Glossary of morphological terminology of adult Syrphidae (Diptera): an update and extension

Abstract

An updated morphological terminology for adult Syrphidae (Insecta, Diptera) is presented. The need for an update and extension of the terminology became evident while preparing species descriptions for the European Commission funded Taxo-Fly project on European Syrphidae. The scope of this paper however is worldwide. The manuscript describes the method used in finding as many relevant terms as possible and also discusses the use of the preferred terms, e.g., based on novel insights on the wing venation and division of some of the thoracic segments. The main part comprises numerous figures depicting different body parts with terminology indicated on each figure. A glossary of all terms used is given in alphabetical order. In total 17 photos and 207 drawings are presented, depicting almost 400 terms. A total of 14 new terms are introduced to more accurately describe the different body parts of adult Syrphidae. A short description for each term is given, together with additional information such as synonymous terms.