Merodon retectus Vujic, Radenkovic et Likov 2023
Creators: name: Vujić, Ante
name: Radenković, Snežana
name: Tubić, Nataša Kočiš
name: Likov, Laura
name: Popov, Grigory
name: Rojo, Santos
name: Miličić, Marija
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Syrphidae
Merodon
Merodon retectus

description: Merodon retectus Vujić, Radenković et Likov
sp. nov.
Zoobank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6A5CFAD5- 3CC7-4D15-A0F5-0899046F54D6
Type material. Holotype. Male. Iran, SW Iran, Lorestan, 10 km W Babazeidon rd. to Shahabad, 33.2162343N, 47.7351783E, 04.v.1976, leg. A. G. Lavallee (USNM). Paratypes. Iran, SW Iran, Lorestan, 10 km W Babazeidon rd. to Shahabad, 33.2162343N, 47.7351783E, 04.v.1976, leg. A. G. Lavallee, 1 male, 3 females in USNM.
Diagnosis: Medium-sized (9–12 mm), dark species, with olive–green to brown lustre (figs. 24, 25); metaleg with short pilosity, except dorsolateral stripe of long pile on metafemur (fig. 23A: marked with arrow); basotarsomere of metaleg elongated and narrow (fig. 23C); terga medially having very short adpressed pile (figs. 24A, B, 25A, B); antennae reddish– brown (fig. 29E, H); sterna 1 and 2 with long whitish pile; male genitalia: lingula short and tapering to the tip (fig. 26C: l).
Description: Male. Head (figs. 27A, 29E). Antennae reddish–brown (fig. 27A, 29E); basoflagellomere elongated, about 1.6 times as long as wide (fig. 29E), and about 2.1 times as long as the pedicel, more or less straight dorsally, slightly tapering to the apex; fossette dorsolateral and large; arista reddish–brown and thickened on basal third; arista about 1.7 times as long as basoflagellomere; face and frons black, with grey pollinosity; face covered with dense whitish–yellow pile, and frons with yellow–reddish pile; oral margin black, with sparse pollinosity; lunula shiny black to brown, bare; eye contiguity about 7–8 facets long; vertex isosceles, black; vertex with long yellow–reddish pile; ocellar triangle equilateral; occiput with yellow–reddish pile, covered with dense, grey pollinosity; eyes covered with dense whitish–grey pile (fig. 27A). Thorax (figs. 23A, C, 24C). Mesonotum black with olive–green to brown lustre, covered with dense, erect yellow–reddish pile; scutum dull with two pollinose vittae; posterodorsal part of anterior anepisternum, posterior anepisternum (except anteroventral angle), anterior anepimeron, dorsomedial anepimeron, and posterodorsal and anteroventral parts of katepisternum with long, dense pale yellow pile; wings mostly covered with microtrichia; wing veins brown; calypteres pale yellow; halteres yellow; legs mostly reddish–yellow, except dark basal 2/3 of pro- and mesofemura and 3/4 of metafemur, metatibia medially, and metatarsus dorsally (fig. 23A); metaleg with short pilosity, except dorsolateral stripe of long pile on metafemur (fig. 23A: marked with arrow); metafemur moderately broad, about 4 times longer than wide (fig. 23A); basotarsomere of metatarsus elongated, 3 times longer than second tarsomere (fig. 23C). Abdomen (fig. 24A–B). about 1.2 times longer than mesonotum; terga dark brown to black; terga 2–4 each with a pair of distinct white pollinose fasciate maculae, connected on tergum 4 (and slightly on tergum 3) (fig.24A); pile on terga very short medially, yellow to grey– whitish laterally, medial part of terga 2–4 with short adpressed black pile (fig. 24B); sterna dark brown, sterna 1 and 2 covered with long whitish pile. Male genitalia (fig. 26). Anterior surstyle lobe oval and elongated (fig. 26B: al); posterior surstyle lobe rectangular (fig. 26A: pl), with slightly developed interior accessory lobe (fig. 26A: il); cercus rectangular (fig. 26A: c); hypandrium sickle-shaped, without lateral projections; lingula short and tapering to the tip (fig. 26C: l).
Female (figs. 23B, 25, 27B, 29H). Similar to the male except for normal sexual dimorphism and for the following characteristics: basoflagellomere with rounded tip (fig. 29H), about 1.5 times longer than wide (fig. 27B); frons with pollinose vittae along eye margins; pollinose fasciate maculae on terga 2–4 more distinct (fig. 25).
Etymology. Latin adjective “ retectus ”, meaning uncover, lay bare, referring to the very short pilosity on metaleg.
Distribution and biological data: This species is found only in Iran (fig. 8). The altitude of the sole locality where this species has been recorded is 684 m asl. The area is characterized by hot summer periods and moderate winters. The most dominant tree and bush species in the area are Quercus persica Jaub. & Spach, Ficus carica L., Pistacia khinjuk Stocks, Crataegus aronia L., Prunus sp., Rhus coriaria L., and Amygdalus elaeagnifolia Spach. The species is collected in May. Developmental stages: not described.
description: Published as part of Vujić, Ante, Radenković, Snežana, Tubić, Nataša Kočiš, Likov, Laura, Popov, Grigory, Rojo, Santos & Miličić, Marija, 2023, Integrative taxonomy of the Merodon aberrans (Diptera, Syrphidae) species group: distribution patterns and description of three new species, pp. 51-96 in Contributions to Zoology 92 (1) on pages 78-79, DOI: 10.1163/18759866-BJA10037, http://zenodo.org/record/8349804