Merodon murorum (Fabricius, 1794)

Vujic, Ante, Radenkovic, Snezana & Likov, Laura, 2018, Revision of the Palaearctic species of the Merodondesuturinus group (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 771, pp. 105-138 : 117-123

Merodon murorum (Fabricius, 1794) Figs 2C, 3C, 4C, 5B, 5D, 6B, 7B, 8C, 10, 12, 18B

Merodon auripilus Meigen, 1830: 354 (syn. n.)

Merodon murorum is redescribed and a neotype for M. auripilus is designated. Moreover, M. auripilus is considered a junior synonym of M. murorum .

Syrphus murorum Fabricius, 1794:

Type locality of M. murorum .

North-West Africa [as “Barbaria”], historically a region that included Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.

Type material of M. murorum . Holotype: male, pinned, in ZMUC. Original label: " S. murorum ".

Type locality of M. auripilus .

Morocco, Essaouira [as “Mogador”].

Type material of M. auripilus .

Holotype: Type presumably lost. Neotype: designated here, identified by Sack as M. auripilus : Algeria: 1m, Foret de Baïnen, 36°47'56.06"N, 2°58'20.11"E, 17.vi.1910, leg. Dr. J. Bequaert, det. M. auripilus by Sack (MNHN).

Examined material.

Additional material. Algeria: 1m, Santa Cruz, Oran, 35°42'24.71"N, 0°39'46.35"W, leg. Dr. J. Bequaert, det. M. auripilus by Vujić 2008 (MNHN); 1f, Saint-Charles, 35°42'8.10"N, 0°40'37.27"W, 1902, leg. A. Thery, det. M. auripilus by Vujić 2008 (MNHN); 1m, Foret de Baïnen, 36°47'56.06"N, 2°58'20.11"E, 17.vi.1910, leg. Dr. J. Bequaert, det. M. auripilus by Vujić 2008 (MNHN); 1f, det. M. algirus = albifrons by Sack (ZMHB); 1m, 9.x.1893, leg. A. E. Eaton (NMNL); 1f, Maison Carreé, 36°41'0.40"N, 3°8'26.50"E, leg. Dr. J. Bequaert (MNHN); 1f, 9.x.1893, leg. A. E. Eaton, det. M. auripilus by Hurkmans 1990 and by Vujić 2005 (NMNL); 1f, iv.1908, leg. W. Rothschild, det. M. auripilus by Hurkmans (BMNH); 1f, Rivet, 36°37'9.99"N, 3°13'31.00"E, 10.v.1951, leg. K. M. Guichard, det. M. rufus by Hurkmans (BMNH); 1f, 12.iv.1898, leg. G. Ricardo, det. Merodon rufus by Hurkmans (BMNH); 1m, W. Tlemcen, Khemis, Rhar el Khal, 36°17'12.59"N, 2°13'42.39"E, 10.iv.1981 (NMNL); 1m, Constantine, Constantine, 36°22'9.87"N, 6°33'45.33"E, 9.vi.1895 (NMNL); Tunisia: 1m, (ZMHB); m, det. Lampetia auripila (MNHN); 1f, Jundubah, 25 km SE Ain Draham, 36°41'50.22"N, 8°39'47.39"E, 10-16.v.1988, det. M. auripilus by Vujić 2008 (ZMUC); 1m, Jundubah, 40 km from Jendouba, 36°31'14.09"N, 8°41'30.32"E, 17.v.1988 (ZMUC); 1m, Hergla, salt lake south of Hergla, 35°56'57.84"N, 10°31'38.20"E, 8.iv.1988, leg. R. Schouten, det. Merodon auripilus by Hurkmans (NMNL); country unknown: 1m, det. M. auripilus by Vujić 2008 (MNHN).

Diagnosis.

Reddish species with long pale pile on the lateral sides of terga (Figs 6B, 7B). Terga 2 and 3 each with reddish triangular transverse maculae (Figs 6B, 7B). Basoflagellomere orange-brown (Figure 2C). Metafemur with strong apical triangular process (Figure 5B). Males: eye contiguity approx. 12 facets long (Figure 3C). Male genitalia: posterior surstyle lobe narrow and very long, with small apical globule (Figure 12). Differs from other species of the Palaearctic line by the reddish colour of the terga and the long pile along the lateral sides of terga.

Redescription.

Male.Head (Figs 2C, 3C): Antenna (Figure 4C) yellow to brown, basoflagellomere 1.3-1.5 times as long as wide; arista brown. Vertical triangle isosceles, twice as long as eye contiguity. Vertex covered with dense whitish microtrichia. Face with sparse microtrichia, except for shiny oral margin. Ocellar triangle equilateral, black pilose. Frons with pale pile. Eye contiguity approx. 12 facets long. Eye pile pale.

Thorax: Scutum and scutellum black with bronze lustre, covered with dense, erect yellow or whitish pile. Wing hyaline with dark-brown veins, and dense microtrichia. Femora brown-black, knees and most of tibiae (or at least both ends) yellow-red; tarsi usually yellow dorsally and light brown ventrally (in some specimens all tarsi can be brown). Pile on legs yellow. Metafemur thick, slightly curved (Figure 5B) and covered with long pile.

Abdomen: Lateral sides red-orange to red-brown, medially black; terga 2 and 3 can have reddish triangular vittae or maculae; terga 2-4 each with more or less distinct white transverse fascia of microtrichia interrupted in the middle (lacking in some specimens) (Figure 6B); pile on terga erect, whitish yellow and very long on lateral sides; terga 2-4 medially with adpressed pile, variable in colour (from all black except for white pile on microtrichose fasciae to predominantly pale).

Male genitalia (Figure 12): Anterior surstyle lobe bent inwards (Figure 12B), with ventral margin slightly convex (Figure 12A); median parts of surstylus with one inner thorn (Figure 12B); posterior surstyle lobe wide and triangular, pointed apically (Figure 12A). Hypandrium wide, with smooth thecal ridge (Figure 12D).

Female (Figs 5D, 7B, 8C). Similar to the male except for typical sexual dimorphism; face shiny, almost lacking microtrichia; frons shiny, with distinct line of microtrichia along eye margin. Scutum usually with two lateral and three medial longitudinal microtrichose vittae.

Distribution. Species distributed in North Africa (Figure 10).

Below, we redescribe an Afrotropical species of the Merodon desuturinus species group that is morphologically closely related to M. desuturinus .