Dasysyrphus amalopis (Osten Sacken, 1875):148

Species robust with yellow fascia of terga medially divided; half-fascia oblique; yellow fascia of terga 3rd and 4th not reaching lateral margins and closely approximated to anterior margin of tergum. Wing membrane usually extensively trichose. Male genitalia very similar to Dasysyrpuhs pinastri, but D. amalopis has surstylus with posterior surface broad, in dorsal view almost suhquadrate (from Vockeroth 1992).

Dasysyrphus amalopis (Osten Sacken, 1875).

Osten Sacken, C.R. (1875) On the North American species of the genus Syrphus (in the narrowest sense). Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History (1875-1876) 18, 135-153.

Adapted from Vockeroth (1992).

MALE.

Head: Frons obscurely dark gray pruinose on about posterior half. Face dull yellow laterally; median vitta black, one-third to two-fifths as wide as face; lower facial margin and gena black; gena in some specimens brown-orange posteriorly. Holoptic, eyes with dense long hairs.

Thorax: Scutal pile mostly black, some lateral and posterior pili yellow; pleural pile mostly pale but some black. Scutellum dull yellow, blackish laterally; scutellar pili almost all black. Subscutellar fringe well-developed. Anterior anepisternum, meron, katatergum, and metasternum bare. Wing membrane entirely trichose. Legs: pro- and mesofemora usually black on about basal five-sixths but rarely only on about basal half; metafemur black, obscurely yellowish only at extreme apex.

Abdomen: Tergum 2 with pair of well-separated subrectangular or slightly constricted yellow maculae not reaching margins; terga 3 and 4 each with broadly divided yellow fascia; each half-fascia slightly oblique, strongly constricted or completely divided, and not extending to lateral margin; tergum 5 in some specimens with pair of small yellow submarginal anterolateral maculae. Genitalia with distal segment of aedeagus with slight but distinct hump on posterior surface; surstylus with posterior surface
broad, in dorsal view almost suhquadrate.

FEMALE.

Frons with distinct to obscure entire yellow-gray or gray pruinose fasciaon about middle one-third. Tergum 5 with pair of large rounded yellow submarginal anterolateral maculae.

Synonym:

Syrphus amalopis OSten Sacken, 1875: 148.

Body length: 6.6-10.6 mm.

Using the mitochondrial COI gene and the ribosomal 28S, Mengual et al. (2008) reported Dasysyrphus as a monophyletic genus as a sister group og the genera Fagisyrphus and Meligramma. D. amalopis was not included.

Larvae of D. amalopis have been reported feeding on Cinara sp. (Aphididae), larvae of Heringia (Neocnemodon) rita (Syrphidae) and Hemerobius neadelphus (Neuroptera) (Rojo et al. 2003).

Nearctic species ranging from Alaska, Canada, south to Colorado and New Hampshire.