Merodon hirsutus Sack, 1913

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

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.909.46838

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:22B7FF16-D0A2-40F9-B20E-F7C6E0AF1842

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FD6AAB04-0A71-5819-93A2-A81A7DB4E044

treatment provided by

ZooKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Merodon hirsutus Sack, 1913
status

 

Merodon hirsutus Sack, 1913 View in CoL Figs 13C, D View Figure 13 , 14E-G View Figure 14 , 19A-D View Figure 19 , 20A, B View Figure 20 , 21E-G View Figure 21

Diagnosis.

Medium sized (8.1-10.4 mm), dark species with olive-brown reflection; antennae dark brown; legs mostly black; basoflagellomere elongated (ca. two times as long as wide) obviously concave dorsally; arista 1.6-1.7 times as long as basoflagellomere (Fig. 19A-D View Figure 19 ); terga dark brown to black; metafemur incrassate, covered with short pilosity ventrally, and with long pile on dorsolateral surface (Fig. 13C View Figure 13 ); male genitalia: posterior surstyle lobe with lateral hump (Fig. 14E, F View Figure 14 : bp); apical part of anterior surstyle lobe rhomboid (Fig. 14E View Figure 14 : al); lingula large (Fig. 14G View Figure 14 : l). Similar to Merodon serrulatus from which differs in dark tergum 2 (in M. serrulatus with small pale lateral maculae, at least in females). Morphologically related to M. opacus sp. nov. from which can be distinguished by longer dorsolateral and ventral pile on metafemur (Fig. 13C View Figure 13 ) and longer pile on terga (Fig. 21F, G View Figure 21 ); females with mostly shiny frons (Fig. 20B View Figure 20 ) (in M. opacus sp. nov. dull, covered with dense microtrichia).

Redescription

(based on lectotype and additional specimens from the type locality, Syria, and Israel). Male. Head. Antennae black to dark brown; basoflagellomere elongated ca. two times as long as wide, and 2.2-2.5 times as long as pedicel, concave dorsally with acute apex; large fossette dorsolateral and dorsomedial; arista dark and thickened at basal one third, covered with dense microtrichia, 1.6-1.7 times as long as basoflagellomere (Fig. 19A-C View Figure 19 ); face black with gray microtrichia, covered with whitish pile; frons mostly shiny, with yellowish gray pile; oral margin microtrichose, with small, shiny lateral area; lunule shiny black, bare; eye contiguity 12-14 facets long; vertex isosceles, with long, pale whitish yellow pile, mixed with black pile on the ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle equilateral; occiput with gray-yellow pile; eyes covered with dense pile (Fig. 20A View Figure 20 ); vertical triangle: eye contiguity: frons = 1.4: 1: 2.

Thorax. Scutum and scutellum black with bronze luster, covered with dense, erect, yellow pile; scutum at wing basis with short black pile; scutum usually with two or more microtrichose vittae, anteriorly connected and posteriorly reaching the scutellum; scutum dull; posterodorsal part of anterior anepisternum, posterior anepisternum (except anteroventral angle), anterior anepimeron, dorsomedial anepimeron, and posterodorsal and anteroventral parts of katepisternum with long, pale yellow pile and grayish microtrichia; wings entirely covered with microtrichia; wing veins brown; calypteres and halteres yellowish; legs mostly black, except brown tarsi ventrally in some specimens; pile on legs pale yellow, except black pile at apical one third of metafemur; metafemur moderately incrassate, ca. three times longer than wide; pile on postero- and anteroventral surface very short; pile on dorsolateral surface long and dense ca. as half of width of metafemur (Fig. 13C View Figure 13 ).

Abdomen. Tapering, ca. 1.2 times longer than mesonotum; terga dark; terga 2-4 each with a pair of white microtrichose, wide, oblique fasciae (on tergum 2 triangular); pile on terga long, all yellow (Fig. 21F View Figure 21 ); sterna dark brown, covered with long whitish yellow pile.

Male genitalia. Apical part of anterior surstyle lobe rhomboid shape, ca. two times longer than wide, covered with short pile (Fig. 14E View Figure 14 : al); posterior surstyle lobe oval with basolateral protrusion (lateral hump) (Fig. 14E, F View Figure 14 : bp); hypandrium sickle-shaped, without lateral projections; lingula large (Fig. 14G View Figure 14 : l).

Female. Similar to the male except for normal sexual dimorphism and for the following characteristics: antennae with rounded tip, basoflagellomere 1.8-2 times longer than wide, fossette dorsolateral (Fig. 19D View Figure 19 ); frons with narrow microtrichose vittae along eye margins; frons covered with variable pilosity, from mostly gray-yellow to predominantly black; ocellar triangle covered with black pile; metafemur with shorter pile on dorsolateral surface (Fig. 13D View Figure 13 ); terga mostly with yellowish pile on tergum 2 and with whitish pile on terga 3-5, except terga 2-4 medially with short black pile; microtrichose fasciae on terga 3 and 4 narrower (Fig. 21F, G View Figure 21 ).

Distribution.

Merodon hirsutus is distributed in Israel, Syria, and south-eastern Turkey (Fig. 7 View Figure 7 ).

Ecology.

Preferred environment: no data. Flowers visited: no data. Flight period: March-June.

Type material.

Described by Sack (1913: 435) based on unspecified number of specimens. Lectotype [designated by Hurkmans (1993)]: male, "Jebel al Aqra [35° 35' N, 36° 15' E] vi.85 [1885], N. Syria, Dr. E. Leuthner / Lampetia hirsuta Sack det. Sack" (NHMW) (studied).

Other material.

Israel • 1 ♀; Hefa, “Ma`yan Zevi" [Ma Yan Zevi]; 32°34'00"N, 34°55'60"E; 17 Apr. 1980; TAUI 04162.

Syria • 1 ♂; Jebel al Aqra; 35°55'18"N, 35°57'51"E; Jun. 1985; D. F. Leuthner leg.; NHMW 02479.

Turkey • 1 ♂; İçel, İcel-Taşucu, Silifke; 36°22'17"N, 33°54'54"E; 300 m a.s.l.; 17 Mar. 1984; FSUNS 04161 • 1 ♀; Erdemli; 36°44'59"N, 34°11'51"E; 8 Jun. 2008; Skorpik leg.; MNHN 17917 • 3 ♀♀; Pozantı-Tekir; 37°31'05"N, 34°47'42"E; 6 Jun. 2008; M. Kafka leg.; M. B. coll. 17918 to 17920 • 1 ♀; Kahramanmaraş, Andırın, Beyoluğu village; 37°45'00"N, 36°17'00"E; 1400 m a.s.l.; 7 Jun. 2002; S. Sarıbıyık leg.; S. S. coll. 02482 • 3 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; S. S. coll. 17910 to 17912 • 2 ♀♀; Kahramanmaraş, Andırın, Çiğşar village; 37°45'00"N 36°18'00"E; 1400 m a.s.l.; 7 Jun. 2002; S. Sarıbıyık leg.; S. S. coll. 17914, 17916 • 2 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; S. S. coll. 17913, 17915.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Syrphidae

Genus

Merodon