Medium sized species of Syrphinae with black, sometimes intense pollinated head and thorax, which are characterized by the following features and above all different from Xanthandrus sensu stricto: yellow-brown fascia on her basal terga, head of the female swollen medially, antenna elongated, scutum with fine pubescence; scutellum enlarged and arched, protarsus slightly widened, femora moderately thickened; surstyli reduced; hypandrium very flat; postgonite greatly enlarged, expanded distally; aedeagus easily elongated (from Kassebeer 2000).
Kassebeer (2000) described a new genus, Afroxanthandrus, and a new species Afroxanthandrus longipilus. Thompson (2010), after studying some material including types, decided to consider Afroxanthandrus a subgenus of Xanthandrus.
Synonym:
Afroxanthandrus longipilus Kassebeer, 2000: 155.
Xanthandrus (Afroxanthandrus) longipilus (Kassebeer, 2000).
Kassebeer, C.F. (2000) Afroxanthandrus gen. nov. (Diptera, Syrphidae), eine neue Gattung der Syrphinae aus Westafrika. Dipteron 3, 149-158. [2000.12.29]
See original description in German in the attached pdf.
Mengual et al. (2008) included 2 species of Xanthandrus in their molecular analysis. Both were resolved together as sister group of the clade including Argentinomyia and Melanostoma.
Xanthandrus has been considered member of the tribe Bacchini sensu lato, although some phylogenetic analysis suggest that Baccha is the only memeber of Bacchini and the other genera commonly related to them should be included in the tribe Melanostomini. Rotheray and Gilbert (1989, 1999) included Melanostoma and Xanthandrus, which, in their analysis, were isolated from the other genera of the ‘‘traditional’’ Bacchini by the tribe Syrphini. These authors also suggested the tribe Melanostomini with only Melanostoma and Xanthandrus as Palaearctic members.
unless otherwise stated