Afrosyrphus was related by Curran (1927) with Syrphus due to the presence of fine pile onthe dorsla surface of the ventral lobe of the calypter; but also considered close to Chrysotoxum because the elongate antennae, although the sides of the abdomen are not marginated in Afrosyrphus.
Afrosyrphus has antennae as long as the face, porrect, with basoflagellomere four or five times as long as wide, with sub-basal, bare arista; face perpendicular, with a low, nose-shaped tubercle below the middle; frontal triangle small, produced, not convex; male holoptic, bare; scutum with lateral margins diffusely yellowish, the scutellum yellow; legs normal except that the metafemora on the apical half and metatibia on the whole length bear long, dense pile on the dorsal and ventral surfaces; wing venation as in Syrphus, vein rm near the basal fifth of the DM cell; abdomen with parallel sides (probably less parallel and slightly wider in female); calypter with pile above on the inner apical portion.
Afrosyrphus varipes Curran, 1927.
Curran, C. H. 1927. Diptera of the American Museum Congo Expedition. Part I. -- Bibionidae, Bombyliidae, Dolichopodidae, Syrphidae and Trypaneidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 57, 33-89. [1927.11.09]
Adapted from original description (Curran 1927).
MALE.
Head: Face and gena reddish yellow, the former with almost the medial third shining brown, the narrow oral margin in front, a broad vitta on the front of the gena (anterior to genal suture) and a small macula below the eyes, brownish. Frontal triangle brown, the narrow orbits and the yellow portion of the face grayish yellow pollinose; occiput gray pollinose. Vertical triangle shining black, black pilose, the head elsewhere, including the face, with long, pale yellowish pile. Antennae blackish, the scape two and one-half times as long as wide, the pedicel one-third as long as the scape, the basoflagellomere almost twice as long as the scape, its apex obtusely pointed; arista tapering, not stout, reddish brown in color.
Thorax greenish black in ground color, with the broad lateral margins, more or less of the pleural incisures, diffusely yellowish, the whole with a rather dense covering of grayish yellow pollen and clothed with moderately long, fairly dense, bright yellowish pile, the scutellum similarly pilose and yellow in ground color. Legs ferruginous reddish, the coxae, pro- and mesotibia and pro- and mesotarsi yellow and clothed with short yellow pile; femora with longish, pale pile, but the bases, especially of the metafemur, are broadly yellow pilose and the yellow pile extends along the metafemur to the apical fourth on the dorsal surface but not beyond the middle below; the metatibia and tarsi are black pilose, the tarsi with short hair. Metabasotarsomere somewhat enlarged. Wings slightly tinged with luteous; calypters and halteres yellow, the former with yellow fringe.
Abdomen rusty reddish, paler basally and darker apically and along the lateral margins, the 5th tergum being ferruginous with rusty reddish apex, the preceding terga with a broad pre-apical band and medial ferruginous vitta. Pile yellowish, paler basally, not as abundant nor as long as on the thorax.
Larvae of Afrosyrphus varipes have been reported feeding on aphids (Aphididae) of the following species: Brachycaudus aegyptiacus, Brevicoryne brassicae, Hyperomyzus lactucae, Macrosiphum rosae, Myzus persicae, and Uroleucon compositae.
Puparium (from Laska et al. 2000).
Puparium oval from dorsal view, droplike in lateral view. Estimated length of whole puparium about 6–7 mm, width 2.8–2.9 mm and height 3.3–3.5 mm. Colour of empty puparium light brown, in medial line there are very slightly darker elongate spots present on each segment. Segmental spines on lateral margin about 0.1 mm (apical part 0.06 mm, basal part 0.04) placed on fleshy projections. Dried rests of fleshy projection 0.1 mm long. Integument covered in very fine nodules of about 0.01 × 0.01 mm. Posterior respiratory process in about horizontal position and extremely long. Length 1.4–1.5 mm, apical width 0.46 mm, basal width 0.44–0.48 mm, width in middle of process 0.4 mm. Colour brown, surface covered with spherical nodules except on apical portion. Orificia I and III are not opposite (as in Epistrophe sensu str.) forming distinct angle. Orificia are not lined in dark colour and are placed on small carinae. Periorificial nodules large, inflated about as or more than carinae forming general shape of spiracular plate rounded.
unless otherwise stated