Melanostoma mellinum (Linnaeus, 1758)

Haarto, Antti & Stahls, Gunilla, 2014, When mtDNA COI is misleading: congruent signal of ITS 2 molecular marker and morphology for North European Melanostoma Schiner, 1860 (Diptera, Syrphidae), ZooKeys 431, pp. 93-134 : 108-113

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Syrphidae

Melanostoma mellinum (Linnaeus, 1758) Figs 5D6D7D8D9D10D11D12E12F13B14D15A16A

Musca mellina Linnaeus, 1758

Musca facultas Harris, 1780

Syrphus melliturgum Meigen, 1822

Syrphus minutum Macquart, 1829

Syrphus unicolor Macquart, 1829

Syrphus laevigatus Meigen, 1838

Syrphus concolor Walker, 1851

Melanostoma nigricorne Strobl, 1893

Melanostoma inormatum Matsumura, 1919

Melanostoma ochiaianum Matsumura, 1919

Melanostoma ogasawarae Matsumura, 1919

Melanostoma sachalinense Matsumura, 1919

Melanostoma deficiens Szilády, 1940

Melanostoma dilatatum Szilády, 1940

Scaeva dubia Zetterstedt, 1838, auctt. nec., syn. n.

Melanostoma tschernovi Barkalov, 2009, syn. n.

Melanostoma clausseni Barkalov, 2009, syn. n.

Type locality.

The locality of the lectotype is not indicated in the original label. Peck (1988) gave the following information "Svecia'' (= Sweden).

Types.

Lectotype of Melanostoma mellinum : female, pinned, deposited in LSUK. We designate the specimen with collection number LINN 5304 as lectotype of Musca mellina Linnaeus, 1758. The lectotype bears no original label. Images: http://www.linnean-online.org/22691/.

Lectotype of Syrphus melliturgus : male, pinned, deposited in MNHN. Original label: 'Meigen 1482 40 / Syrphus melliturgus male’. Of the specimen only the thorax with legs and both wings remains. The identity of the specimen cannot be ascertained, but we accept the synonymy.

The type of Syrphus minutum Macquart, 1829 and syntypes of Syrphus unicolor Macquart, 1829 apparently exist at Musée d’Histoire Naturelle, Lille, France, but could not be studied.

Melanostoma mellinum var. melanatus (type material deposited in MZT) is here synonymized with Melanostoma mellarium .

The types of Melanostoma mellinum var. angustatoides Kanervo, 1934 are lost (see section Type studies).

The lectotype of Scaeva dubia Zetterstedt, 1838, original label 'S. dubia f Juckasjärvi' (in MZL) was studied, as well as one syntype (see section Type studies).

A male paratype of Melanostoma clausseni Barkalov, 2009 from the type locality (Russia, Altai, Ulaganskii region, Kuraiskii, 2500-2800m) was provided for study by A. V. Barkalov, and the taxon is here synonymized with Melanostoma mellinum . The type materials of remaining synonyms have not been studied.

Additional material studied.

DNA voucher specimens in MZH (Table 1); 85 males and 100 females in MZH; 25 male and 25 female specimens in AHPC.

Male.

Head: Colour brownish black. Angle of approximation of eyes 80°-90°. Eye contiguity about as long as frontal triangle. Ocellar triangle slightly longer than wide with dark pile and with thin grey dusting. Occiput very narrow and dorsally usually with dark pile and laterally with pale pile. Frontal triangle with indistinct or thin grey dusting. Lateral parts of frontal triangle with dark pile. Face shining with indistinct or thin grey dusting. Lateral parts of face with pile which colour varying from completely pale to almost completely dark. Gena about as wide as basoflagellomere and with greyish dusting. Antenna mainly dark brown, usually basoflagellomere with yellow spot basally at ventral side. Basoflagellomere about 1.4 times as long as its width. Arista usually yellowish brown and about twice as long as basoflagellomere. Longest pile of arista at most half width of arista at base as in Fig. 4B.

Thorax: Scutum shining brownish black except for thin greyish dusting at anterior margin. Scutum with erect pile and with shorter semi-adpressed usually mainly pale pile on anterior margin. Pile rarely mainly dark on scutum. Anterior part of scutum almost always with short erect pile which length about fourth part of length of scutellum. Postpronotum totally covered by thin greyish dusting. Notopleuron usually covered by thin greyish dusting. Scutellum shining brownish black. Scutum and scutellum with pile which colour varying from totally pale brown to almost totally dark. Pleura brownish black and usually with thinly grey dusting. Pleura with pale or brownish erect pile. Calypter brownish with pale brownish pile at edge. Halter yellow with slightly darkened base of stem.

Wing: Usually completely microtrichose, rarely with small bare area on base of cell BM. Membrane with indistinct brownish ting. Stigma usually yellowish brown.

Legs: Coxa black with grey dusting. Trochanter dark brown. Femur usually mainly black except yellow apical part. Tibia usually mainly yellow with dark brown ring varying size. Metatibia usually with a longer dark ring than other tibiae. Tarsus dark brown except mesotarsus with the two basal segments yellow. Leg with pale and dark pile mixed.

Abdomen: Terga dark brown or black with weak greyish dusting. Tergum 2 with pair of yellow oval maculae. Terga 3 and 4 with pair of yellow elongated maculae. Terga 1 and 2 laterally with long pale pile. Terga with varying amount of dark and pale semi-adpressed pile outside of yellow maculae. Only pale pile on yellow maculae. Terga 2, 3 and 4 each about as long as wide. Sterna with weak dusting and with pale semi-adpressed pile. Sternum 2 about 1.3 times as long as its width at its posterior margin. Sternum 3 about 1.2 times as long as its width at its anterior margin. Sternum 4 about as long as its width at its anterior margin. Shape of sterna 2-4 are shown in Fig. 5D.

Male genitalia: Cercus and surstylus (Fig. 6D). Postgonite short and without distinct ridges laterally (Figs 7D, 8D). Postgonite ventrally in Fig. 9D. The hypandrial margin at postgonites with long triangular projections, index DL less than 1.2 (Figs 10D, 11D).

Female.

Similar to male, but differs as follows:

Head: Frons shining except greyish dusted triangles. Ventral to the dusted triangles the thinly dusted area is not connected to the sides of lunule. Frons at level of front ocellus slightly narrower than length of antenna. Dorsal part of frons with dark pile and ventral part of frons with pale pile. Occiput as broad as two diameters of an ocellus and usually dorsally with pale and dark pile and laterally with pale pile.

Thorax: Scutum and scutellum with short pale pile. Calypter whitish yellow with whitish pile at edge.

Legs: Coloration of femur varies from mainly yellow to mainly dark. Metaleg usually largely darker than other leg.

Abdomen: Some specimens have all terga dorsally only with pale yellowish semi-adpressed pile. Tergum 2 without or with pair of small yellow oval maculae. Terga 3 and 4 with pair of yellow elongated triangular maculae of varying size or yellow maculae lacking. Tergum 5 at anterior margin without or with pair of short yellow maculae. Tergum 2 about 0.5 times as long as its width at its posterior margin. Tergum 3 about 0.5 times as long as its width at its posterior margin. Tergum 4 about 0.6 times as long as its width at its posterior margin. Sternum 2 about 0.6 times as long as its width at its posterior margin. Sternum 3 about 0.6 times as long as its width at its anterior margin. Sternum 4 about 0.6 times as long as its width at its anterior margin. Sterna 3 and 4 with posterior margin of sternum distinctly broader than width of anterior margin of sternum. Sternum 4 is at most slightly longer than sternum 3. Shape of sterna 2-4 are shown in Fig. 12E, F.

Length

(25 males and 25 females): Body 6-8 mm.

Distribution.

A very common and abundant species, known from the whole Palaearctic area and North Africa.