Spilogona dispar ( Fallén, 1823 )

Pont, Adrian C., 2023, Spilogona dispar (Fallén, 1823) and its Palaearctic relatives (Diptera: Muscidae), Zootaxa 5361 (3), pp. 409-418 : 410-412

Spilogona dispar ( Fallén, 1823)

( Figs 1 , 8–9 )

Musca dispar Fallén, 1823: 58 .

Diagnosis. This species can be recognised by the characters given in the key.

Remarks. S. dispar was described from Sweden, and the male lectotype is in the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden ( Pont, 1984: 283). It is a very dark species; the name “dispar ” is Latin for “dissimilar” or “unlike” and presumably Fallén found it to be very distinct from the other muscid species he knew. It is widespread in Europe, from Sweden and Finland in the north to Spain, Italy and Greece in the south. Its eastern limits are Ukraine, Turkey and Armenia ( Pont, 1986: 167).

This species was recorded from Armenia by Pont (2013a: 4; 2018: 48) from three localities in Aragatsotn and Kotayk provinces. Re-examination of these specimens has shown that Spilogona dispar is indeed present in Armenia except in the highland area of Mt Aragats and a few other localities where it is replaced by S. paradispar .

Material examined. The following specimens originally identified as S. dispar are indeed S. dispar :

ARMENIA: Aragatsotn: below Spitak Pass, 40.45N 44.16E, 2300 m, 31.vii.2015 (A.C. Pont), 2♂ 3♀ ( BMNH) & 1♂ 2♀ ( OUMNH) ( Pont, 2018: 48). Kotayk: Tsakhkadzor, heath, 40.32N 44.41E, 2360 m, 17.vii.2011 (A.C. Pont), 1♂ ( BMNH) ( Pont, 2013a: 4); Tsakhkadzor, Mt. Teghenis, heath, 40.32N 44.41E, 2280–2360 m, 30.vii.2015 (A.C. Pont), 8♂ ( BMNH) & 3♂ ( OUMNH) ( Pont, 2018: 48).

The series recorded from the heath south of Lake Kari ( Pont, 2013a: 4) has proved to be S. paradispar (see below).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Spilogona dispar (Fallén), male. (Austria, Tyrol, Obergurgl.)

FIGURES 8–11. Male terminalia of Spilogona: 8, S. dispar (Fallén), hypopygium in lateral view; 9, S. dispar (Fallén), cercal plate in dorsal view; 10, S paradispar sp.nov., hypopygium in lateral view; 11, S. paradispar sp.nov., cercal plate in dorsal view. (8, 9, redrawn from Hennig (1959a, 1959b, as S. funeralis (Rondani); 10, 11, Armenia, Gegharkunik, the crater lake on Mt Armaghan, 15.vii.2018, paratypes.)