Myolepta obscura Becher, 1882

Prokhorov, A. V., Popov, G. V. & Zaika, M. I., 2018, New Records Of Hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) From Ukraine. Ii. Brachyopini And Merodontini, Vestnik Zoologii 52 (2), pp. 125-136 : 128-129

Myolepta obscura Becher, 1882 ( FIgs 10–12 , 16–18 )

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d. Ukraine. Zakarpattia Region: Kamianytsia env., Uzh River valley (left bank),

48.70 N 22.43 E, roads in deciduous forest, 9– 10.05.2017, 1 Ơ, 1 ♀ (A. Prokhorov).

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Northern France, Germany, Switzerland, Northern Italy, Southern Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Azerbaijan ( Peck, 1988; Reemer et al., 2005; Holinka & Mazánek, 1997; Tóth, 2011; Speight, 2013, 2017; Mielczarek, 2018), Ukraine (first record).

Diagnosis. Both sexes differs from similar Myolepta vara (Panzer, 1798) ( FIgs 13– 15 , 19–21 ) by the scutum and scutellum with long wooly upstanding pile ( FIg. 18 ) (in M. vara with short reclined pile, as on FIg. 21 ), hind margin of the scutellum with hairs as long as two thirds/three quarters the median length of the scutellum ( FIg. 18 ) (in M. vara with hairs half as long as the median length of the scutellum, as on FIg. 21 ), pleurae entirely pollinose (in M. vara , pleurae shining except for proepimeron and anterior anepisternum), anterolateral surface of the hind femur with many hairs as long as the maximum width of the femur ( FIg. 17 ) (in M. vara with hairs half as long as the maximum width of the femur, as on FIg. 20 ), metasternum bare (in M. vara , metasternum pilose). Male also differs from M. vara by narrow shining median facial strip ( FIg. 12 ) (in M. vara , shining median strip broadening from facial tubercle upwards to almost twice its width, as on FIg. 15 ).

Additional features. Both sexes of M. obscura differs from M. vara by the frons, scutum and scutellum with pale yellowish hairs (in M. vara , all hairs distinctly golden, as on FIg. 21 ), tibiae with numerous long hairs at least as long as width of the tibia (in M. vara , tibiae with hairs all shorter than the width of the tibia), the basoflagellomere dark (in M. vara , the basoflagellomere pale, as on FIg. 15 ). Male of M. obscura differs from M. vara by the frons with numerous upstanding hairs (in M. vara , frons almost bare with a few semi-adpressed hairs), width of the dusting frons edge along eyes is equal to the width of the orbital strip (in M. vara , width of the dusting frons edge along eyes less then the width of the orbital strip), frons angle between eyes acute (frons angle slightly obtuse in M. vara ). Female of M. obscura differs from M. vara by the frons with upstanding pile (in M. vara frons with semi-adpressed hairs aside from the median line of the frons).

Figures

Figs 10–15. Myolepta obscura (FIgs 10–12) and M. vara (FIgs 13–15) from Zakarpattia: 10, 13 — habitus of the males, dorsal view; 11–14 — habitus of the females, dorsal view; 12, 15 — heads of the males, frontal view (arrow shows the shining median strip of the face).

Figs 16–21.Females of Myolepta obscura (FIgs 16–18) and M.vara (FIgs 19–21) from Zakarpattia:16, 19 — head, lateral view; 17, 20 — hind femur, anterolateral view; 18, 21 — scutum and scutellum, lateral view.