Merodon nigropunctum Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov. Figs 27B, 28A, B, 29A-C, 30A-C

Diagnosis.

Medium sized (10.3 mm), bluish species (Fig. 29A, B) with dark macula on medial part of wing (Fig. 29C); basoflagellomere narrow and elongated, 1.8 times as long as wide, rounded at the tip (Fig. 28A, B); arista long, two times as long as basoflagellomere; body pile whitish; posterior half of scutum with square shaped area of black pile medially; terga 2-4 covered with black pile medially, except whitish pilosity on conspicuous silver microtrichose fasciae (Fig. 29A).

Description.

Male. Head. Antennae black to dark brown; basoflagellomere narrow and elongated, 1.8 times as long as wide, and 2.5 times as long as pedicel, with rounded tip; large fossette dorsomedial and dorsolateral (Fig. 28A, B); arista dark and thickened at basal one third, covered with dense microtrichia; arista long, ca. two times as long as basoflagellomere (Fig. 28A, B); face and frons black covered with whitish pile; face covered with indistinct whitish gray microtrichia; frons with dense whitish microtrichia; lunule shiny black, bare; vertex isosceles, with long whitish pile and black pilosity on the ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle equilateral; eyes covered with long, dense, whitish pile (Fig. 27B); occiput with whitish pile, covered with a dense, silver microtrichia along eye margin; eye contiguity short, approximately five facets long; vertical triangle: eye contiguity: frons = 4.5: 1: 4.5.

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum black with bluish luster, covered with dense, erect, white pile including wing basis; posterior half of scutum with square shaped area of black pile medially; scutum with indistinct microtrichose vittae; posterodorsal part of anterior anepisternum, posterior anepisternum (except anteroventral angle), anterior anepimeron, dorsomedial anepimeron, and posterodorsal and anteroventral parts of katepisternum with long, whitish pile and grayish microtrichia; wings entirely covered with microtrichia; wing veins dark brown; wing with distinct dark area in apical half (Fig. 29C); calypteres whitish; halteres yellowish, with darker capitulum; legs mostly black, except dark brown tarsi ventrally; pile on legs mostly whitish mixed with black ones on femora; metafemur moderately incrassate, ca. three times longer than wide; pile on postero- and anteroventral surface very long, and ca. two thirds of width of metafemur, approximately the same length as pile on dorsal surface.

Abdomen. Tapering, 1.2 times longer than mesonotum; terga dark brown to black; terga 2-4 each with a pair of white microtrichose, wide, oblique fasciae (on tergum 2 triangular); pile on terga long, whitish laterally and at microtrichose fasciae, medially black (Fig. 29A); sterna dark brown, covered with long whitish pile.

Male genitalia. Apical part of anterior surstyle lobe rhomboid shape, 1.5 times longer than wide, covered with dense, short pile (Fig. 30A: al); posterior surstyle lobe oval with basolateral protrusion (lateral hump) (Fig. 30A, B: bp); hypandrium sickle-shaped, without lateral projections; lingula large (Fig. 30C: l).

Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

The word nigropunctum is derived from the Latin words niger (black, dark whitish) and punctum (dot/spot) referring to the dark macula on the wing as an important diagnostic character of this new species.

Distribution.

Merodon nigropunctum sp. nov. was recorded at only one locality in Uzbekistan (Fig. 7).

Ecology.

Preferred environment: no data. Flowers visited: no data. Flight period: May.

Type material.

Holotype. Uzbekistan • ♂; Kadamžai, S of Fergana; 40°20'00"N, 71°47'39"E; 21 May 1980; Z. Padr leg.; NMPC 18248. Original label: "HOLOTYPE of Merodon / nigropunctum Vujić, Likov / Radenković sp.n. 2019" [red label], "C.ASIA, Uzbekistan / Kadanžai, S of Fergana / 21.5.1980 leg.Z. Pádr”, “18248” (See Supplementary file 4: Figure 4A).