Merodon pakistanicus 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/4E19744C-49D5-49C7-B147-204AFA409476
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:4E19744C-49D5-49C7-B147-204AFA409476
treatment provided by	Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny by Pensoft
scientific name	Merodon pakistanicus Vujic , Likov & Radenkovic
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Merodon pakistanicus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov.

Figs 5C View Figure 5 , 9D View Figure 9 , 11D View Figure 11 , 14F View Figure 14 , 24D, E View Figure 24 , 25B View Figure 25 , 26 View Figure 26 , 30C View Figure 30

M. aff. tarsatus 5 ( Vujić et al. 2021a).

Type locality.

PAKISTAN: Balochistan Province, Qilla Saifullah District, Kan Mehtarzai.

Type material.

Holotype: ♂; NARC 18120 [specimen dry pinned, the right wing, the head, antero-dorsal part of mesonotum and mesoleg without tarsomeres are glued on locality label, metaleg taken for molecular analysis, genitalia in separate microvial]. Original labels: "Kan Mwhterzai / (Qilla Saifulah) / 27-v-2017 / Banafsha", " 10 [serial number] ♂", “18120”, “TS512”.

Diagnosis.

Medium sized (10 mm), long pilose, dark species, with olive-brown reflection; antennae black, basoflagellomere 1.8 times as long as wide (Fig. 11D View Figure 11 ); legs mostly black (Fig. 14F View Figure 14 ); body pile pale yellow to gray. Male: metafemur about 3.4 times longer than wide, covered with long pilosity (Fig. 14F View Figure 14 ); basotarsomere of metatarsus expanded, about 2 times broader than the second tarsomere (Figs 9D View Figure 9 , 14F View Figure 14 ), ventrally with well-defined brush-like area of dense pile extended for more than 1/2 of its length (Fig. 9D View Figure 9 ); ventral margin of metatrochanter angular; sternum 4 with long laminate extensions on posterior margin (Fig. 5C View Figure 5 ); male genitalia: anterior surstyle lobe rectangular, posterior surstyle lobe trapezoidal (Fig. 24D View Figure 24 : al, pl); ejaculatory apodeme longer than broad (Fig. 25B View Figure 25 : ea); lingula small and narrow (Fig. 25B View Figure 25 : l).

Differs from Merodon namaghijamii Vujić, Likov & Radenković sp. nov. and M. turkestanicus by holoptic eyes, eye contiguity about 10 facets long (Fig. 30C View Figure 30 ), while in M. namaghijamii Vujić, Likov & Radenković sp. nov. and M. turkestanicus eyes dichoptic (Fig. 31E, G View Figure 31 ) or shortly connected by distance of 1-5 facets long (Fig. 31F View Figure 31 ). Similar to M. tarsatus , but differs with less incrassate basotarsomere of metaleg (Fig. 9D View Figure 9 versus 6L), male genitalia: ejaculatory apodeme longer than broad in M. pakistanicus Vujić, Likov & Radenković sp. nov. (Fig. 25B View Figure 25 : ea), while broader than long in M. tarsatus (Fig. 2A, B View Figure 2 : ea), and by molecular data (Figs 33 View Figure 33 , 34 View Figure 34 ).

Description.

Male. Head: Antenna black; basoflagellomere (Fig. 11D View Figure 11 ) about 1.8 times as long as wide, about 2 times as long as pedicel, more or less straight dorsally, tapering to apex; fossette dorsolateral and large (Fig. 11D View Figure 11 ); arista dark and thickened at basal third; face and frons black with gray microtrichia; face covered with dense whitish pile, frons with gray-yellowish pile; oral margin black, with sparse microtrichia; lunule shiny black to brown, bare; eye contiguity about 10 facets long; vertex isosceles, shiny black; vertex with long, pale yellow-whitish pile, in some cases mixed with a few black pile on ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle equilateral; occiput with gray-yellow pile, ventrally covered with dense gray microtrichia; eyes covered with dense whitish-gray pile (Fig. 30C View Figure 30 ); vertical triangle: eye contiguity: frons = 2.5: 1: 2. - Thorax: Scutum and scutellum black with olive-green to brown lustre, covered with dense, erect yellow pile; scutum without 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 pile; wings mostly covered with microtrichia; wing veins brown; calypter yellow; halter brown-yellow; legs mostly black, except partly brown-yellow tarsi, tibiae and apex of femora; pile on legs pale yellow; ventral margin of metatrochanter angular; metafemur moderately broad, about 3.4 times longer than wide, with long pile on ventral surface, about as long as width of metafemur, longer than pile on dorsal surface (Fig. 14F View Figure 14 ); apicomedial lamina on metatibia distinct, covered with very long yellow pile; basotarsomere of metatarsus expanded, about 2 times broader than second tarsomere (Figs 9D View Figure 9 , 14F View Figure 14 ), ventrally with well-defined brush-like area of dense pile extended for more than 1/2 of its length (Fig. 9D View Figure 9 ). - Abdomen: About 1.4 times longer than mesonotum; terga dark brown to black; terga 2-4 without pollinose fasciae; pile on terga all yellow to gray-whitish; sterna dark brown, covered with long whitish-yellow pile. - Male genitalia: Anterior surstyle lobe oval to rectangular, covered with dense short pile (Fig. 24D, E View Figure 24 : al); posterior surstyle lobe trapezoidal (Fig. 24D, E View Figure 24 : pl); hypandrium sickle-shaped, without lateral projections; ejaculatory apodeme longer than broad (Fig. 25B View Figure 25 : ea); lingula small and narrow (Fig. 25B View Figure 25 : l). - Female. Unknown.

Etymology.

The new species " Merodon pakistanicus " was named after the country of origin of the holotype (Pakistan).

Distribution and ecological data.

Merodon pakistanicus Vujić, Likov & Radenković sp. nov. has only been recorded in western Pakistan so far (Fig. 26 View Figure 26 ). Its single known locality belongs to central-western part of Baluchistan xeric woodlands ecoregion ( Olson et al. 2001), within the area of temperate coniferous and subtropical dry evergreen forests. The montane vegetation includes Juniperus forests, open woodlands with Pistacia L., Prunus , Berberis , Lonicera , Artemisia spp., and Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata accompanied by Dodonaea viscosa as the transition between the subtropical woodlands and the alpine vegetation of sclerophyllous forest ( WWF 2022). Climate of the collection site is slightly to very hot in summer and really cold in winter. Temperature rises as much as 35-40°C in summer and drops to -15°C in winter. Dry warm days and cool nights are common in the summertime season. Most of the rain falls in winter and ranges between 50-300 mm annually. Mostly apple orchards are grown with wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) and Berseem ( Trifolium alexandrinum ) intercropped. On the basis of our data the flight period is May.