Tiquicia zumbadoi (Thompson, 2000):34

Allograpta zumbadoi belongs to a group, Allograpta (Costarica) characterized by parallel-sided abdomen, distinctive facial shape with an abrupt tubercle and by the dense thick appressed pile on 1st and 2nd terga in the males (Mengual et al. 2009).

Allograpta zumbadoi differs from other species in this group by the overall color pattern, with a medial yellow spot on 3rd and 4th abdominal terga.

Adults are pollinators and feed on pollen and nectar. Larvae are leaf miners in early stages and stem borers in later stages on several Centropogon plant species.

Allograpta zumbadoi is only known from high elevations (above 2,000 meters) in Costa Rica. Nothing is known about its conservation status but this must be related with the conservation of elevational islands extending south towards and beyond the equator.

Allograpta (Costarica) zumbadoi Thompson, 2000.

Thompson, F.C., Thompson, BJ. & Fairman, J.E. (2000) Only in Costa Rica: New Neotropical flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae). Studia Dipterologica 7, 33-43.

Thompson published this species under the genus Allograpta, subgenus Rhinoporospa (Thompson et al., 2000), and Mengual et al. (2009) placed it in the new subgenus Costarica.

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From original description (Thompson et al. 2000).

Head: strongly produced anteriorly, with tubercle abrupt; face yellow, except black medial vitta, with very short almost microscopic black pile; gena yellow, with very short yellow pile; antennal pits separated; frontal lunule black; frontal triangle yellow laterally, black medial 1/3, black pilose; frons yellow except black medial vitta, black pilose; vertex black, black pilose; occiput black on dorsal 3/4, yellow ventrally, yellow pilose on ventral 1/2, black pilose dorsally. Antenna: scape and pedicel brownish orange, black pilose; basoflagellomere brownish black, arista black.

Thorax: postpronotum yellow; scutum black, dull black pollinose except yellow anterolaterally to transverse suture, short black pilose except long yellow pilose on notopleuron; postalar callus yellow, yellow pilose except some black pile anteriorly; scutellum black except narrowly yellow basally, without ventral fringe, black pilose; pleuron black except yellow posterior anepisternum and with yellow macula on katepisternum, short, sparse yellow pilose; halter brown with yellow capitulum; calypter black; metasternum black, bare; katepimeron bare; metathoracic pleuron bare. Legs: coxae and trochanters black; pro and mesolegs yellow except black on tips of femora, black pilose; metaleg black, black pilose. Wing: light brownish yellow, microtrichose; alula narrow, slightly narrower than cell R.

Abdomen. Male: slightly constricted at apex of 3rd and base of 4th terga; 1 st tergum yellow except narrowly black apicomedially, yellow pilose; 2nd tergum black except yellow lateral margin on basal 5/6, long yellow pilose basolaterally, black pilose apicolaterally, with thick flattened long reddish-brown pile elsewhere; 3rd tergum black except for medial yellow macula on basal 3/4, black pollinose except shiny apical margin, black pilose; 4th tergum same as 3rd except yellow macula broader; 5th tergum black, black pollinose except shiny apical margin. Female: parallel-sided; 1st tergum yellow, except narrowly black apicomedially, yellow pilose; 2nd tergum yellow except narrowly black apically, yellow pilose except black pilose apically; 3rd tergum black except for large yellow quadrate macula occupying basal 2/3 except macula isolated from basal margin, black pilose; 4th, 5th & 6th terga black, black pollinose on basal 3/4, shiny apically, black pilose; sterna 1, 2 & 3 yellow, yellow pilose; sterna 4, 5 & 6 brownish yellow, black pilose; terminalia yellow.

GenBank accession number for this species are: protein-coding gene COI (EU241714), rRNA 28S (EU241762) and 18S (EU241811).

Mengual et al. (2008a) studied the phylogenetics relationships of several Allograpta taxa. The subgenus Costarica, represented by Allograpta zumbadoi in the analysis, was resolved as sister group of the subgenus Rhinoprosopa in a clade with species of Fazia and Antillus subgenera.

In the phylogenetic analysis by Mengual et al. (2009) based on morphological characters, the two species of Costarica (nishida and zumbadoi) were resolved together as sister group of the subgenus Rhinoprosopa.

Generally adults are pollinators and may be associated with a large number of flower plants. Allograpta zumbadoi have been found related with Centropogon species in high elevations of Costa Rica. Centropogonis ferrugineus plants among others, is one of these plant species.

Very restricted, only found on a couple of high mountains in Costa Rica.

See GBIF: http://data.gbif.org/species/13378349/

All flower fly species, as holometabolous arthropods, have a complete metamorphosis. Such insect development includes four life stages: an egg (embryo), a maggot (larva), a pupa and an adult (imago). In the case of syrphids, as many other Cyclorrhapha, species have 3 larval stages until the metamorphosis that transforms them into pupa.