Merodon adriaticus, Veselić, Sanja, Vujić, Ante & Radenković, Snežana, 2017

Veselić, Sanja, Vujić, Ante & Radenković, Snežana, 2017, Three new Eastern-Mediterranean endemic species of the Merodon aureus group (Diptera: Syrphidae), Zootaxa 4254 (4), pp. 401-434 : 404-408

Merodon adriaticus sp. n.

Figs 1 , 3 a, 4, 5

Type material. HOLOTYPE: Montenegro: ♂, Boka Kotorska, Morinj, 30–31.viii.1997, leg. A. Vujić ( FSUNS) . PARATYPE: Croatia: ♂, Dalmatia, Pelješac ( FSUNS) .

Diagnosis. Species with bluish reflection of mesonotum and green reflection of abdomen; mesonotum predominantly covered with black pile and tergites completely covered with pale pile in male ( Fig. 3 a). Similar to M. rufipes , from which it differs by larger area of black pile on eyes (mostly pale pile in M. rufipes ); mesoscutum almost completely with black pilosity (in M. rufipes black pile present only in posterior half); pilosity on scutellum partly black ( Fig. 4 b) (completely pale in M. rufipes ) ( Fig. 12 b).

Body size. Length: body = 9 mm; wing = 8 mm (n = 2).

Description. MALE ( Fig. 4 ). Head ( Fig. 4 c, 4d). Antenna orange-brown; basoflagellomere reddish, 1.3–1.5 times longer than pedicel, dorsal margin concave between the arista and the apex, apex acute; arista yellow basally, as long as pedicel and basoflagellomere together. Face and frons shiny black with bluish lustre, covered with long yellow pile and indistinct scarce brownish microtrichia, most visible along eye margin. Oral margin bare, with black lustre. Vertical triangle isosceles, shiny black, predominately covered with long pale pile, except at anterior end with black ones. Eye contiguity about 12 ommatidia long. Ocellar triangle equilateral. Eye pile long, black in the upper third and lower corner, paler in the middle. Occiput shiny, silver-green, except for along eye margin with a narrow stripe of white microtrichia; covered with yellow pile. Thorax. Mesonotum bluish with metallic reflections, predominately covered with long, dense, erect black pile, except pale pile usually present on the anterior margin of mesoscutum and posterior half of scutellum ( Figs 3 a, 5a); mesoscutum with three very weak longitudinal stripes of dark brown microtrichia in anterior half. Posterior anepisternum, anepimeron and dorsal part of katepisternum with long whitish-yellow pile. Wing light brownish, with yellow veins. Dorsal and ventral calypters brownish. Haltere with light brown pedicel and dark brown capitulum. Femora black with pale apex; pilosity of fore and mid femora predominately black, except yellow pile posteriorly in basal 1/3 of fore femur and posterior side of mid femur; hind femur predominately covered with yellow pile except short black ones in the apical 1/4 ( Fig. 5 c). Tibiae and tarsi predominantly pale, except weak submedial dark brown ring on tibiae and two brownish apical tarsomeres; covered in yellow pile with some intermixed black ones (hind tarsi dorsally can have more black pile) ( Fig. 5 d). Hind trochanter with inner spike ending in two angular points (one corner more protruded). Abdomen ( Fig. 5 b). Oval, slightly longer than mesonotum; black with green metallic reflections. Tergites II and III with pair of distinct white transverse microtrichose bands interrupted in the middle. Tergites completely covered with yellow pile. Sternites shiny black, covered with long light yellow pile, except for a few black pile on posterior margin of sternite IV. Genitalia. Similar to all other species of the aureus group (as in Fig. 2 ).

FEMALE. Unknown.

Etymology. The word adriaticus refers to the known range of the species, restricted to the Adriatic coast.

Range and preferred habitat. Adriatic coast ( Fig. 1 ); Mediterranean scrub, evergreen Adriatic thermophilous Quercus forest.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Merodon adriaticus sp. n. (●) and Merodon rufipes (▲).

FIGURE 2. Male genitalia of Merodon rufipes: a, b—epandrium; c—hypandrium; d—aedeagus and associated structures; a, c, d—lateral view; b—anterior view. ASL—anterior surstyle lobe (ASL refers actually to the place where the anterior surstyle lobe should be, since this is virtually absent from this species); PSL—posterior surstyle lobe; AED—aedeagus. Scale 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 3. Diagnostic characters, males: a— Merodon adriaticus sp. n., thorax and abdomen, dorsal view (scale 1 mm); b— Merodon ambiguus, hind tibia, lateral view (scale 0.5 mm); c— Merodon nisi sp. n., hind tibia, lateral view (scale 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 4. Merodon adriaticus sp. n., male: a—dorsal view (scale 1 mm); b—scutellum, dorsal view (scale 0.5 mm); c—head, lateral view (scale 0.5 mm); d—head, anterior view (scale 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 5. Merodon adriaticus sp. n., male: a—thorax, lateral view (anterior part of the thorax on the right side, posterior part on the left side) (scale 1 mm); b—abdomen, dorsal view (scale 1 mm); c—hind leg, lateral view (scale 0.5 mm); d—hind tarsi, lateral view (scale 0.5 mm).

FIGURE 12. Merodon rufipes, male: a—dorsal view (scale 1 mm); b—thorax, dorsal view (scale 1 mm); c—head, lateral view (scale 0.5 mm); d—head, anterior view (scale 0.5 mm).