Merodon warnckei Hurkmans, 1993: 184

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 : 66

Merodon warnckei Hurkmans, 1993: 184 .

Type locality: Turkey, “ Hakkari ”. The original description ( Hurkmans, 1993) was based on the holotype and four male and one female paratypes from the Leiden collection ( NBCN) .

Holotype (designated by Hurkmans, 1993: 184), examined: male, Turkey, Hakkari ( NBCN), [specimen dry pinned]. Original label: ‘Turkey Hakkari, 5.viii.1983, Gavaruklake Mt. Sat, 2900m, leg. Warncke’. All type material examined.

Paratypes (designated by Hurkmans, 1993: 184): Turkey, Hakkari, Sat Mountains north of Mt. Gavaruk , 37.4166667N, 44.2166667E, 7.viii.1983, leg. Warncke, 1 male in NBCN . Turkey, Hakkari, Sat Mountains, south of Lake Sat , 37.35912N, 44.184135E, 7.viii.1983, leg. Warncke, 2 males, 1 female in NBCN . Turkey, Van, Mengene Dagi, north of Baskale , 38.059899N, 44.041751E, 27–28.vi.1986, leg. W. Hurkmans, 1 male in NBCN .

Other material: Turkey, Bitlis, Kuskunkiran Gecidi , 38.3877778N, 42.7922222E, 28.vii.1992, 1 male in NBCN . Turkey , Hakkari, Sat Mountains, south of Lake Sat , 37.35912N, 44.184135E, 7.viii.1983, leg. Warncke, 1 female in NBCN . Turkey , Bitlis, Kuskunkiran Gecidi , 38.3877778N, 42.7922222E, 28.vii.1992, 1 male in NBCN . Turkey , Hakkari, Sat dağları ( Mount Sat ), 37.322N, 44.191E, 04.viii.1986, 1 female in NBCN .

Note. An additional female specimen was present in the collection from the locality Hakkari, Sat Mountains, south of Lake Sat , 7.viii.l983, leg. Warncke, which it had the same data as two males and one female designated as paratypes, and was not labeled as paratype. One additional male specimen was labeled as paratype, but it was not listed under the type material in Hurkmans (1993).

Diagnosis: Large species (11–14 mm), long pilose, dark with olive to brown lustre ( fig. 9C, D ); antennae dark brown to reddish ( fig. 9A, B ); basoflagellomere elongated, 1.7 times as long as wide ( fig. 9A, B ); abdomen less elongated than in other species from the Merodon aberrans group ( fig. 9C ); body covered with yellow–grey pile ( fig. 9C, D ); femora black, tibiae and tarsi partly reddish–yellow ( fig. 10A, B ); metafemur about 3.8 times longer than wide, in male with slightly concave ventral margin, covered with a long pile, almost as long as or longer than its width ( fig. 10A ); terga 2–4 each with a pair of narrow, white pollinose, triangular fasciate maculae ( fig. 9C ); male genitalia: posterior surstyle lobe quadratic ( fig. 11A : pl), with poorly developed interior accessory lobe ( fig. 11B : il); anterior surstyle lobe large, rectangular to oval ( fig. 11A : al); lingula elongated and narrow ( fig. 11C : l). Very similar to M. brevis , from which it differs in longer pilosity on ventral margin of metafemur ( fig. 10A, B ), a ratio of length of longest pile to width of metafemur is 0.7, compared with 0.45 in M. brevis ( fig. 30A, B ), and the absence of black pile on apical part of metafemur ( fig. 10A, B ), but which is present in M. brevis ( fig. 32A, B ).

Distribution and biological data: This species is recorded only in Turkey ( fig. 8 ). It has been collected at high altitudes only. Flight period: June-August. In view of the few specimens collected, the split occurrence does not necessarily indicate that M. warneckei is bivoltine ( Hurkmans, 1993). Developmental stages: not described.

Figures

FIGURE 8 Distribution map of Merodon brevis, Merodon hamifer, Merodon petiolatus sp. nov., Merodon retectus sp. nov. and Merodon warnckei.

FIGURE 9 Body parts of Merodon warnckei. A) head of male, lateral view, B) head of female, lateral view, C) abdomen of male, dorsal view, D) thorax of male, lateral view.

FIGURE 10 Metaleg of Merodon warnckei, lateral view.A) male, B) female.

FIGURE 11 Male genitalia of Merodon warnckei. A) epandrium, lateral view, B) epandrium, ventral view,C) hypandrium, lateral view.Abbreviations:al, anterior surstyle lobe; il, interior accessory lobe of posterior surstyle lobe; l, lingula; pl, posterior surstyle lobe.

FIGURE 30 Body parts of Merodon brevis. A) metaleg of male, lateral view, B) metaleg of female, lateral view, C) thorax of male, lateral view.

FIGURE 32 Holotype of Merodon brevis, male.A) metafemur and metatibia of the left leg, lateral view, B) male genitalia, lateral view, C) metafemur and metatibia of the right leg, lateral view, D) male genitalia, ventral view.