Merodon nigrocapillatus Vujic , Likov & Radenkovic, 2020

Vujic, Ante, Likov, Laura, Radenkovic, Snezana, Tubic, Natasa Kocis, Djan, Mihajla, Sebic, Anja, Perez-Banon, Celeste, Barkalov, Anatolij, Hayat, Ruestem, Rojo, Santos, Andric, Andrijana & Stahls, Gunilla, 2020, Revision of the Merodon serrulatus group (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 909, pp. 79-158 : 79

Merodon nigrocapillatus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov. Figs 25D-F , 26A-D , 27A , 28C, D

Diagnosis.

Medium sized (10.2-10.8 mm), black and shiny species, covered with mostly black pile on scutum, terga and legs in both sexes (Fig. 26 ); antennae dark; legs black; male dichoptic (Fig. 27A ); basoflagellomere short, 1.3 times longer than wide (Fig. 28C ); terga black, without pale lateral maculae on tergum 2; microtrichose fasciae on terga 2-4 very narrow or absent in males (Fig. 26A ) and narrow in females (Fig. 26C ).

Description.

Male. Head. Antennae black; basoflagellomere short, 1.3 times as long as wide, and ca. two times as long as pedicel, with rounded apex; fossette dorsolateral; arista black and thickened at basal one third, covered with dense microtrichia, ca. two times as long as basoflagellomere (Fig. 28C ); face and frons black with gray microtrichia, face covered with dense whitish gray or mixed black and whitish gray, and frons mostly with black pile; oral margin shiny, with lateral microtrichose area; lunule shiny black, bare; vertex isosceles, shiny black, except in front of anterior ocellus covered with microtrichia; vertex with long, black pile; ocellar triangle equilateral; eyes covered with dense whitish pile; occiput shiny covered with black pile in upper half, ventrally with gray-yellow pile and dense, gray microtrichia; eye dichoptic, separated by distance of three facets (Fig. 27A ).

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum black, shiny, covered with dense, erect, black pile; scutum without microtrichose vittae (Fig. 26A ); posterodorsal part of anterior anepisternum, posterior anepisternum (except anteroventral angle), anterior anepimeron, dorsomedial anepimeron, and posterodorsal and anteroventral parts of katepisternum with long, dark gray or black pile and grayish microtrichia; wings entirely covered with microtrichia, except bare area at basal one third; wing veins dark brown; calypteres gray; halteres blackish; legs black (Fig. 26B ); pile on legs mostly black or dark gray; metafemur curved and medium incrassate, ca. four times longer than wide; pile on postero- and anteroventral surface ca. one third to half of width of metafemur, slightly shorter than pile dorsally.

Abdomen. Tapering, 1.2 times longer than mesonotum; terga completely dark; terga 3 and 4 without, or with indistinct pair of white microtrichose fasciae; pile on terga mostly black, except anteromedial part of tergum 2 partly covered with whitish pile (Fig. 26A ); sterna dark brown to black, covered with long black and whitish pile.

Male genitalia. Apical part of anterior surstyle lobe rhomboid shape, ca. two times longer than wide, covered with dense, short pile (Fig. 25D : al); posterior surstyle lobe oval with basolateral protrusion (lateral hump) (Fig. 25D, E : bp); hypandrium sickle-shaped, without lateral projections; lingula large (Fig. 25F : l).

Female. Similar to the male except for normal sexual dimorphism and for the following characteristics: basoflagellomere 1.5 times longer than wide, fossette narrow (Fig. 28D ); pile on face of variable color, from black to whitish; frons mostly microtrichose, covered with black pile; ocellar triangle covered with black pile; microtrichose fasciae on terga 2-4 narrow (Fig. 26C ); thorax on lateral sides with variable pilosity color, from black to whitish.

Etymology.

The name nigrocapillatu s is derived from Latin adjective niger meaning black, dark and Latin noun capillatus meaning long-haired, referring to the long, black body pile of this species.

Distribution.

Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov. has only been recorded in Tajikistan (Fig. 7 ).

Ecology.

Preferred environment: open areas at high altitudes, unimproved grassland (Fig. 35D ). Flowers visited: white Apiaceae . Flight period: June-July.

Type material.

Holotype. Tajikistan • ♂; Varzob, Kalon; 39°03'36"N, 68°52'12"E; 2440 m a.s.l.; 1-4 Jul. 2017; A. Barkalov leg.; SZMN 22625. Original label: "HOLOTYPE of Merodon / nigrocapillatus Vujić, Likov / et Radenković sp.n. 2019" [red label], “Таджикистан, Варзобское / ущ., 3 км с.-в. кишлака / Калон, 2440 м н.у.м. 39,06° / N, 68,87° 1-4.07.2017 / Сб.А. Баркалов”, " 2017 / sp. 1 / A. Barkalov det., 201" [label partly handwritten], “22625” (See Supplementary file 1: Figure 1B ). Paratypes. Tajikistan • 1 ♀; Varzob, Kalon; 39°03'00"N, 68°52'48"E; 2484 m a.s.l.; 7-12 Jul. 2017; A. Barkalov leg.; SZMN 22626 • 1 ♀; 65km N of Dushanbe, S side ANZOP pass; 39°03'00"N, 68°19'12"E; 2380 m a.s.l.; 21 Jul. 2010; J. Dils, J. Faes leg.; G. V. W. coll. 10397 • 1 ♀; Iskanderkul kishlak, Sarytag; 39°03'00"N, 68°19'12"E; 2374 m a.s.l.; 14 Jun. 2018; A. Barkalov leg.; SZMN 24506 • 4 ♂♂; Varzob Canyon, 3 km N-E Kalon kishlak; 39°03'36"N, 68°52'12"E; 2440 m a.s.l.; A. Barkalov leg.; SZMN • 14 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; SZMN • 2 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; 4 and 7 Jul. 2017; V. Zinchenko leg.; SZMN • 3 ♀♀; same data as for preceding; 4 and 7 Jul. 2018; SZMN • 1 ♀; Varzob Canyon, 3 km N-E Kalon kishlak; 39°03'36"N, 68°52'12"E; 2356 m a.s.l.; 5 Jul. 2018; A. Barkalov leg.; SZMN 24502 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 7 Jun. 2018; SZMN 24505 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; ~2400 m a.s.l.; 28 Jun. 2018; V. Zinchenko leg.; SZMN 24503 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; 30 Jun. 2018; SZMN 24504 • 1 ♀; Varzob Canyon, 4 km N-E Kalon kishlak; 39°04'48"N, 68°51'36"E; 3375 m a.s.l.; A. Barkalov leg.; SZMN • 1 ♀; Iskanderkul, Zmeinoe Lake; 39°05'20"N, 68°22'08"E; ~2217 m a.s.l.; 16 Jun. 2018; V. Zinchenko leg.; SZMN 24507.

Figures

Figure 1. Merodon serrulatus male genitalia. A Epandrium, lateral view B Epandrium, ventral view C, D Posterior surstyle lobe, lateral view E Hypandrium, lateral view F Part of hypandrium, ventral view G Aedeagus, lateral view. Abbreviations: al-anterior surstyle lobe, bp-basolateral protrusion, c-cercus, l-lingula, pl-posterior surstyle lobe, s-lateral sclerite of aedeagus. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

Figure 7. Distribution map of Merodon serrulatus species group.

Figure 25. Male genitalia. A Merodon medium sp. nov., epandrium, lateral view B Merodon medium sp. nov., epandrium, ventral view C Merodon medium sp. nov., hypandrium, lateral view D Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov., epandrium, lateral view E Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov., epandrium, ventral view F Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov., hypandrium, lateral view. Abbreviations: al-anterior surstyle lobe, bp-basolateral protrusion, l-lingula; arrow marks the hook-like extension in A. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.

Figure 26. Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov., body parts. A dorsal view, male B lateral view, male C dorsal view, female D lateral view, female. Scale bar: 2 mm.

Figure 27. Head of male, dorsal view. A Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov. B Merodon nigropunctum sp. nov. Scale bar: 2 mm.

Figure 28. Antenna. A Merodon nigropunctum sp. nov., outer side lateral view, male B Merodon nigropunctum sp. nov., inner side, lateral view, male C Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov., outer side, lateral view, male D Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov., outer side, lateral view, female. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figure 35. Different types of habitats of Merodon serrulatus species group. A Lesvos (Greece), habitat of Merodon opacus sp. nov., Photograph by Ante Vujic B Siberia, Teletskoye Lake (Russia), habitat of Merodon serrulatus, Photograph by Jeroen van Steenis C Morocco, habitat of Merodon sophron, Photograph by Ante Vujic D Tajikistan, habitat of Merodon nigrocapillatus sp. nov., Photograph by Anatolij Barkalov.