied especially in Himachal Pradesh state of North-western Himalaya. Present study is therefore aimed at enriching the knowledge on syrphid fauna from the State of Himachal Pradesh. This study thus may provide an insight into the pollination biology of this important group of fauna in future as well as modern taxonomic approach may serve as important tool for their easy identification. MATERIALS & METHODS a. Study area Out of 12, 11 districts of Himachal Pradesh were surveyed properly which were projected as essential part of North- Western region of India. The districts are namely - Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, Una, Chamba, Lahaul and Spiti, Sirmaur, Kinnaur, Kullu, Solan and Shimla, while Kinnaur could not be surveyed due to the natural calamity in Uttarakhand in June The surveyed region lies between 31 6ʹ North to 30 7ʹ North Latitude and 77 10ʹ East to 76 15ʹ East Longitude. The present study is total outcome of three consecutive surveys, those were conducted in the state of Himachal Pradesh during the period of b. Sampling of specimens A three year field study was conducted from March 2010 to July 2013, by the team of Diptera Section, Zoological Survey of India. Adult flies were collected using 33 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

3 aerial net sweeps above and around the grassland, flowers plant etc. by following the method of Arroyo 1 and Nayar 36 later modified by Barry 2 and Mitra 32, by using malaise trap, pan trap and placed in killing jar containing cotton soaked with ether as narcotizing agent. All specimens were labelled based on days, time and date the specimen were collected. The specimens were later carried back to the laboratory, mounted on insect pins and kept in the collection box for further identification. c. Identification of specimens: Identification of the adults were performed following the keys of Brunetti 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, Mengual 27, 28, Reemer 40, Thompson 44, 45, Vockeroth 47 and description by Brunetti 8, Mukherjee 35, Reuters 41 keeping in mind the recent nomenclatural changes 37, 38. All the identified specimens were deposited in the designated repository of National Zoological Collection, Diptera section, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. The photograph of habitus and insect body parts were taken by using Leica Microscope M205A, where 0.32x Acro lens and PLANAPO 1.0X lenses were used for Habitus photography and photography of body parts respectively. For field photography purpose, Nikon D7000 camera (Normal and macro nikkor lens) was used. RESULTS A total of 8920 syrphid specimens were collected during study period, and identified as 49 species under 27 genera, nine tribes, and three subfamilies (Syrphinae, Eristalinae and Microdontinae). Out of which six species, namely Asarkina (Asarkina) ericetorum (Fabricius, 1781); Chrytoxum convexum Brunetti, 1915; Paragus (Paragus) serratus (Fabricius, 1805); Eristalinus (Eristalinus) megacephalus (Rossi, 1794); Eristalinus (Eristalinus) quinquestriatus (Fabricius, 1794) and Syritta indica (Wiedemann, 1824) are newly recorded from this state. Taxonomic accounts with diagnostic characters of newly recorded species of hover flies are provided with the addition of annotated pictorial key for their identification. 34 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

4 Sub Family Tribe SYRPHINI SYRPHINAE I. Genus Asarkina Macquart Asarkina (Asarkina) ericetorum (Fabricius, 1781) II. Genus Betasyrphus Matsumura Betasyrphus serarius (Wiedemann, 1830) III. Genus Dasysyrphus Enderlein Dasysyrphus orsua (Walker, 1852) IV. Genus Episyrphus Matsumura & Adachi Episyrphus(Episyrphus) balteatus (De Geer, 1776) V. Genus Eupeodes Osten Sacken Eupeodes (Metasyrphus) latifasciatus (Macquart, 1829) 6. Eupeodes (Metasyrphus) luniger (Meigen, 1822) VI. Genus Ischiodon Sack Ischiodon scutellaris (Fabricius, 1805) VII. Genus Melangyna Verrall Melangyna (Melangyna)remota Brunetti, 1923 VIII. Genus Scaeva Fabricius Scaeva latimaculata (Brunetti, 1923) 10. Scaeva selenitica (Meigen, 1822) IX. Genus Sphaerophoria Lepeletier & Serville Sphaerophoria (Sphaerophoria) bengalensis Macquart, Sphaerophoria(Sphaerophoria scripta) indiana Bigot, 1884 X. Genus Syrphus Fabricius J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

5 13. Syrphus (Syrphus) fulvifacies Brunetti, Syrphus (Syrphus )torvus Osten Sacken, 1875 XI. Genus Chrysotoxum Meigen Chrytoxum antiquum Walker, Chrytoxum convexum Brunetti, 1915 Tribe BACCHINI XII. Genus Baccha Fabricius Baccha maculata Walker, 1852 XIII. Genus Meliscaeva Frey Meliscaeva tribeni Nayar, 1968 XIV. Genus Melanostoma Schiner Melanostoma orientale (Wiedemann, 1824) 20. Melanostoma univittatum (Wiedemann, 1824) XV. Genus Platycheirus Lepeletier & Serville Platycheirus (Platycheirus) albimanus (Fabricius, 1781) 22. Platycheirus (Platycheirus) ambiguus (Fallen, 1817) XVI. Tribe PARAGINI Genus Paragus Sub genus Pandasyopthalmus Stuckenberg Paragus (Pandasyopthalmus) politus Wiedemann, Paragus (Pandasyophthalmus) tibialis (Fallen, 1817) Sub genus Paragus Latreille Paragus(Paragus) bicolor Fabricius, Paragus (Paragus) serratus (Fabricius, 1805) 36 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

6 Subfamily MICRODONTINAE Tribe MICRODONTINI XVII. Genus Microdon Meigen Microdon (Microdon) annandalei Brunetti, Sub family ERISTALINAE Tribe Brachyopini XVIII. Genus Myolepta Newman Myolepta (Myolepta) himalayana Brunetti, 1915 XIX. Genus Sphegina Meigen Sphegina (Sphegina) tricoloripes 30. Brunetti, 1915 Tribe RHINGIINI XX. Genus Cheilosia Meigen Cheilosia nigroaenea Brunetti, 1915 XXI. Genus Rhingia Scopoli Rhingia (Rhingia) laticincta Brunetti, 1907 Tribe ERISTALINI XXII. Genus Eristalinus Rondani 1845 Sub genus Eristalinus Rondani Eristalinus (Eristalinus) megacephalus (Rossi,1794) 34. Eristalinus (Eristalinus) quinquestriatus (Fabricius, 1794) Sub genus Eristalodes Mik Eristalinus (Eristalodes) paria (Bigot, 1880) XXIII. Genus Eristalis Latreille 1804 Sub genus Eoseristalis Kanervo Eristalis (Eoseristalis) albibasis Bigot, Eristalis (Eoseristalis) cerealis Fabricius, J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

7 38. Eristalis (Eoseristalis) himalayensis Brunetti, 1908 Sub genus Eristalis Latreille Eristalis (Eristalis) tenax (Linnaeus, 1758) XXIV. Genus Mesembrius Rondani Mesembrius (Mesembrius) bengalensis (Wiedemann, 1819) 41. Mesembrius (Mesembrius) quadrivittatus (Wiedemann, 1819) Tribe MERODONTINI XXV. Genus Eumerus Meigen Eumerus aeneithorax Brunetti, Eumerus halictoides Brunetti, Eumerus perpensus Brunetti, Eumerus perplexus Brunetti, 1917 Tribe MILESINI XXVI. Genus Syritta Lepeletier & Serville Syritta indica (Wiedemann, 1824) 47. Syritta orientalis Macquart, Syritta pipiens (Linneaus, 1758) XXVII. Genus Xylota Meigen Xylota (Xylota) nursei Brunetti, J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

8 Subfamily SYRPHINAE Tribe SYRPHINI I. Genus Asarkina Macquart 1834 [figure 1(i)- 1(ii)] Asarkina Macquart, Dipt. Exot.2(2): 77(137) Type- species:scaeva rostrata Wiedemann 1. Asarkina (Asarkina) ericetorum (Fabricius, 1781) =Asarkina formosae Bezzi, 1908 =Asarkina typica Bezzi, 1908 =Asarkina usambarensis Bezzi, 1908 =Didea diaphana Doleschall, 1857 =Didea macquarti Doleschall, 1857 =Syrphus incisuralis Macquart, Syrphus ericetorumfabricius, Spec. Ins.2:425 Material examined: 1 (Registration no: 14119/H6), Baluri, Solan district, 1454 mt; 30 54'16.15"N; 77 5'48.25"E; 04.iv.11, coll: D.Banerjee & party. Diagnosis Head: A semi-circular blackish-brown spot on upper half of antennal prominence, central bump brownish orange [figure 2(i) - 2(ii)]. Thorax: blackish thorax with orange-yellow scutellum [figure 3(i)]. Abdomen: orange-yellow abdomen, 2 nd abdominal segment with narrow black median stripe[figure 3(ii)]. Leg: yellowish legs with all hind tibiae and tarsi brownish in colour; stigma pale yellow [figure 3(i) - 3(iv)]. Wing: Wing clear with normal syrphid venation. Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh(Solan), Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Elsewhere: Africa, Australia, Fiji, Mollusccas, Nepal, New Guinea, S-E Asia. Remarks: This species is popularly known as a flower visitor; apart from this it is a new record from this State. II. Genus: Chrysotoxum Meigen, Chrysotoxum Meigen, Illig.Mag.2:275. Type species:musca bicincta Linnaeus. 2. Chrysotoxum convexum Brunetti, Chrysotoxum convexum Brunetti, Rec. Indian Mus. 11: J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

9 Material examined: 1 (Registration no: 13973/H6), Shimla, Shimla district, 2100 mt; 31 6' "N; 77 10' "E; 05.iv.11, coll: D.Banerjee & party. Diagnosis: Head: Black antennae with bare reddish brown arista; face bright yellow with broad median black stripe. Thorax: Moderately shining black thorax with broad median grey-yellow stripe on anterior surface of dorsum, scutellum bright yellowish orange on anterior surface. Abdomen: presence of two transverse elongated yellow median spots on 2 nd abdominal tergite; hind margin of segment yellowish or brownish-orange [figure 4(ii)]. Leg: fore femora yellow while other femora reddish brown, middle broadly and hind pair very narrowly black at base; tibia and tarsi both with yellowish pubescence [figure 4(iii)- 4(iv)]. Wing: grey with anterior margin narrowly brownish-yellow; halteres yellow in colour. Distribution:India: Himachal Pradesh (Shimla), Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Elsewhere: Pakistan. Remarks: This species can be identified by the typical shaped abdomen; a new record from this State. Tribe PARAGINI III. Genus:Paragus Latereille, 1804 [figure 5 (i)- 5 (ii)] Paragus Latereille, Hist.Nat.Crust.Ins, 14:259. Type species:mulio bicolor Fabricius. SubgenusParagus Latreille, Paragus (Paragus) serratus (Fabricius, 1805) Mulio serratus Fabricius, Syst. Antliat.:186 Material examined: 1 (Registration no: 14192/H6), Shimla, Shimla district, 2100 Diagnosis: Head: Frons and face orange yellow, face with a narrow brownish-black stripe, antennae blackish, lower part of second and third joints are brownishorange, Thorax: thorax shinning black with a pair of greyish median stripes, sides are shinning black with a conspicuous stripe at greyish white long pubescence mt; 31 6' "N; 77 10' "E; 05.iv.11, coll: D Banerjee & party. below humeri to sterno pleura, scutellum black and uniquely serrated, hind margin broadly yellow with about 13 teeth [figure 6 (i) 6 (ii)]. Abdomen: highly variable in coloration, 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th segments colour varying from brown or yellowish to nearly wholly black, 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th segments on 40 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

10 anterior margin with a whitish dust band on each side, sixth segment orange brown to black, pubescence white at tip [figure 6(iii)]. Leg: coxae base of fore femora, above basal half of the middle and basal three fourth of hind femora black, hind tibiae nearly brown on apical half, rest of legs orange or yellowish. Wing: clear with halteres yellowish. Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh (Shimla), Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Elsewhere: Africa, E. Malaysia, Jakarta, Java, Nepal, Pakistan, Papuya, Sri Lanka. Remarks: This species is uniquely identified by the serrated shape of scutellum apart from this it is a new record from this State. IV. Sub family ERISTALINAE Tribe ERISTALINI Genus Eristalinus Rondani 1845 [figure7] Eristalinus Rondani, Nuovi Ann. Sci. Nat. Bologna.2 (2): 453 Type species:musca sepulchralis Linnaeus Sub genus EristalinusRondani Eristalinus (Eristalinus) megacephalus (Rossi,1794) =Eristalis fasciatus Germar, 1844 =Eristalis fasciatus Meigen, 1835 =Eristalis fasciatus Meigen, 1838 =Eristalis laetus Wiedemann, 1830 =Eristalis obscuritarsis Meijere, 1908 =Eristalis pallinevris Macquart, 1842 =Eristalis quinquefasciatus Schiner, 1849 =Eristalis quinquevittatus Macquart, 1849 =Eristalis ridens Walker, 1849 =Lathyrophthalmus ishigakiensis Shiraki, Syrphusmegacephalus Rossi, Mantissa. insect. 2:3 Material examined: 1 (Registration no: 14006/H6), Kandaghat, Solan district, 1409 mt; 30 58' "N; 41 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1) 77 6' "E 06.iv.11, coll: D Banerjee & party. Diagnosis: Head: Eyes mostly bare, spotted, both antennae and arista reddish

11 yellow, later bare. Thorax: three narrow longitudinal stripes on anterior side of dorsum, scutellum honey-yellow in colour elongate- conical, large yellowish quadrate spots on anterior margin of 3 rd abdominal tergite [figure 8(ii)]. Leg: black, tip of all femora yellowish, tarsi black, pubescence of all legs yellow in colour.[figure 8 (iii)]. Wing: wings clear with yellow halteres. Distribution: (Solan). India: Himachal Pradesh [figure 8 (i)]. Abdomen: comparativelylonger and narrower; more Elsewhere:China, Egypt, Guam, Java, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan. Remarks: This species is a new record from this State apart from this it is an important pollinator of flowering plants. 5. Eristalinus (Eristalinus) quinquestriatus (Fabricius, 1794) = Syrphus quinquestriatus Fabricius, Syrphus quinquestriatus Fabricius,Ent. syst.4: 289 Material examined: 1 (Registration no: 13903/H6), Himachal Pradesh, Bahergao, Solan, 1452Mt; 30 54'16.149"N; 77 5' "E; 03.iv.11, coll: D Banerjee & party. Diagnosis: Head: Eyes spotted or irregularly marked, antennae brownish orange with bare arista, smaller vertical triangle; whole frons with dark brown hairs [figure 9 (i)].thorax: thorax with yellowish dorsum along with shining black stripes. Abdomen: comparatively shorter, ovate-conical; 4 th abdominal segment with an inverted open V mark, abdomen covered with yellow pubescence [figure 9 (ii)].leg: tarsi yellowish white nearly to tip [figure- 9 (iii)]. Wing: clear with 3 rd vein (R 4+5 ) looped downward in to 1 st posterior cell (R 5 ) Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh (Solan), Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Tribe: MILESINI Elsewhere: China, Japan and other parts of oriental region. Remarks: This species is a new record from this State, eyes of this species bear characteristic minute black dots. V. Genus Syritta Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 [figure 10 (i) 10 (ii)] Syritta Lepeletier & Serville, In Latreille, et.al. Encycl. Meth. (Lns.) 10(2): 808. Type species:musca pipiens Linnaeus, Syritta indica (Wiedemann,1824) =Syritta femorata Sack, 1913 =Syritta rufifacies Bigot, , Eumerus indica, Wiedemann, Analecta Ent. : J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

12 Material examined:1 (Registration no: 13586/H6), Himachal Pradesh, Khajjiar, Chamba, 1953 mt; 32 31'41.4"N; 76 03'34.3"E, 26.vi.12, coll: D.Banerjee & party. Diagnosis: Head: Vertical triangle elongate, orange antennae with bare blackish arista. Thorax: dull blackish with traces of two short whitish stripes on anterior margin of dorsum, flat scutellum with tiny inconspicuous bristles. Abdomen: shining black 4 th abdominal segment with Abdominal spots in male on 2 nd and 3 rd segments normally united to form two complete or unbroken bands, or at most the dividing black line is very narrow or incomplete. Leg: Basal one third to two third of hind femora is orange or pale brownish, the rest portion is blackish, dilated in shape [figure 10 (i) 10 (ii)]. Wing: clear with pale yellow halteres. Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh (Chamba), Assam. Bangalore, Madras and West Bengal. Elsewhere: Oriental region, Taiwan, Nepal, New Guinea. Remarks: This species is a new record from this State, this species can be identified by unique dilated shape of femora. DISCUSSION Our study revealed that full bloomed agricultural field might give us a more varied syrphid-fauna, where the wild forest vegetation gifted us with some interesting and unique syrphid specimens. The districts of Himachal Pradesh essentially projected a part of North-Western region where climatic extremities prevailed throughout the year 2. Despite the fact, syrphid fauna of Himachal Pradesh believed to be potentially somewhat richer in comparison to other parts of the India. The state harbours 49 species of Syrphidae belonging to 27 genera i.e. about 14.1 % of total Indian Syrphidae (49 out of 352 species), of which a total of six hover fly species is recorded for the first time from the state, viz. Asarkina (Asarkina) ericetorum (Fabricius, 1781); Chrysotoxum convexum Brunetti, 1915; Paragus (Paragus) serratus (Fabricius, 1805); Eristalinus (Eristalinus) megacephalus (Rossi,1794); Eristalinus (Eristalinus) quinquestriatus (Fabricius, 1794) and Syritta indica (Wiedemann,1824). Overall scenario indicated the absence of gender biasness i.e. both gender of the surviving species might experience equal amount of selection pressure. Present study also revealed that genera like Episyrphus Matsumura & Adachi, 1917, Eristalis Latreille, 1804 etc. have shown high level of abundance throughout the state 37. Finally, it can be concluded that the present study on hover flies established them as highly diverse group occupying almost all the varied ecological niche, similar to the findings of Nayar 36. Considering the importance of the group as a pollinator and a biological pest controller 10, this group definitely have merits through exploration and detailed study for future prospects. 43 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

13 Fig. I-VI. : Habitus photo of I: Asarkina (Asarkina) ericetorum (Fabricius, 1781); II: Chrysotoxumconvexum Brunetti,1915; III: Paragus (Paragus) serratus (Fabricius, 1805); IV: Eristalinus Society.164: J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

14 Plate 1: Figure 1(i) - 1(ii): Lateral & dorsal view of antennae of Genus Asarkina(Maccquart, 1842); Figure 2(i) - 2(ii): Dorsal & Lateral view of antennae of Asarkina (Asarkina) ericetorum ((Fabricius, 1781). 45 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

15 Plate 2: Figure 3(i) - 3(iv): Dorsal view of thorax; dorsal view of abdomen; lateral view of fore leg; lateral view of tarsi. 46 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

16 Plate 3: Figure 4(i)- 4(iv): Lateral view of antennae of Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803; dorsal view of abdomen; lateral view of fore leg of Chrysotoxum convexum Brunetti, J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

17 Plate 4: Figure6 (i) 6 (iii): Lateral & dorsal view of thorax; dorsal view of abdomen of Paragus (Paragus) serratus (Fabricius, 1805). 48 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

18 Plate 5: Plate 5: Figure 8 (i) - 8 (iii): Dorsal view of thorax; dorsal view of abdomen; dorsal view of tarsi of fore leg of Eristalinus (Eristalinus) megacephalus (Rossi,1794). 49 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

19 50 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

20 Plate 7 : Plate 7: Figure10 (i) 10 (ii): Dorsal view of hind leg & wing; lateral v 51 J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1)

21 Moreover more of this kind of exhaustive taxonomic treatments on hover flies are needed in aid of planning better strategy for pest control especially on aphids and investigating the role of these flies in pollination biology. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to express our thanks to Dr. Kailash Chandra, Director, Zoological Survey of India and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, for funding the project and providing the necessary facilities. Thanks are due to Sri K.C. Gopi, Div. In Charge, Ent. Div. A&B, for his continuous encouragement. We are obliged to Dr. A. K. Sidhu, Scientist- D Officer-in-Charge, High Altitude Regional Centre, Solan, Zoological Survey of India, Himachal Pradesh, for providing us with the logistic facilities during our survey. Further, we acknowledge and convey our sincere thanks to Sri. P. Parui, Retd. Assistant Zoologist, for helping with the identification. Grant for the current study is funded by Ministry of Environment, forest and climate change for the financial year from REFERENCES 1. Arroyo, M.T.K., R.B. Primack, & J.J. Armesto, Community studies in pollination ecology in the high temperate Andes of Central Chile. I. Pollination mechanisms and altitudinal variation. American Journal of Botany,69: Barry, R.G Mountain climatology and past and potential future climatic changes in mountain regions a review. Mountain Research and Development,12: Bhatia, H.L. & M. Shaffi, Life histories of some Indian Syrphidae. Indian Journal of Agricultural Science,2: Brunetti, E. 1907a. Notes on Oriental Diptera II. Preliminary report on a collection from Simla made in April and May 1907 Records of the Indian Museum,1: J. Adv. Zool : 37 (1) 5. Brunetti, E. 1907b. Notes on the Oriental Syrphidae. Part I. Records of the Indian Museum,1: Brunetti, E Notes on Oriental Syrphidae with descriptions of new species. Part I. Records of the Indian Museum, 2: Brunetti, E Family Syrphidae. In:The Fauna of British India, 3: Brunetti, E Diptera of the Simla district. Rec Indian Mus.13: Bugg, R.L Flower flies (Syrphidae) and other biological control agents for aphids in vegetable crops. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 10. Mitra, B., M. Mukherjee & D. Banerjee,2008. A check list of hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of Eastern Himalayas. Rec. Indian Mus. Zool Surv India, 284:1 47.

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