Platycheirus brunnifrons

Platycheirus brunnifrons
Platycheirus brunnifrons head profile
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Syrphidae
Genus:	Platycheirus
Species:	P. brunnifrons
Binomial name
Platycheirus brunnifrons (Peder Nielsen , 2004 )

Platycheirus brunnifrons, sometimes known as the copperhead sedgesitter, is a hoverfly found in high-altitude localities in Finland, Austria, France, Switzerland, Spain, Macedonia, Northeast Russia, and Alaska. It's larvae have not been identified.

Description

P. brunnifrons male legs front and middle legs

P.brunnifrons male

The body length of P.brunnifrons is 7.1–9.4 mm (0.28–0.37 in) and its wing length measures 6.2–7.7 mm (0.24–0.30 in).

Head and thorax

The frons on the head is black at the base and features brown pollinosity that contrasts with the grey-white pollinosity of the rest of the head. The hairs on the frons are dark brown. The antennae are black, with the third segment being dark brown and reddish brown at the base. The face is shining bluish or greyish black, adorned with silver grey dusting. The hairs on the face are brown. The facial tubercle and mouth-edge are shining black and undusted. The genae are lightly dulled by whitish dusting. In contrast, the occiput is heavily dulled by whitish dusting and features white hairs, except for a few bristly hairs on the dorsal part. The ocellar triangle is either black or bluish black, with black hairs in the front and yellowish white hairs on the hind part.

On the thorax, the scutum and scutellum are shining bluish or greyish black, featuring light grey or brownish pollinosity. The pleurae are bluish black or black, with light silvery pollinosity and sometimes exhibit yellowish metallic reflections. The pile on the pleurae is yellow-white.

Legs

Fore femur and Tibia

The fore femur is yellow-brown and darkened at the base and along the underside. The apical half has a regular row of 6-10 strong, straight, black posterior setae. These setae are approximately twice as long as the femoral diameter and end in a single longer seta with a strongly curved apex. The fore tibia is dark grey on about the apical half. On the postero-lateral side of the apical half, there is a row of about six soft, tilted bristles, with the longest bristle potentially reaching beyond the apex of the tibia.

Mid femur and tibia

The mid femur is yellow-brown and darkened at the base and along the underside. It has long black hairs postero-laterally, which are not longer than the maximum thickness of the femur. The basal half of the mid femur is orange. The mid tibia is dark grey on about the apical half. This same part has 2-3 tilted, soft, and rather long bristles, with the longest reaching the apex of the tibia.

Hind femur, tibia and basitarsus

The hind femur is brownish black, with the apex narrowly yellow. The hind tibia is dark except for about the basal third. The hind basitarsus is less swollen and only slightly thicker (1.2 times) than the tibia at its apex and is mainly slender and only slightly thicker than the tibia at its apex. The tarsi are greyish black.

Wings

The wings are microtrichose except for 1st and 2nd basal cells, which are mainly bare. The halteres are light yellow-brown.

Abdomen

The ground color is black or brownish-black, slightly shining with tergites 2-4 small having light brown-orange spots with light silvery-white pollinosity.