Merodon acutus Vujić et Radenković, 2022

Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Snežana, Likov, Laura, Gorše, Iva, Djan, Mihajla, Ristić, Zlata Markov & Barkalov, Anatolii V., 2022, Three new species of the Merodon ruficornis group (Diptera: Syrphidae) discovered at the edge of its range, Zootaxa 5182 (4), pp. 301-347 : 307-311

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.4.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AF34665D-23FD-48A0-985E-D6220FAB4D48
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7061582
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/9A2187E3-FFFA-FFC8-FF6E-FB2DFDA8F9D4
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Merodon acutus Vujić et Radenković
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Merodon acutus Vujić et Radenković View in CoL sp. nov.

ZooBank link: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B6261D02-1B12-4EB7-A718-3CE714B3B67A

GenBank accession number of the COI gene sequence: ON562698 View Materials ( Figs 1B, 1E View FIGURE 1 , 2A, 2C–D View FIGURE 2 , 6A, 6C View FIGURE 6 , 7A View FIGURE 7 , 14A View FIGURE 14 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: RUSSIA, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chegemsky Canyon, Bulungu , 43.254402°N, 43.149387°E, 12.VII.1999, ♂, 058350, Leg. Barkalov А., SZMN GoogleMaps . PARATYPES: RUSSIA, Caucasus, Republik Adygea, near Kamennomostsky, Belaya riverarea, 44.326325°N, 40.183335°E, 11.V.2015, 2♀, 09688, 09689, Leg. Rattel E., Gerzovskiy O., FSUNS GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis. Legs black; male: calcar on metatrochanter long and distinct ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 : a) similar to M. armipes ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ), while small and pointed in morphologically related species M. nigripodus ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ); metafemur with very small ventral protuberance ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 : marked with black arrow), distinct in M. armipes ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 : marked with arrow); metatibia with two apical processes: one medium-sized, anteroventral, apical lamella with straight ventral margin ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 : marked with white arrow), and one twisted, distinct, inner, posteroventral spina ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 : marked with arrow); anteroventral apical lamella with similar direction as in M. ponticus , but with blunt apex ( Fig. 1D View FIGURE 1 : marked with arrow), while in M. nigripodus the apical lamella is distinctly triangular, slightly undulate and directed towards metafemur ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 : marked with arrow); male genitalia: anterior surstyle lobe biramous ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 : al), with distinct and broad interior accessory lobe ( Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 : il) and rectangular extension ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 : marked with arrow), while in M. nigripodus the interior accessory lobe is shorter ( Fig. 2E View FIGURE 2 : il) and the extension is angular ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 : marked with arrow). Female: similar to other Caucasian species M. portschinskyi , except angular metatrochanter with dense whitish pilosity ( Figs 6A View FIGURE 6 , 7A View FIGURE 7 ), rounded in M. portschinskyi ( Figs 6B View FIGURE 6 , 11B View FIGURE 11 ), and basoflagellomere longer than wide in M. acutus ( Fig. 6C View FIGURE 6 ), while almost as long as wide in M. portschinskyi ( Fig. 6D View FIGURE 6 ).

Description. Length. Male: 9–10 mm; female: 9–10 mm. MALE ( Figs 1B, 1E View FIGURE 1 , 2 View FIGURE 2 , 7A View FIGURE 7 ). Small to medium sized, black species with pale pilose terga laterally and with some black pile medially; legs black, except for partially dark brown tarsi; metatrochanter with long and distinct process ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 : a); metafemur with very small ventral protuberance ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 : marked with black arrow), swollen, covered with short pile ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 : b); metatibia narrow, with two apical processes: one medium-sized, anteroventral, apical lamella with straight ventral margin ( Fig. 1B View FIGURE 1 : marked with white arrow), and one distinct, twisted, inner, posteroventral spina ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 : marked with arrow). Genitalia: anterior surstyle lobe biramous ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 : al), with distinct and broad interior accessory lobe ( Fig. 2D View FIGURE 2 : il) and rectangular extension ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 : marked with arrow); posterior surstyle lobe hook-like ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 : pl); cercus elongated ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 : c); hypandrium sickle-shaped ( Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 ), with folded theca ( Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 : marked with arrow).

FEMALE. ( Figs 6A, 6C View FIGURE 6 , 14A View FIGURE 14 ). Similar to the male except for the normal sexual dimorphism and for the following characteristics: metatrochanter angular ( Fig. 7A View FIGURE 7 ); pollinose fasciate maculae on terga 2–4 narrow; terga pale pilose, except some black pile medially from posterior half of tergum 2 until anterior half of tergum 5; tergum 4 with clear transverse depression; tergum 5 with a pair of indistinct, lateral, longitudinal depression; vertex at the level of ocellar triangle, and frons with medial vitta of black pile.

Etymology. Participle “acutus” (masc.) meaning sharpened made sharp, sharp, having been sharpened, refers to the sharp inner posteroventral spina on metatibia. The name is to be treated as an adjective.

Distribution. Merodon acutus sp. nov. was recorded from the northern slopes of the Caucasus (390–1540 m above sea level) in Russia ( Fig. 16 View FIGURE 16 ).