Merodon nigroalatus Vujic , Likov & Radenkovic, 2023

Vujic, Ante, Radenkovic, Snezana, Barkalov, Anatolij, Kocis Tubic, Natasa, Likov, Laura, Tot, Tamara, Popov, Grigory, Prokhorov, Alex, Gilasian, Ebrahim, Anjum, Shehzad, Djan, Mihajla, Kakar, Banafsha & Andric, Andrijana, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the Merodon tarsatus species group (Diptera, Syrphidae), Arthropod Systematics & amp; Phylogeny 81, pp. 201-256 : 201

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/asp.81.e93570
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FF52A05B-BDC0-474E-9848-0DC95A8155B2
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7C91975E-0396-46F6-912E-BB6CB828DFF9
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:7C91975E-0396-46F6-912E-BB6CB828DFF9
treatment provided by	Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny by Pensoft
scientific name	Merodon nigroalatus Vujic , Likov & Radenkovic
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Merodon nigroalatus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov.

Figs 28 View Figure 28 , 37 View Figure 37 , 38 View Figure 38 , 39 View Figure 39

M. aff. tarsatus 6 ( Vujić et al 2021a).

Type locality.

PAKISTAN: Khyber Paktunkhawa Province, Haripur District, Tehsil, Khanur Nikrian.

Type material.

Holotype: ♂; NARC 05922 [specimen dry pinned, in good condition, both wings are damaged, genitalia in separate microvial]. Original labels: "Nikrian, Khan Pur / 29.iii.[20]13 / A. Haq", “6B”, “05922”. - Paratypes: PAKISTAN • 1 ♂; Khyber Paktunkhawa Province, Haripur District, Tehsil, Khanur Nikrian; 29 Mar. 2013; Haq A. leg.; NARC 05923 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; NARC 05933.

Diagnosis.

Species with unique combination of morphological characters in Merodon avidus-nigritarsis lineage: abdomen with red markings (Figs 37A View Figure 37 , 38A View Figure 38 ) and wing blackish in male (Fig. 37C View Figure 37 ). Medium sized (8-10 mm), medium long pilose species, with dark brown reflection; antennae reddish-yellow, basoflagellomere with concave dorsal margin (Figs 37D View Figure 37 , 38C View Figure 38 ); tarsus of proleg expanded and modified (Fig. 37E View Figure 37 ), proleg and mesoleg with reddish-yellow apex of femora, and tibiae and tarsi partly reddish-yellow; metafemur mostly black, metatibia dark medially and tarsus of metaleg dark dorsally, the rest is reddish-yellow (Figs 37G-I View Figure 37 , 38D View Figure 38 ); body pile whitish, yellow to gray. Male: metafemur about 4 times longer than wide, covered with long pilosity (Fig. 37G View Figure 37 ); basotarsomere of metatarsus ventrally with setae (Fig. 37I View Figure 37 ); sternum 4 with triangular posterior margin (Fig. 37F View Figure 37 ); male genitalia: anterior surstyle lobe quadratic (Fig. 39A View Figure 39 : al), posterior surstyle lobe bilobate (Fig. 39B View Figure 39 : marked with red arrows), oval, with broadly rounded apex (Fig. 39A View Figure 39 : pl); lingula medium size (Fig. 39C View Figure 39 : l).

Description.

Male. Head: Antenna reddish-yellow; basoflagellomere (Fig. 37D View Figure 37 ) about 2 times as long as wide, about 2.5 times as long as pedicel, concave dorsally, with rounded apical margin; fossette dorsolateral (Fig. 37D View Figure 37 ); arista reddish-brown and thickened at basal third; face and frons black with gray microtrichia, face covered with dense whitish pile, frons with yellowish pile; oral margin black, with sparse microtrichia; lunule yellowish, bare; eye contiguity about 10-12 facets long; vertex isosceles, shiny black, anterior corner pollinose; vertex with long, whitish-gray pile, or mixed with a few black pile on ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle isosceles; occiput with white-gray pile, ventrally covered with dense gray microtrichia; eyes covered with dense whitish-gray pile (Fig. 37A, B View Figure 37 ); vertical triangle: eye contiguity: frons = 3: 1: 2.5. - Thorax: Scutum and scutellum black with dark brown lustre, covered with dense, erect pale yellow pile; scutum without distinct pollinose vittae; anterior half of scutum from dull to shiny; posterodorsal part of anterior anepisternum, posterior anepisternum (except anteroventral angle), anterior anepimeron, dorsomedial anepimeron, and posterodorsal and anteroventral parts of katepisternum with long, dense, pale yellow to gray pile; wings black to dark, mostly covered with microtrichia; wing veins black; calypter pale yellow; halter yellow; tarsus of proleg modified, slightly expanded (Fig. 37E View Figure 37 ); proleg and mesoleg with reddish apex of femora, and tibiae and tarsi partly reddish-yellow; metafemur mostly black, metatibia dark medially and tarsus of metaleg dark dorsally, remaining tarsi reddish-yellow (Fig. 37E-I View Figure 37 ); pile on legs pale yellow; metafemur moderately broad, about 4 times longer than wide, with long pile on ventral surface, about 2/3 of width of metafemur, and as long as dense pile on apicodorsal surface (Fig. 37G View Figure 37 ); metatibia apicomedially covered with a few long yellowish pile (Fig. 37H View Figure 37 ); basotarsomere of metatarsus more than 2 times longer than second tarsomere (Fig. 37I View Figure 37 ). - Abdomen: Broad, about 1.3 times longer than mesonotum; terga 2-4 with large, lateral reddish-yellow markings (Fig. 37A View Figure 37 ); terga 2-4 each with pair of poorly visible white, pollinose fasciae; pile on terga gray-whitish except black pilosity on medial part of terga 3-4; sterna yellowish, covered with whitish pile; sternum 4 with median V-shaped incision on posterior margin (Fig. 37F View Figure 37 ). - Male genitalia: Anterior surstyle lobe quadratic, about 1.5 times longer than wide, covered with dense short pile (Fig. 39A View Figure 39 : al); posterior surstyle lobe divided in two lobes (Fig. 39B View Figure 39 : marked with red arrows) connected with fine membrane (Fig. 39B View Figure 39 : d), oval, with broadly rounded apex (Fig. 39A View Figure 39 : pl); hypandrium sickle-shaped, without lateral projections; lingula narrow and of medium length (Fig. 39C View Figure 39 : l). - Female. Similar to male except for normal sexual dimorphism and following characteristics: basoflagellomere about 1.7 times longer than wide (Fig. 38C View Figure 38 ); frons with pollinose vittae along eye margins (Fig. 38B View Figure 38 ); frons covered with gray-yellow pile mixed with black ones on ocellar triangle; scutum with four distinct pollinose vittae (Fig. 38A View Figure 38 ); reddish-yellow markings on abdomen smaller and limited to terga 2 and 3 (Fig. 38A View Figure 38 ); medial part of terga 2-4 with short adpressed black pile; pollinose fasciae on terga 2-4 distinct; sterna 4-5 black (Fig. 38E View Figure 38 ).

Etymology.

The name " Merodon nigroalatus ", as arbitrary combination, is derived from Latin adjectives “niger” meaning black and “alatus” meaning winged. This describes the distinctive dark wing of the species.

Distribution and ecological data.

Merodon nigroalatus Vujić, Likov & Radenković sp. nov. has only been recorded in northern Pakistan so far (Fig. 28 View Figure 28 ). Its only known locality belongs to the Baluchistan xeric woodlands ( Olson et al. 2001) and is situated in the north-east of this ecoregion, characterized by Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata accompanied by Dodonaea viscosa . These xerophytic forests support Tamarix spp., Savadora oleoides , Ziziphus mauritiana , Acacia modesta , and bulbous plants such as Iris , Tulipa , and Allium spp. are found on the slopes ( WWF 2022). The collection site is located between subtropical and temperate zones in dry deciduous forests. The area’s arid subtropical habitat is characterized by mountainous terrain with elevations below 1000 m with high precipitation rates. Type material was collected from citrus ( Citrus sinensis ) orchard with wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) as intercropped. On the basis of our data the flight period is late March.

Remarks.

Mimics bees of the genus Sphecodes Latreille ( Hymenoptera : Halictidae ). This species has a unique position inside the genus based on very distinct morphological characters. Based on molecular marker and structure of the male genitalia it is related to the Merodon tarsatus group, but because of absence of the main diagnostic characters of the group, such as structure of sternum 4 and basotarsomere of metaleg, it should be kept as unplaced species inside the Merodon avidus-nigritarsis lineage.