Melanogaster parumplicata (Loew, 1840)

Prokhorov, A. V., Popov, G. V. & Shparyk, V. Yu., 2020, New Records Of Hover Flies (Diptera, Syrphidae) From Ukraine. Iv, Zoodiversity 54 (1), pp. 17-30 : 20-22

Melanogaster parumplicata (Loew, 1840) ( figs 9, 10 , 13, 14 , 17, 18 )

Material examined. Ukraine. Kyiv Region: Irpin env., 50.51 N 30.27 E, edge of mixed forest along railway, 2.06.2016 , 1}; Rivne Region: Bushcha env.: 50.30 N 26.25 E, Zbytynka River floodplain, 15.05.2018 , 1 {; 50.301 N 26.299 E, edge of deciduous forest, on flowers of Anthriscus sylvestris , 17.05.2018, 2}; idem, 17– 22.05.2019 , 4 {, 7} ( A. Prokhorov) .

D i s t r i b u t i o n: uncertain at present, due to confusion with M. aerosa (Loew, 1843) until recently, but known from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland ( Maibach et al., 1994; Holinka & Mazánek, 1997; Vujić et al., 2001; Stănescu & Pârvu, 2005; Bartsch et al., 2009; Mielczarek, 2009; Haarto & Kerppola, 2014; Speight, 2018; Wakkie, 2019); Ukraine (first record).

Diagnosis. Both sexes of M. parumplicata are very similar to M. aerosa ( figs 11, 12 , 15, 16 , 19, 20 ). Male of M. parumplicata is similar to M. aerosa male in having thorax with black pile and surstyli without elongated apex, differing from M. aerosa by: weakly developed flattened facial tubercle ( fig. 13 ) (in M. aerosa , facial tubercle distinctly elongated and pointed, as on fig. 15 ), scutum shining black (in M. aerosa , scutum, especially notopleuron and lateral side of scutum posterior to transverse suture with a slight bronze or copper tint), face broader ( fig. 17 ), ratio of the maximum head width to the face width at the level just below the antennal base 1.95–2.0 (in M. aerosa , face narrower ( fig. 19 ), this ratio is 2.2), surstylus (in lateral view) shorter and almost straight, with blunt apex ( Maibach et al., 1994: fig. 8 ) (in M. aerosa , surstylus more elongated and slightly curved, with a more pointed apex; Maibach et al., 1994: fig. 3 ), superior lobe of hypandrium with short appendages ( Maibach et al., 1994: fig. 9 ) (in M. aerosa , superior lobe of hypandrium with long appendages; Maibach et al., 1994: fig. 4 ). Genitalia of both species are prepared and compared with figures in Maibach et al. (1994). Other characters differing M. parumplicata male from M. aerosa male, such as conjunction of the vein M 1 with R 4+5 or the mesoanepisternal pilosity ( Maibach et al., 1994; Van Veen, 2010) seems to be vague in our opinion. The most reliable and convenient characters are the shape and size of the facial tubercle, and genital structures.

Female of M. parumplicata is similar to M. aerosa female ( figs 12 , 16 , 20 ) in having mesonotum with short adpressed pale pile; can be distinguished from it by: the scutum shining black (in M. aerosa , scutum is not so shining with bronze or copper tint), tergite 5 with mainly erect to semi-decumbent long pile ( Bartsch et al., 2009), their length approximately equal to the width of hind basitarsus (in M. aerosa , tergite 5 with mainly adpressed short pile ( Bartsch et al., 2009), their length less than the width of hind basitarsus), transition from upper to lower part of the face (lateral view) is smooth ( fig. 14 ) ( Bartsch et al., 2009) (in M. aerosa , transition from upper to lower part of the face is angular, as on fig. 16 ( Bartsch et al., 2009)), face broad ( fig. 18 ), ratio of the maximum head width to the face width at the level just below the antennal base 1.9–2.0 (in M. aerosa , face narrow ( fig. 20 ), this ratio is 2.1–2.15). Unfortunately, transition from upper to lower part of the face varies quite a lot (checked on own material). The clearest characters are shine and coloring of scutum (in females this character is more pronounced than in males), and pilosity of tergite 5.

Note. Listed as a threatened species on the Balkan Peninsula by Vujić et al. (2001).

Here we offer an updated key to males of the European species of the genus Melanogaster including a little-known species M. jaroslavensis (Stackelberg, 1922) with Eastern European distributional range.

Figures

Figs 9–12. Melanogaster parumplicata (figs 9, 10) and M. aerosa (figs 11, 12): 9, 11 — habitus, male, dorsal view; 10, 12 — habitus, female, dorsal view.

Figs 13–16. Melanogaster parumplicata (figs 13, 14) and M. aerosa (figs 15, 16): 13, 15 — head, male, lateral view (arrow shows facial tubercle); 14, 16 — head, female, lateral view (arrow shows a transition from upper to lower part of the face).

Figs 17–20. Melanogaster parumplicata (figs 17, 18) and M. aerosa (figs 19, 20): 17, 19 — head, male, frontal view; 18, 20 — head, female, frontal view.

Figs 1–8. Hammerschmidtia ferruginea (figs 1–4) from Rivne Region (Ukraine) and H. ingrica (figs 5–8) from Moscow Region (Russia): 1, 5 — habitus, male, dorsal view; 2, 6 — habitus, female, dorsal view; 3, 7 — arista, male, lateral view; 4, 8 — thorax, female, ventral view (arrow shows the pilosity of the posterior part of the katepisternum and hind coxa).