Merodon trispinus Vujić et Radenković, 2022

Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Snežana, Likov, Laura, Gorše, Iva, Djan, Mihajla, Ristić, Zlata Markov & Barkalov, Anatolii V., 2022, Three new species of the Merodon ruficornis group (Diptera: Syrphidae) discovered at the edge of its range, Zootaxa 5182 (4), pp. 301-347 : 313-317

Merodon trispinus Vujić et Radenković sp. nov.

ZooBank link: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:93F2A6E3-F105-4697-A0F4-28A19C507C6D

GenBank accession number of the COI gene sequence: ON562606

( Figs 3B–D , 4 , 5C–D , 7D , 15B, 15E , 10A, 10C–D )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: TURKEY, Bozdað Mountain , 38.332693°N, 28.109671°E, 07.VI.2014, ♂, 06927, Leg. Vujić A., Ačanski J., FSUNS . PARATYPES: TURKEY: 38.332693°N, 28.109671°E, 07.VI.2014, 4♂, ♀, 06928, 06929, 06930, 06937, 06938, Leg. Vujić A., Ačanski J., FSUNS; Bozdað Mountain , 38.411655°N, 28.081503°E, 02.V.2014, ♀, 06292, Leg. Vujić A., Ačanski J., FSUNS; Fethiye, Akdað, Cemalani , 36.600998°N, 29.515234°E, 04.VI.2014, 5♂, ♀, 06874, 06882, 06883, 06884, 06885, 06887, Leg. Vujić A., Ačanski J., FSUNS; Izmir , 38.271148°N, 27.175597°E, 06.VI.2014, ♂, 06922, Leg. Vujić A., Ačanski J., FSUNS; Babadað , near Denizli , 37.695179°N, 28.99309°E, 05.VII.2015, 3♂, 09726, 09727, 09728, Leg. Vujiă A., Radenkoviă S., Ačanski J., Veličkoviă S., Stĺhls G., Gökhan S., FSUNS; Boncuk Daðlari, near Ballik , 36.865139°N, 29.34881°E, 04.VII.2014, 2♂, ♀, 09723, 09724, 09725, Leg. Vujiă A., Radenkoviă S., Ačanski J., Veličkoviă S., Stĺhls G., Gökhan S., FSUNS .

Diagnosis. Similar to M. portschinskyi and M. turcicus . Males differ by apical part of metatibia with strong, inner, posteroventral spina ( Fig. 15E : marked with black arrow) [much smaller in M. portschinskyi and M. turcicus ( Figs 15D and 15F : marked with black arrow)], distinct anteroventral spur projected backwards at undulate lamella ( Fig. 15E : marked with white arrow) (toward the apex in M. portschinskyi and M. turcicus ( Figs 15D and 15F : marked with white arrow), and small carina in between ( Fig. 15E : c); process on metatrochanter small ( Fig. 15B : marked with black arrow), while medium sized in M. portschinskyi and M. turcicus ( Figs 15A and 15C : marked with black arrow); basal part of metafemur ventrally usually less curved ( Fig. 15B : marked with white arrow), while strongly curved in M. portschinskyi ( Fig. 15A : marked with white arrow). Male genitalia: anterior surstyle lobe biramous ( Fig. 10A : al), with slightly developed interior accessory lobe ( Fig. 10D : il) and rounded extension ( Fig. 10A : marked with arrow), while in M. portschinskyi extension of the anterior surstyle lobe is less developed and tapering ( Fig. 10B : marked with arrow). Female: legs mostly black, tarsi at least ventrally, femora apically, and tibiae apically and basally brownish; tergum 4 with distinct transverse depression ( Fig. 3B ), much less expressed in M. turcicus and M. portschinskyi ( Fig. 3A : marked with arrow). Distribution of these three species is allopatric. M. portschinskyi appears on Caucasus mountains, M. turcicus was recorded on North Anatolian Mountains, and M. trispinus sp. nov. has a range in mountains of South West Anatolia ( Fig. 17 ).

Description. Length. Male: 10–11 mm; female: 10 mm. MALE ( Figs 4A–C , 5C , 15B, 15E , 10A, 10C–D ). Medium-sized species with pale pilose terga; terga 2–4 with distinct pollinose fasciate maculae ( Fig. 5C ); metatrochanter with medium sized process ( Fig. 15B : marked with black arrow); metafemur swollen, without ventral protuberance, ventrally covered with long pile ( Fig. 15B ); metatibia apically with strong, inner, posteroventral spina ( Fig. 15E : marked with black arrow), with distinct anteroventral spur projected backwards at undulate lamella ( Fig. 15E : marked with white arrow) and with small carina in between ( Fig. 15E : c); tarsomeres of all legs dorsally pale brown to black, ventrally reddish. Male genitalia: anterior surstyle lobe biramous ( Fig. 10A : al), with slightly developed interior accessory lobe ( Fig. 10D : il) and rounded extension ( Fig. 10A : marked with arrow); posterior surstyle lobe hook-like ( Fig. 10A : pl); cercus oval ( Fig. 10A : c); hypandrium sickle-shaped ( Fig. 10C ), with folded theca ( Fig. 10C : marked with arrow).

FEMALE ( Figs 3B–D , 4D–F , 5D , 7D ). Similar to the male except for normal sexual dimorphism and for the following characteristics: metafemur covered with shorter pilosity ( Fig. 7D ); metatrochanter slightly angular ( Fig. 7D ); pollinose fasciate maculae on terga 2–4 well defined, white-greyish ( Fig. 5D ); terga pale pilose, except black pile medially from posterior half of tergum 2 until anterior half of tergum 5; tergum 4 with distinct transverse depression ( Fig. 3B ); tergum 5 with a pair of distinct lateral, longitudinal depression ( Fig. 3C : marked with arrow); vertex at the level of ocellar triangle and frons medially black pilose ( Fig. 3D ).

Etymology. The noun “spinus” meaning thorn-bush refers to three extensions of the exoskeleton at apical part of metatibiae.

Distribution. Merodon trispinus sp. nov. occurs in west and southwest Turkey ( Figs 16–17 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Merodon female. A M. portschinskyi, T4, lateral view, B M. trispinus sp. nov., T4, lateral view, tergum 5 dorsal. C M. trispinus sp. nov., T5, frontal view (depression marked with arrow), D M. trispinus sp. nov., frons, dorsal view. Scale bar: A, B 0.8 mm, C 1mm, D 0.6 mm.

FIGURE 4. Head of Merodon trispinus sp. nov.. A–C male, D–F female. A, D lateral view, B, E dorsal view, C, F frontal view. Scale bar: A, D 0.5 mm, B, C, E, F 0.75 mm.

FIGURE 5. Abdomen of Merodon, dorsal view. A, B M. fulvitarsis sp. nov., C, D M. trispinus sp. nov.. A, C male, B, D female. Scale bar: A, D 1 mm, B, C 0.9 mm.

FIGURE 7. Part of metaleg of Merodon female, lateral view. A M. acutus sp. nov., B M. fulvitarsis sp. nov. (metatrochanter marked with black arrow; two apical tarsomere marked with white arrows), C M. lamellatus (metatrochanter marked with black arrow; two apical tarsomere marked with white arrows), D M. trispinus sp. nov., E M. ovaloides. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 10. Male genitalia. A, C, D Merodon trispinus sp. nov., B, E M. portschinskyi. A epandrium, lateral view (extension marked with arrow), B surstylus, lateral view (extension marked with arrow), C hypandrium, lateral view (folded thecal ridge marked with arrow), D, E surstylus, ventral view.al—anterior surstyle lobe, c—cercus, il—interior accessory lobe, pl—posterior surstyle lobe. Scale bar: 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 15. Part of metaleg of Merodon male. A, D M. portschinskyi, B, E M. trispinus sp. nov., C, F M. turcicus. A–C metaleg, lateral view (process on metatrochanter marked with black arrow; basal curve of metafemur marked with white arrow), D–F processes on apical part of metatibia (inner spina marked with arrow; ventral spur marked with white arrow).c—carina. Scale bar: A–C 1 mm, D–F 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 16. Strict consensus tree based on 9 equally parsimonious trees from analysis of combined COI sequences. Length 318 steps, Consistency index (CI) 70, Retention index (RI) 42. Bootstrap values ≥ 60 are indicated near nodes. Filled circles represent non-homoplasious changes and open circles homoplasious changes.

FIGURE 17. Maximum Likelihood tree of the Merodon ruficornis species group based on combined 3′ and 5′ COI sequences. The bootstrap values are indicated near nodes.