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 Deni- zli , 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).