Merodon hermonensis Vujić, Radenković et, 2023

Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Snežana, Tubić, Nataša Kočiš, Likov, Laura, Popov, Grigory, Rojo, Santos & Miličić, Marija, 2023, Integrative taxonomy of the Merodon aberrans (Diptera, Syrphidae) species group: distribution patterns and description of three new species, Contributions to Zoology 92 (1), pp. 51-96 : 67-73

Merodon hermonensis Vujić, Radenković et

Likov sp. nov.

Zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:78E9A23D-ECE4-44AF-ABC8-D2AA6FE70975

Type material. Holotype. Male. Israel, Neve Atib , 33.264302N, 35.738339E, 03.vi.1973 ( NBCN).

Paratypes. Israel, Mount Hermon , 33.36732N, 35.93064E, 09.vii.1975, leg. A. Freidberg, 1 male

in TAU. Israel, Mount Hermon , 33.36732N, 35.93064E, 11.v.1976, leg. A. Freidberg, 1 female

in TAU. Israel, Mount Hermon , 33.36732N, 35.93064E, 22.vi.1984, leg. R. Kasher, 1 male ,

1 female in TAU. Israel, Mount Hermon , Downloaded from Brill. com 08/29/2023 02:13:25AM via free access 33.36732N, 35.93064E, 16.vi.1996, leg. A. Freidberg, 1 male, 1 female in TAU. Israel, Mt. Shalhavit , 33.332713N, 35.768174E, 07.vii.1987, leg. I.Nussbaum , 1male in TAU. Israel, Neve Atib , 33.264302N, 35.738339E, 03.vi.1973, leg. Furth , 1

male in TAU. Lebanon, Nord Cedars , Lebanon Becharre, 34.23333N, 36.05E, 03-10.vi.1831, leg. Zerny, 3 females in NHMW . Lebanon , Nord Cedars, Lebanon Becharre, 34.23333N, 36.05E, 01-03.vii.1831, leg. Zerny, 1 female in NHMW .

Downloaded from Brill.com 08/29/2023 02:13:25AM

via free access

Diagnosis: Large (12–15 mm), dark species with bluish to brown lustre ( fig. 18B, C ); antennae black to dark brown; basoflagellomere elongated, about 1.6 times as long as wide ( fig. 18A ); body covered with yellow– grey pilosity, except fascia of some black pile between wing bases ( fig. 18C ), and adpressed, short black pile on terga 2–5 medially in female; legs mostly black, except brown tarsi ventrally and yellow–brown pro- and mesotibiae basally; metafemur long, narrow, about 4.5 times longer than wide, ventrally covered with short pile as long as 1/5 of its width ( fig. 3B ); abdomen narrow and elongated; terga 2–4 each with a pair of narrow, white pollinose, triangular fasciate maculae ( fig. 18B ). Similar to Merodon aberrans , from which it differs in having shorter ventral pilosity on metafemur, about 1/5 of its width ( fig. 3B ), while this is 1/2–1/3 of its width in Merodon aberrans ( fig. 3A ), and longer dorsal pilosity ( fig. 3A, B ); and it differs from M. flavitibius in having a narrower metafemur, which is about 4.5 times longer than wide ( fig. 3B ), while this is 4 times longer in M. flavitibius ( figs. 3C , 12A, B ), and longer pile on metafemur dorsally ( fig. 3B, C ).

Description: Male. Head ( fig. 18A ). Antennae black to dark brown; basoflagellomere ( fig. 18A ) elongated, about 1.6 times as long as wide, and about 1.5 times as long as the pedicel, more or less straight dorsally, tapering to the apex; fossette dorsolateral; arista dark and thickened on basal third; arista about 1.8 times as long as basoflagellomere; face and frons black with grey pollinosity, face covered with dense whitish pile, while frons with grey–yellowish pile; oral margin black, with sparse pollinosity; lunula shiny black to brown, bare; eye contiguity about 16–18 facets long; vertex isosceles; vertex with long, pale yellow–whitish pile, mixed with black pile on the ocellar triangle; ocellar triangle isosceles; occiput with grey– yellow pile, ventrally covered with a dense, grey pollinosity; eyes covered with dense whitish–grey pile ( fig. 18A ). Thorax ( figs. 3B , 18C ). Mesonotum black with bluish to brown lustre, covered with dense, erect yellow pile, except fascia with some black pile between wing bases ( fig. 18C ); scutum usually with two, barely visible pollinose vittae; anterior half of scutum from dull to shiny; posterodorsal part of anterior anepisternum, posterior anepisternum (except anteroventral angle), anterior anepimeron, dorsomedial part of anepimeron, and posterodorsal and anteroventral parts of katepisternum with long, dense pale yellow pile; wings mostly covered with microtrichia; wing veins brown; calypteres pale yellow; halteres yellow; legs mostly black, except brown tarsi ventrally and yellow–brown pro- and mesotibiae basally; pile on legs pale yellow; metafemur narrow, about 4.5 times longer than wide, with short pile on ventral surface, about 1/5 of width of metafemur ( fig. 3B ). Abdomen ( fig. 18B ). Narrow and elongated, about 1.4 times longer than mesonotum; terga black; terga 2–4 each with a pair of triangular, white pollinose fasciate maculae; pile on terga all yellow to grey ( fig. 18B ); sterna dark brown, sternum 2 covered with long whitish–yellow pile. Male genitalia ( fig. 19 ). Anterior surstyle lobe large, oval to rectangular ( fig. 19B : al); posterior surstyle lobe rounded ( fig. 19B : pl), with well-developed interior accessory lobe ( fig. 19A : il); cercus rectangular ( fig. 19A : c); hypandrium sickle-shaped ( fig. 19C ); lingula elongated ( fig. 19 : l).

Female. Similar to the male except for normal sexual dimorphism and for the following characteristics: basoflagellomere with rounded tip; frons with pollinose vittae along eye margins; terga covered with yellow to grey pilosity, but medial part of terga 2–5 with short adpressed black pile; pollinose fasciate maculae on terga 2–4 more distinct.

Etymology. The word “ hermonensis ” refers to the type locality, namely Mount Hermon, located in Israel.

Distribution and biological data: This species is recorded in Israel and Lebanon ( fig. 7 ). The type locality on the slopes of Mount Hermon is situated in a zone of maquis dominated by Quercus calliprinos Webb and tragacanth vegetation in the vicinity of montane forest with Quercus boissieri Reuter and Quercus look Kotschy (Danin & FragmanSapir, 2016). The flight period is between May and July. Developmental stages: not described.

Figures

FIGURE 3 Metaleg of male, lateral view. A) Merodon aberrans, B) M.hermonensis sp. nov., C) M.flavitibius.

FIGURE 7 Distribution map of Merodon aberrans, Merodon flavitibius and Merodon hermonensis sp. nov.

FIGURE 12 Metaleg of Merodon flavitibius, lateral view.A) male, B) male, C) female.

FIGURE 18 Body parts of Merodon hermonensis sp. nov., male.A) head, dorsolateral; B) abdomen, dorsal view, C) thorax, lateral view.

FIGURE 19 Male genitalia of Merodon hermonensis sp. nov. A) epandrium, lateral view, B) epandrium, ventral view, C) hypandrium, lateral view. Abbreviations: al, anterior surstyle lobe; c, cercus; il, interior accessory lobe of posterior surstyle lobe; l, lingula; pl, posterior surstyle lobe.