Melanogaster parumplicata
Creators: name: Prokhorov, A. V.
name: Popov, G. V.
name: Shparyk, V. Yu.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Fungi
Basidiomycota
Agaricomycetes
Boletales
Paxillaceae
Melanogaster
Melanogaster parumplicata

description: Melanogaster parumplicata (Loew, 1840) (figs 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 18)
Material examined. Ukraine. Kyiv Region: Irpin env., 50.51 N 30.27 E, edge of mixed forest along railway, 2.06.2016, 1}; Rivne Region: Bushcha env.: 50.30 N 26.25 E, Zbytynka River floodplain, 15.05.2018, 1 {; 50.301 N 26.299 E, edge of deciduous forest, on flowers of Anthriscus sylvestris, 17.05.2018, 2}; idem, 17– 22.05.2019, 4 {, 7} (A. Prokhorov).
D i s t r i b u t i o n: uncertain at present, due to confusion with M. aerosa (Loew, 1843) until recently, but known from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland (Maibach et al., 1994; Holinka & Mazánek, 1997; Vujić et al., 2001; Stănescu & Pârvu, 2005; Bartsch et al., 2009; Mielczarek, 2009; Haarto & Kerppola, 2014; Speight, 2018; Wakkie, 2019); Ukraine (first record).
Diagnosis. Both sexes of M. parumplicata are very similar to M. aerosa (figs 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20). Male of M. parumplicata is similar to M. aerosa male in having thorax with black pile and surstyli without elongated apex, differing from M. aerosa by: weakly developed flattened facial tubercle (fig. 13) (in M. aerosa, facial tubercle distinctly elongated and pointed, as on fig. 15), scutum shining black (in M. aerosa, scutum, especially notopleuron and lateral side of scutum posterior to transverse suture with a slight bronze or copper tint), face broader (fig. 17), ratio of the maximum head width to the face width at the level just below the antennal base 1.95–2.0 (in M. aerosa, face narrower (fig. 19), this ratio is 2.2), surstylus (in lateral view) shorter and almost straight, with blunt apex (Maibach et al., 1994: fig. 8) (in M. aerosa, surstylus more elongated and slightly curved, with a more pointed apex; Maibach et al., 1994: fig. 3), superior lobe of hypandrium with short appendages (Maibach et al., 1994: fig. 9) (in M. aerosa, superior lobe of hypandrium with long appendages; Maibach et al., 1994: fig. 4). Genitalia of both species are prepared and compared with figures in Maibach et al. (1994). Other characters differing M. parumplicata male from M. aerosa male, such as conjunction of the vein M 1 with R 4+5 or the mesoanepisternal pilosity (Maibach et al., 1994; Van Veen, 2010) seems to be vague in our opinion. The most reliable and convenient characters are the shape and size of the facial tubercle, and genital structures.
Female of M. parumplicata is similar to M. aerosa female (figs 12, 16, 20) in having mesonotum with short adpressed pale pile; can be distinguished from it by: the scutum shining black (in M. aerosa, scutum is not so shining with bronze or copper tint), tergite 5 with mainly erect to semi-decumbent long pile (Bartsch et al., 2009), their length approximately equal to the width of hind basitarsus (in M. aerosa, tergite 5 with mainly adpressed short pile (Bartsch et al., 2009), their length less than the width of hind basitarsus), transition from upper to lower part of the face (lateral view) is smooth (fig. 14) (Bartsch et al., 2009) (in M. aerosa, transition from upper to lower part of the face is angular, as on fig. 16 (Bartsch et al., 2009)), face broad (fig. 18), ratio of the maximum head width to the face width at the level just below the antennal base 1.9–2.0 (in M. aerosa, face narrow (fig. 20), this ratio is 2.1–2.15). Unfortunately, transition from upper to lower part of the face varies quite a lot (checked on own material). The clearest characters are shine and coloring of scutum (in females this character is more pronounced than in males), and pilosity of tergite 5.
Note. Listed as a threatened species on the Balkan Peninsula by Vujić et al. (2001).
Here we offer an updated key to males of the European species of the genus Melanogaster including a little-known species M. jaroslavensis (Stackelberg, 1922) with Eastern European distributional range.
description: Published as part of Prokhorov, A. V., Popov, G. V. & Shparyk, V. Yu., 2020, New Records Of Hover Flies (Diptera, Syrphidae) From Ukraine. Iv, pp. 17-30 in Zoodiversity 54 (1) on pages 20-22, DOI: 10.15407/zoo2020.01.017, http://zenodo.org/record/6377542