Rhingia cuthbertsoni Curran, 1939:2

Hull (1949) proposed a new subgenus of Rhingia for those species in which the male are dichoptic, and designated Rhingia cuthbertsoni as the type-species of this subgenus, called Eorhingia.

Rhingia cuthbertsoni has metallic blue colloration, the snout reddish, and the eyes of male very widely separated.

Rhingia (Eorhingia) cuthbertsoni Curran, 1939.

Curran, C.H. (1939) Records and descriptions of African Syrphidae - III (Diptera). American Museum Novitates 1025, 11 pp. [1939.04.12]

Curran (1939) wrote: "This is not a true Rhingia and a new genus should possibly be erected for it.
However, since the female will probably be almost impossible to distinguish from the same sex of Rhingia it is advisable to retain it in this genus."

Hull (1949) designated the new subgenus Rhingia (Eorhingia) for those species with dichoptic males.

Adapted from original description (Curran 1939).

MALE.

Head: Front metallic blue-green, as wide above as at the middle of the face, narrowest at the anterior third, thence gently widening anteriorly; pile black, yellow in front of the depression and at the vertex. Occiput thinly cinereous pollinose, with yellow pile above and whitish pile below and on the genae. Face blue, broadly cinereous pollinose above, the snout and anterior half of the gena yellowish, the broad apex of the snout and sometimes a narrow line above black. Antennae bright orange, scape shining black, basoflagellomere almost orbicular, only slightly longer than wide; arista reddish brown.

Thorax metallic blue with violaceous reflections, the pile short and yellowish; scutum with a broad fascia of black pile behind the suture and along the middle line. Scutellum with short black pile but there are a few pale pile intermixed and the ventral fringe is yellow. Legs black; tips of the femora, basal third or less of the tibiae, basal two segments of the anterior four and the second segment of the posterior tarsi yellow. Pile yellowish. Wings hyaline. Stigma pale luteous. Calypter and fringe white. Halteres reddish yellow.

Abdomen metallic blue, with violaceous reflections, the first segment green. Second and third terga with broad apical fascia and median vitta opaque black, the fourth with a narrow, incomplete, opaque median stripe. Pile very short and yellowish. Venter blue with moderately thick cinereous yellow pollen.

The male of R. pulcherrima Bezzi may also have dichoptic eyes but this species has the abdomen yellow basally and the snout is black except below (Curran 1939).

Body length: 5.5 to 7 mm (Curran 1939).

Afrotropical species known from Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.