Merodon rufus, Meigen, 1838

Radenković, Snežana, Vujić, Ante, Vidaković, Dragana Obreht, Djan, Mihajla, Milić, Dubravka, Veselić, Sanja, Ståhls, Gunilla & Petanidou, Theodora, 2020, Sky island diversification in the Merodon rufus group (Diptera, Syrphidae) - recent vicariance in south-east Europe, Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 20 (3), pp. 345-368 : 360-361

Merodon rufus group distribution

Range of the M. rufus group predominantly covers the central, eastern, and southern parts of Europe ( Fig. 12 ). Records from Spain, Italy, and Greece pertain to the north of these countries and/or higher elevation within more humid habitats, mainly in beech and mixed deciduous forests.

Three newly discovered endemics have a high distribution on Balkan Mountains ( Fig. 12 ) in patches of supra-Mediterranean life zone (zonality based on Blondel et al. 2010). M. orjensis sp. nova is restricted to Mount Orjen (part of the Dinaric Mountain chain) in Montenegro, near the Adriatic coast. M. kozufensis sp. nova is currently registered

Sky island diversification in the Merodon rufus group ( Diptera , Syrphidae ) — recent vicariance in south-east... 361

on two mountains, Mount Kožuf in North Macedonia, near the border with Greece, and in the north-western part of Mount Pindus in Greece. M. olympius sp. nova is found on high and isolated Mount Olympus, at the Aegean cost. Habitats of all three species are located within or very close to the beech forests, but with regional variations in vegetation association. M. orjensis sp. nova occurs in the coastal region with Ostrya -Carpinion adriaticum Horvat 1959 in combination with montane-Mediterranean Fagus sylvatica L. 1753, Abies alba Mill. 1756 , and oro-Mediterranean Pinus mugo Turra 1764 and Pinus heldreichii Christ 1863 . M. kozufensis sp. nova appears in montane-Mediterranean Fagus moesiaca (K. Malý) Czeczott 1933 , Abies alba , Pinus peuce Griseb. 1846 , Pinus heldreichii in combination with supra-Mediterranean Quercus forests, while M. olympius sp. nova prefers the supra-Mediterranean zone with Ostrya -Carpinion aegeicum Horvat 1959 in combination with montane-Mediterranean Fagus moesiaca , Abies borisii-regis Mattf. 1925 , and oro-Mediterranean Pinus heldreichii .

Figures

Fig. 12 Topographic map with known occurrences of the M. rufus group in Europe (black and white areas represent lower and higher elevation, respectively)