Melangyna, Verrall

Thompson, Christian, 2008, A conspectus of New Zealand flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of a new genus and species, Zootaxa 1716, pp. 1-20 : 12-13

GENUS MELANGYNA Verrall

MELANGYNA Verrall 1901: 313 . Type-species: Melanostoma quadrimaculatum Verrall, 1901 , monotypic.

novaezelandiae Macquart, 1855: 115 (Syrphus) .

novaezealandiae, Hutton 1881: 44, 1901: 40; Miller 1921: 302, 1950: 97; Thompson & Vockeroth 1989: 444 (subsequent misspelling).

novaeselaniae, Kertész 1910: 123 (subsequent misspelling). ortas Walker, 1849: 585 ( Syrphus ).

rectus Nowicki, 1875: 24 (Syrphus) .

The types of novaezelandiae Macquart and ortas Walker were examined and found to represent the same species. The description of rectus Nowicki also clearly applies to this species. Under the principle of priority, the name for this species should be ortas Walker. However, as novaezelandiae has far more widespread use, being the only name of the three that has been used as valid (with the exception of catalogs and checklists) in the last 80 or more years (exactly since Miller 1921), the name is eligible to be preserved under the plenary powers of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (Art. 81; ICZN (1999)). Normally, I am against preserving junior synonyms, but as the name novaezelandiae is most appropriate for this species, the second most common New Zealand flower fly, and has become the basis of the common name, the New Zealand flower fly, I feel that an exception for its preservation should be made.

The original spelling of the epithet was " novae zelandiae" based on material collected from "Nouvelle- Zelande." Subsequent authors have misspelt the epithet, but there is no basis for an emendation or is there sufficient usage to adopt the spelling novaezealandiae.