Merodon aequalis Vujić, Radenković & Likov, 2024

Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Snežana, Likov, Laura, Tubić, Nataša Kočiš, Popov, Grigory, Gilasian, Ebrahim, Djan, Mihajla, Milosavljević, Marina Janković & Ačanski, Jelena, 2024, Revisions of the clavipes and pruni species groups of the genus Merodon Meigen, 1803 (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 1203, pp. 1-69 : 1-69

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3897/zookeys.1203.118842
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C1A2654B-7DC3-4451-91B7-49B29304FBED
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11373360
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/204E1669-2E84-4938-A8B4-C30015D9B6BE
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:204E1669-2E84-4938-A8B4-C30015D9B6BE
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Merodon aequalis Vujić, Radenković & Likov
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Merodon aequalis Vujić, Radenković & Likov sp. nov.

Figs 23 View Figure 23 , 24 A, E, F View Figure 24 , 25 A View Figure 25 , 26 A, B View Figure 26 , 28 A View Figure 28 , 30 A View Figure 30 , 31 A View Figure 31 , 32 View Figure 32 , 33 View Figure 33 , 34 View Figure 34

Type material examined.

Holotype. State of Palestine • 1 ♂; Wadi Kabala Judean hills; 30 Apr. 1947; in TAU . Paratypes. Israel • 1 ♂; Golan, Qunaitra ; 19 May 1983; leg. F. Kaplan; in RMNH • 1 ♂; Golan , 5 km south Qunaitra; 19. v. 1983; leg. F. Kaplan; in TAU • 1 ♀; Ekron ; 28 May 1921; in TAU • 1 ♀; Jerusalem; 6 May 1922; leg. P. A. Buxton; in RMNH • 1 ♂; Mrar ; 14 May 1974; leg. M. Kaplan; in TAU • 1 ♀; Rehovot ; 28 Sep. 1920; in RMNH • 1 ♀; Rehovot , 28 Apr. 1920; in TAU • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; in TAU • 1 ♂; 9 May 1925; in RMNH. State of Palestine • 1 ♂; Tikenias ; 13 Oct. 1931; leg. U. Suenberg; in NHMUK • 1 ♂; 8 May ; O. Theodor; in TAU .

Diagnosis.

Sternum 3 with long, equally distributed pilosity (Fig. 30 A View Figure 30 ). In male the metatrochanter has a small calcar, almost absent (Fig. 25 A View Figure 25 ); metafemur broad, ~ 3.5 × longer than wide, strongly curved, covered with long and dense pilosity ventrally (Fig. 25 A View Figure 25 ); sternum 4 on Fig. 28 A View Figure 28 . Female with rounded metatrochanter (Fig. 31 A View Figure 31 ) and shorter but dense pilosity on metafemur ventrally than in male (Fig. 31 A View Figure 31 ). Similar to Merodon pallidus stat. rev. from which differs by sternum 3 with equally distributed pilosity of the same length (Fig. 30 A View Figure 30 ) (in M. pallidus stat. rev. with a conspicuous area of very long pilosity medially; Fig. 30 D View Figure 30 : marked with arrow), the shape of sternum 4 of male (Fig. 28 A View Figure 28 ) (slightly different in M. pallidus stat. rev.; Fig. 28 D View Figure 28 ), small calcar on metatrochanter in male, almost absent (Fig. 25 A View Figure 25 ) (male of M. pallidus has a distinct calcar; Fig. 25 D View Figure 25 , while female of M. pallidus stat. rev. has the metatrochanter angular; Fig. 31 C View Figure 31 ).

Description.

Male. Head (Fig. 24 A, E View Figure 24 ). Pedicel and scapus reddish yellow; basoflagellomere from reddish yellow to brown (Fig. 24 A View Figure 24 ), short, oval, ~ 1.3 × longer than wide, and ~ 2 × longer than pedicel, concave dorsally; fossette large, dorsolateral; arista reddish to brown and thickened at basal third; arista ~ 2.5 × longer than basoflagellomere; face and frons black, with dense whitish pollinosity; face covered with dense whitish pilosity; pile on frons yellow-whitish; oral margin shiny black, without pollinosity; lunula reddish to brown, bare; eye contiguity ~ 10–12 facets long; vertical triangle isosceles, shiny, black, covered with grey-yellowish pilosity mixed with black pile around equilateral ocellar triangle; occiput with grey-yellow to whitish pile, and grey pollinose; eyes covered with short, whitish grey pile (Fig. 24 E View Figure 24 ).

Thorax (Fig. 32 A View Figure 32 ). Scutum and scutellum black with brownish lustre, covered with short, grey-yellow to whitish pile; pilosity between wing basis mostly black, at least around wing basis; lateral sides of scutum, excluding wing basis covered with long, golden to yellowish pile; scutum with two narrow pollinose vittae; posterior margin of scutellum with long yellowish pilosity (Fig. 32 A View Figure 32 ); posterodorsal part of anterior anepisternum, posterior anepisternum (except anteroventral angle), anterior anepimeron, dorsomedial anepimeron, and posterodorsal and anteroventral parts of katepisternum with longer, dense whitish to yellow pile; wings mostly covered with microtrichia; wing veins yellowish to light brown; calypteres and halteres whitish yellow; angular calcar on metatrochanter small, almost absent; femora black except yellowish apex; metafemur broad, ~ 3.5 × longer than wide, sparsely covered with long ventral pilosity (Fig. 25 A View Figure 25 ); tibiae yellow to reddish, except brown medial ring; tarsi yellowish red, in some specimens brown dorsally.

Abdomen. Elongated, ~ 1.3 × longer than mesonotum; tergum 1 black, terga 2–4 reddish yellow, medially partly brown; terga with a pair of broad, distinct silver-grey pollinose fasciate maculae; pile on terga yellow to whitish, medially short, adpressed, in some specimens black pile present on dark parts of terga 3 and 4 medially (Fig. 26 A View Figure 26 ); sterna brown, covered with long, equally distributed whitish pile (Fig. 30 A View Figure 30 ); posterior margin of sternum 4 with characteristic posteromedial circular incision (Fig. 28 A View Figure 28 ).

Male genitalia (Fig. 33 View Figure 33 ). Anterior surstylar lobe rectangular (Fig. 33 A View Figure 33 : al); posterior surstylar lobe large and broad, ~ 1.5 × longer than wide (Fig. 33 A View Figure 33 : pl); cercus rectangular (Fig. 33 A View Figure 33 : c); hypandrium sickle-shaped, without lateral projections; lingula short (Fig. 33 C View Figure 33 : l).

Female. Similar to the male except for normal sexual dimorphism and the following characteristics: frons with broad pollinose vittae along eyes or completely pollinose, and reddish at the level of the ocellar triangle (Fig. 24 F View Figure 24 ); scutum with five distinct pollinose vittae (Fig. 32 B View Figure 32 ); metatrochanter rounded; pilosity on the ventral surface of metafemur shorter but denser than in male (Fig. 31 A View Figure 31 ); tergum 2 all reddish, while terga 3–5 more brownish (Fig. 26 B View Figure 26 ).

Distribution and biology.

The range is restricted to Israel and the State of Palestine (Fig. 34 View Figure 34 ). Its preferred environment is Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forests. The vegetation of this ecoregion includes maquis, coniferous forests of Pinus halepensis Mill. and P. brutia Ten., dry Quercus spp. woodlands and steppe formations ( WWF 2022). Flight period: April / October. Developmental stages: not described.

Etymology.

Adjective aequalis meaning equal, similar, refers to the equally distributed pilosity of the same length on sternum 3 in males opposite to the related species Merodon pallidus stat. rev. with a conspicuous area of very long pilosity medially. Species epithet to be treated as an adjective.