Melanogaster kirgisorum ( Stackelberg, 1952 )

Popov, Grigory V. & Prokhorov, Alexey V., 2020, Revision of the Melanogaster jaroslavensis group (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan, Zootaxa 4743 (4), pp. 536-552 : 543

Melanogaster kirgisorum ( Stackelberg, 1952)

Figs 4 D–F; 5B

Chrysogaster kirgisorum Stackelberg, 1952: 364 . Type locality: Kyrgyzstan [LT ♂ ZIN]

Chrysogaster kirgisorum: Stackelberg (1959: 901) , Peck (1968: 98; 1988: 134; 1996: 290), Richter & Kuztentsov (2007: 10) Melanogaster kirgisorum: Maibach et al. (1994 a: 230)

Melanogaster kirgisorum: Maibach et al. (1994 b: 268) , Vujić & Stuke (1998: 346)

Material examined. Lectotype, ♂ [ Frunze (Pishpek) (= Bishkek), Semirechye ( Kyrgyzstan), 16.IV.1931, L. Zimin leg.] . Paralectotypes: ♀ [ Frunze (Pishpek) (= Bishkek), Semirechye ( Kyrgyzstan), 26.IV.1931, L. Zimin leg.] , 2♀♀ [ Kyrgyzstan, Sretenka , Belovodsk district, 30. V.1931, L. Zimin leg.] , 4♀♀ [ Kyrgyzstan, Sretenka , Belovodsk district, 31. V.1931, L. Zimin leg.] , 1♀ [ Kyltur Lake coast in Kygatinskaya cleft, Turk ( Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Ala-Too Ridge) 2770 m, 7. VI.1904, Begak leg.] , 2♂♂ [ Karatau Ridge , Ak-Bulak NE slope ( Kazakhstan), VI.1911, Trizna leg.] .

Diagnosis. Body length: 6.3–7.3 mm. Thorax and abdomen clearly dark olive greenish. Melanogaster kirgisorum male differs from males of the new species and M. tadzhikorum by the same features as those in M. jaroslavensis . Hypopygium very similar to M. jaroslavensis ; hypandrium and epandrium typical for M. hirtella species-group ( Maibach et al., 1994 a; Kassebeer, 1999 a). Melanogaster kirgisorum male can be separated from M. jaroslavensis male by: frons and anepisternum light-greyish pollinose; face and frons broader; shape of facial tubercle in lateral view (more blunt in contrast to M. jaroslavensis ); anepisternum and anepimeron long pilose but covered with distinctly short pile in M. jaroslavensis ; genitalia structure (in ventral view parameres hook-shaped apically in M. kirgisorum but almost straight in M. jaroslavensis , in dorsal view surstyli almost straight in comparison to surstyli emarginated laterally at the base in M. kirgisorum ). Female of M. kirgisorum can be distinguished from females of the new species and M. tadzhikorum by narrower frons, from M. jaroslavensis female by: wider frons; body with long pile and sternites greyish pollinose.

Redescription. MALE ( Fig. 4 D–F). Body length: 6.4–7.3 mm. Head ( Fig. 4D, E ). Eyes bare, eye contiguity length shorter than the frons length. Frons convex, with longitudinal impression in front third, black, light-greyish pollinose, with long white protruding pile. Face and frons narrow, ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 2.4–2.5. Face parallel-sided, with dense grey pollinosity except both facial tubercle and oral margin shining black. Facial tubercle moderately developed. Mouth-edge protrudes forward equal to facial tubercle. Face from the sides with almost inconspicuous transverse wrinkles and with white pile. Vertical triangle black, weakly shining, with pale pile. Occiput black with greyish pollinosity. All antennal segments black. Basoflagellomere rounded, arista bare. Thorax. Mesonotum and scutellum dark olive greenish, sparsely fine dotted with rather long yellowish pile (of length less than the basoflagellomere diameter). Anepisternum dark olive greenish, matt, greyish pollinose, anepisternum and anepimeron covered with long fine yellowish pile. Legs black with pale pile. Wing. Transparent, yellowish with bright yellow base. Length: 5.0– 5.3 mm. Abdomen. Dark olive greenish, tergites II–III above and triangle spot in front half of tergite IV velvet black. Tergites covered with short yellowish white pile dorsally and with long ones on the sides, sternites covered with long yellowish white pile. Genitalia ( Fig. 4F ). Parameres hook-shaped apically in ventral view; surstyli elongated with widened base, slightly curved in lateral view, almost straight laterally at the base in dorsal view; cerci kidney-shaped in dorsal view.

FEMALE ( Fig. 5B ). Body length: 6.3–7.0 mm. Similar to the male except for sexual dimorphism, and differing by somewhat smaller body size, shorter body pilosity and the following characters. Body with long pale pile, its length on thorax and tergites III–V 2–3 times as long as ocellus diameter. Head ( Fig. 5B ). Frons roughly dotted, with 5–6 transverse furrows from each side, with short white pile. Frons and face narrow, ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 2.1–2.3, ratio of the maximum head width at the level of the antennal base to the vertex width 3.1–3.2. Mouth-edge clearly prominent. Facial tubercle absent. Antenna black. Thorax. Mesonotum with rather long erect white pile. Wing. Length 5.5–5.7 mm. Abdomen. Tergites weakly shining on abdomen middle; tergite V with straight edge; sternites greyish pollinose.

Distribution. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan ( Stackelberg, 1952, 1959; Peck, 1988).

Biology. The preferred environments are alluvial localities, usually in the vicinity of standing or running water: in Kyrgyzstan the species is quite common. The species was collected at altitudes up to 2770 m. In Kyrgyzstan the flowers visited are: Salix (most abundant), Ferula , Prangos and Brassicaceae species ( Peck, 1968). Adults fly in spring and summer, 16.IV–19.VI ( Stackelberg, 1952; Peck, 1968; Richter & Kuznetsov, 2007). The larva is unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Male paralectotypes of Melanogaster jaroslavensis (A–C), M. kirgisorum (D–F) and M. tadzhikorum (G–I). A, D, G: Head, frontal view; B, E, H: Head, lateral view; C, F, I: Hypopygium, ventral view.

FIGURE 5. Female paralectotypes of Melanogaster jaroslavensis (A), M. kirgisorum (B) and M. tadzhikorum (C), head, dorsal view.