Melangyna arctica (Zetterstedt, 1838)

Barkalov, A. V. & Mutin, V. A., 2021, To the hoverflies fauna (Diptera: Syrphidae) of the high mountains of Eastern Sayan in Siberia, Far Eastern Entomologist 443, pp. 17-24 : 22-23

Melangyna arctica (Zetterstedt, 1838)

Scaeva arctica Zetterstedt, 1838: 604 . Type locality: “Nordlandia, ad Gieborstad (Lapponia)”,

Sweden.

Syrphus tsherepanovi Violovitsh, 1965: 7 (lectotype – ♂, Russia: Tuva, Western Tannu-Ola ,

1900 m, Khundurgun Pass, 6.VII 1963, N.A. Violovitsh; here designated; deposited in the Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg), syn. n.

Melangyna soszynskii Mielczarek, 2013: 339 (holotype – ♂, "Rosja, NU03 , Rep. Buriacji,

Sajany [= Russia: Republic of Buriatya, Eastern Sayan Mountains, Volcano Valley,

52°43'12.49"N, 99°1'49.37"E], 28.VI 2012, Łukasz Mielczarek leg."; deposited in the

Museum of Natural History, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish

Academy of Sciences, Kraków), syn. n.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Lectotype of Syrphus tsherepanovi – ♂, Russia: “ Тува,

ЮЖ. склон Хундургуна, 6.VII 1963, Bиолович coll.” [= Tuva, mountain tundra of the northern slopes of the Western Tannu-Ola Ridge, Khundurgun Pass, 1900 m, 6.VII 1963,

coll. N.A. Violovitsh]; deposited in the Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia; here designated for stability of nomenclature and according to Article 75 of the Code ( ICZN,

1999). OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. Norway: Varaldsoy , 31. V 1969, 1♂ , T. Nielsen ;

Breiseterdalen, 1100 moh, on Lom, 1.VII 1974, 1♂, T. Nielsen; Kautokeino, 3–4.VII.1979,

1♂, I. & T. Nielsen. Austria: West-Tirol, Bezirk Paznaun, SE Kappl oberes Grübletal, 2000

m, 21.VII 1986, 1♂, Clussen. Russia: Yamalo-Nenetskiy Autonomus Okrug, Longotiegan

River, 1–28.VII.2015, 8♂, Barkalov & Zinchenko; Taimyr Peninsula, mouth of Yenisei River,

Nosok settlement, 14.VII–15.VIII 1977, 80♂, Barkalov; Taimyr Reserve, Ary-Mas field sta-

tion, 13–23.VII 2010, 30♂, Barkalov & Zinchenko; Altai Republic, Kosh-Ahachskiy District,

upper stream of Acturu River, 2104–2500 м, 3–9.VII 2006, 9♂, Barkalov & Zinchenko; Altai,

Plateau Ukok, 2200 м, 14.VII 2006, 1♂, Dudko; Buryat Republic, East Sayan, 3–20.VII 2020,

14♂, Barkalov; Zabaikalsky Krai, Sokhondinskij Reserve, 6–13.VIII 1991, 1♂, Barkalov,

Gladkevich & Pekin; Yakutia, 232 km from Khandyga to Magadan 8.VI–7.VII 1985, 168♂ ,

Barkalov; Magadan Region, 20 km E Kulu, 27.VII 1983, 1♂, Makarkin; Chukotka, lower reaches of Anadyr River, 21.VII–4.VIII 2013, 2♂, Barkalov & Mutin; Kamtsatka, Kluchev-

koe settlement, 4.VII 1909, 1♂, Derzhavin; Kamtsatka, 10 km E of Esso Village, 1200 m,

5.VII 2008, 2♂, Mutin; Khabarovsky Krai, Bureinskij Reserve, 2008 m, 22.VII.2005, 1♂,

Lyubechanskij.

REMARKS. The description of Melangyna soszynskii corresponds to the characteristics of M. arctica , which was not mentioned in the comparative diagnosis given by Mielczarek

(2013). Meanwhile, M. arctica is widespread both in the high latitudes of Eurasia and in the mountains of Russian Asia ( Bagatshanova, 1990; Barkalov, 2011; Mutin, 2010). Studied specimens from Tuva were collected in close proximity to the type-locality of M. soszynskii .

The males of M. arctica differ from Palaearctic congeners by a combination of the following characteristics: eyes bare; face densely pollinose with wide black middle vitta narrowed to antennae; both dark middle vitta and yellow coloration of upper-lateral surface indistin-

uishable the due to pollinosity (pinned specimens after alcohol keeping have more visible yellow coloration of the face, but small males have completely dark face); mesonotum as a rule with black pile on sides and pale pile in the middle; scutellum dirty yellow medially and darkened laterally; yellow maculae do not reach lateral margins of abdominal tergites and very small or almost reduced on tergite II; legs mainly black, except basal 1/5-1/3 of fore and middle tibia brownish yellow. All these characters are listed in the description of M.

soszynskii.

We study type of Syrphus tsherepanovi and specimens collected by A. Barkalov on the

Yenisei River mouth in 1977 and identified by N.A. Violovich as Melangyna tsherepanovi and compare it with numerous specimens of M. arctica from other localities. All of them are conspecific.

It should be noted that M. arctica is characterized by pronounced individual and noticeable geographic variability. As a rule, the frontal triangle of males is 90° or slightly more. The pile on the mesonotum of males vary from mostly black to mostly pale. Such variability is more common for Yakut populations, but it is also observed among Taimyr ones. The size of yellow maculae on tergite II is variable, sometimes they are almost completely reduced,

short-oval or almost triangular, but never more than half the size of spots on tergite III.

Thus, new synonymy is established: Melangyna arctica (Zetterstedt, 1838) = Melangyna soszynskii Mielczarek, 2013 syn. n.; = Melangyna tsherepanovi (Violovitsh, 1965) syn. n.