Three new species of the Merodon ruficornis group (Diptera: Syrphidae) discovered at the edge of its range

Ante Vuji; Sneana Radenkovi; Laura Likov; Iva Gore; Mihajla Djan; Zlata Markov Risti; Anatolii V Barkalov

doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5182.4.1

Three new species of the Merodon ruficornis group (Diptera: Syrphidae) discovered at the edge of its range

Zootaxa. 2022 Sep 7;5182(4):301-347. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.4.1.

Authors

Ante Vuji¹, Sneana Radenkovi², Laura Likov³, Iva Gore⁴, Mihajla Djan⁵, Zlata Markov Risti⁶, Anatolii V Barkalov⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovia 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.. ante.vujic@dbe.uns.ac.rs.
² Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovia 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.. snezana.radenkovic@dbe.uns.ac.rs.
³ Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovia 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.. laura.likov@dbe.uns.ac.rs.
⁴ Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovia 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.. ivagorse@dbe.uns.ac.rs.
⁵ Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovia 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.. mihajla.djan@dbe.uns.ac.rs.
⁶ Department of Biology and Ecology, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovia 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.. zlata.markov@dbe.uns.ac.rs.
⁷ Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Russian Academy of Sciences Siberian Branch, Novosibirsk, Russia.. barkalov1954@mail.ru.

PMID: 36095682
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5182.4.1

Abstract

Further revision of material from the Merodon ruficornis group (Diptera: Syrphidae) revealed three new species, M. acutus Vuji et Radenkovi sp. nov. from Russia, M. fulvitarsis Vuji et Radenkovi sp. nov. from Iran, and M. trispinus Vuji et Radenkovi sp. nov. from Turkey. We provide an upgraded and illustrated identification key for the species of the group, as well as distribution maps for the new species. Moreover, we describe the female of M. portschinskyi Stackelberg, 1924. These new descriptions extend the range of the M. ruficornis group in almost all directions and bolster the very high level of endemism previously observed within this group. Of the 21 taxa (including the three new species described herein), 15 are narrow-range endemics.

MeSH terms

Animals
Diptera*
Female