Merodon quadrinotatus
Creators: name: Vujić, Ante
name: Radenković, Snežana
name: Likov, Laura
name: Tubić, Nataša Kočiš
name: Popov, Grigory
name: Gilasian, Ebrahim
name: Djan, Mihajla
name: Milosavljević, Marina Janković
name: Ačanski, Jelena
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Syrphidae
Merodon
Merodon quadrinotatus

description: Merodon quadrinotatus (Sack, 1931)
Lampetia quadrinotata Sack, 1931: 324.
Type locality.
“ Mesopotamia ” (Iraq according to Peck 1988). The original description was based on one female (holotype) (Sack 1931). The holotype is considered lost (Hurkmans 1993).
Neotype (designated here): female, Iran, (HMIM), [specimen dry pinned]. Original labels: [IRAN-Fars-Meimand / Firouzabad-Tange riz / N 28 56 00 2670 m / E 052 50 07.6 / Leg. Gilasian / 15. iv. 2006], [Merodon quadrinotatus / (Sack, 1931) / det. A. Vujić 2019], [Loan Vujic 2007 / Gilasian 32] [NEOTYPE of Merodon quadrinotatus Sack / designated by Vujić A.]. A neotype for Lampetia quadrinotata is here designated to fix and ensure the universal and consistent interpretation of the name. This designation was based on the good condition of the specimen; a well-preserved female with clearly visible characters which are conspecific with the holotype. This species possesses a unique character, a pair of tear like white pilose maculae on terga 2 and 3, especially distinct in females (Fig. 6 D).
Notes.
This species was described based on a single female. Here we present the first description for the male.
Diagnosis.
Male similar to Merodon clavipes (Figs 4 A, 5 A) from which differs by the metafemur slightly broad (in M. quadrinotatus is 3.75 ×, while in M. clavipes is 2 × longer than wide) and less curved basally (Fig. 4 D) and by tergum 3 with a pair of tear-like, pollinose fasciate maculae separated from lateral margins (Fig. 5 D) (in M. clavipes tergum 3 with a pair of rectangular pollinose fasciate maculae, ending close to lateral margins). Female with black terga and very characteristic pairs of pollinose, rounded maculae covered with dense whitish pile on terga 3 and 4 (Fig. 6 D); a unique abdominal pattern in Merodon. Male genitalia as in Fig. 18.
Description.
Male. Head. Basoflagellomere dark-brown (Fig. 2 C), elongated, ~ 2 × longer than wide, and ~ 1.9 × longer than pedicel, convex dorsally; fossette dorsolateral; arista reddish to brown and thickened at basal third; arista ~ 1.5 × longer than basoflagellomere; face and frons black, with greyish pollinosity; face covered with dense whitish to yellowish pilosity; pile on frons dense, yellowish; oral margin small, black, not pollinose; lunula shining black to brown, bare; eye contiguity ~ 15 facets long; vertical triangle isosceles, brown-black, shiny, except grey pollinose anterior corner, covered with greyish white and black pilosity; ocellar triangle equilateral; occiput with grey-yellow pile, densely covered with grey pollinosity along eyes; eyes covered with short, whitish grey pile.
Thorax. Scutum black with bronze lustre, covered with greyish yellow pile; pilosity between wing bases mostly black; scutum with indistinct pollinose vittae; scutellum covered with whitish pile; posterior margin of scutellum with very long grey-yellow to whitish pilosity, reduced medially (as on Fig. 3 C); posterodorsal part of anterior anepisternum, posterior anepisternum (except anteroventral angle), anterior anepimeron, dorsomedial anepimeron, and posterodorsal and anteroventral parts of katepisternum with long, dense whitish to greyish white pile; wings mostly covered with microtrichia; wing veins yellowish to brown; calypteres whitish; halteres brownish; legs black; metafemur moderate broad, ~ 3.75 × longer than wide, covered with long, whitish pilosity (Fig. 4 D).
Abdomen. Elongated (Fig. 5 D), ~ 1.3 × longer than mesonotum; terga black; terga 3 and 4 with a pair of broad, tear-like, distinct silver-grey pollinose fasciate maculae; pile on tergum 2 and lateral sides of terga 3 and 4 grey-yellow to whitish; terga 3 and 4 medially with short, golden-yellow pile (Fig. 5 D); sterna black, covered with whitish grey pile; posterior margin of sternum 4 with characteristic posteromedial incision (Fig. 7 D).
Male genitalia (Fig. 18). Anterior surstylar lobe short (~ 1.4 × longer than wide) and rectangular (Fig. 18 A: al); posterior surstylar lobe rectangular, with a dorsal prominence (Fig. 18 A: dp); cercus rectangular (Fig. 18 A: c); hypandrium sickle-shaped, without lateral projections; lingula short, with tapering narrow tip (Fig. 18 C: l).
Female. Similar to the male except for normal sexual dimorphism and the following characteristics: face and frons covered with white pilosity; frons with broad pollinose vittae along eyes and a narrow shiny central stripe; scutum with short erect white pilosity, except for broad fascia of black pile between wing bases; long whitish pilosity on metafemur absent; metafemur covered with short black pilosity and few longer black pile ventrally; terga covered with short black pilosity, except for long white pile on lateral sides of terga 2–4, posterior margin of tergum 4, and pairs of pollinose, rounded maculae covered with dense whitish pile on terga 3 and 4 (Fig. 6 D).
Distribution and biology.
The range of this species includes Turkey, Iran and Iraq (Fig. 19; Suppl. material 2). Merodon quadrinotatus has been recorded predominantly in Iranian ecoregions, specifically, forest steppe of the Zagros Mountains, Eastern Anatolian montane steppe, and woodlands and forest steppe of Kopet Dag (Kopeh Dagh) (Olson et al. 2001) but also in nearby localities within Iraq and Turkey. The Iranian localities are typified by arid and semi-arid forest ecosystems with Quercus brantii Lindl. as the dominant vegetation type, as well as cold and arid semi-steppe scrubland and grasslands (Astragalus spp.) (Azizi Jalilian et al. 2020). The preferred environment is sparsely-vegetated open ground in semi-arid regions, with unimproved stony pasturage and open grassy areas within thermophilous forest being typical. Flight period: April / June. Developmental stages: undescribed.
description: Published as part of Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Snežana, Likov, Laura, Tubić, Nataša Kočiš, Popov, Grigory, Gilasian, Ebrahim, Djan, Mihajla, Milosavljević, Marina Janković & Ačanski, Jelena, 2024, Revisions of the clavipes and pruni species groups of the genus Merodon Meigen, 1803 (Diptera, Syrphidae), pp. 1-69 in ZooKeys 1203 on pages 1-69, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.118842