Merodon spinolobus Vujić, Radenković & Likov, 2025

Merodon spinolobus Vujić, Radenković & Likov , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:15A66BE1-CD1A-4802-A354-12A4F87C8FA3

Figs 4A–C View Fig , 5 View Fig , 7A, C View Fig , 8 View Fig

Diagnosis

Mesoscutum with fascia of black pile between wing bases ( Fig. 4A View Fig ), usually non-pollinose. Terga black; transversal pollinose fasciate maculae on terga 2–4 broad, about ⅕ of their length ( Fig. 4B View Fig ). Tibiae and tarsi partly yellow brown. Thecal ridge of hypandrium of male genitalia folded ( Fig. 5C View Fig : vr).

Etymology

Latin noun ‘ spina ’ meaning ‘thorn’, ‘spine’, or ‘prickle’; latin noun ‘ lobus ’ meaning ‘lobe’, which indicates the distinct morphological character of this species: long and strong medial spinal prolongation on surstylus medially.

Type material

Holotype

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; Free State, Mapaya Mt Groenhoek Farm, ca 15 km E of Zastron ; 30°15ʹ59.976ʺ S 27°12ʹ59.997ʺ E; 1750 m a.s.l.; 13–16 Mar. 2009; J. and A. Londt leg.; montane grass and woodland, Rhus , Diospyros , Celtis , etc.; FSUNS 68231 , AU1709, NMSA-DIP 65232 ; NMSA.

GoogleMaps

Paratype

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; Free State, Mapaya Mt Groenhoek Farm, ca 15 km E of Zastron ; 30°15ʹ59.976ʺ S 27°12ʹ59.997ʺ E; 1750 m a.s.l.; 13–16 Mar. 2009; J. and A. Londt leg.; montane grass and woodland, Rhus , Diospyros , Celtis , etc.; FSUNS 68232 , AU1921, DNA-RMCA K. Jordaens 2014 111E06, NMSA-DIP 65242 ; NMSA.

GoogleMaps

Description

Body pile generally branched (as in Fig. 7B View Fig ).

Male ( Fig. 4C View Fig )

HEAD ( Fig. 7A View Fig ). Antenna dark brown; basoflagellomere about two times as long as wide ( Fig. 7A View Fig ), concave dorsally; arista dark brown, thickened basally, covered with dense brown microtrichia. Face shiny black, with narrow white pollinose stripe along eye margin (missing in lower third), long white pilose, except on median bare stripe that occupies ⅓ to ¼ width of face. Oral margin shiny black, well protruded ( Fig. 7A View Fig ). Frons black, with gray microtrichia. Vertical triangle black, shiny, except for anterior end where microtrichose; predominantly long, black, thick pilose, pale yellow pilose at posterior end; ocellar triangle isosceles. Eye pile dense, as long as length of scape, predominantly grayish, darker dorsally. Occiput whitish pilose; dorsally with metallic, bluish-bronze lustre; gray microtrichia start from upper eye corner as a narrow line dorsally, becoming dense and wide laterally and ventrally, occupying lower ⅔ of occiput.

THORAX. Mesoscutum and scutellum black with bronze lustre, without microtrichia; relatively long (as long as, or a little longer than length of basoflagellomere), dense, erect, more or less branched, yellow to reddish pilose, except between wing bases where black pilose ( Fig. 4A View Fig ). Pleurae shiny; the following parts long yellow pilose: anterior part of proepimeron, posterior part of anterior anepisternum, most of the posterior anepisternum except for anterior end, anteroventral and posterodorsal part of katepisternum, anepimeron, metasternum; katatergite dense, erect, short, yellowish pilose. Wing hyaline, with dense microtrichia and dark brown veins. Calypter yellow. Haltere with brown pedicel and yellow to brown capitulum. Legs dark brown to black, except yellowish apex of femora, and base and apex of tibiae; tarsi brown ventrally. Metatrochanter without process, covered with brush of yellow, dense, strong pile ( Fig. 7C View Fig ). Metafemur moderately broad and straight ventrally, long yellowish pilose ( Fig. 7C View Fig ). Metatibia with apical, inconspicuous anteroventral spur and with indication of posteroventral spur. Legs predominantly yellow pilose, except dorsally on tarsi where short, black pilose, and a few black pile on apical part of femora.

ABDOMEN. Black with bronze reflections, slightly tapering, as long as mesonotum. Terga 2–4 black, with more or less distinct white pollinose fasciate maculae interrupted in the middle of terga 2–3, connected on tergum 4; lateral sides of terga long, erect and whitish pilose, but adpressed on medial parts; pollinose fasciate maculae white pilose, posterior ⅔ of tergite 4 and posterior margin of terga 2–3 of most specimens white pilose, otherwise black pilose. Sternites shiny, dark brown, long whitish pilose.

GENITALIA. Posterior lobe of surstyle triangular, pointed apically and curved outwards ( Fig. 5A View Fig : pl); anterior lobe of surstyle bent inwards ( Fig. 5B View Fig : al); median part of surstyle with one very long inner thorn ( Fig. 5B View Fig ); cercus elongated ( Fig. 5A View Fig : c). Hypandrium with broad theca, ventral margin folded ( Fig. 5C View Fig ). Lateral sclerite of aedeagus narrow, gradually tapering, with the tip curved downwards ( Fig. 5C View Fig : s).

Female

Unknown.

Distribution and biology

Republic of South Africa ( Fig. 8 View Fig ). Collected in montane grass and woodland, with Rhus sp. , Diospyros sp. , Celtis sp. , etc.

Differential diagnosis

The most closely related species is M. capensis , from which it can be distinguished by the presence of a large inner thorn on the surstyle medially ( Fig. 5B View Fig : it) (small in M. capensis ( Fig. 6B View Fig : it)), and the broader pollinose fasciate maculae on terga 2–4 ( Fig. 4B View Fig ) (less than ⅛ of their length in M. capensis ( Fig. 4D View Fig )). It differs from M. commutabilis by the dark brown to black legs with yellowish apex of the femora, base and apex of tibiae and the ventrally brown tarsi (entirely black in M. commutabilis ), the broad posterior lobe of the surstyle of the male genitalia ( Fig. 5A View Fig : pl) (narrow in M. commutabilis ) ( Fig. 6D View Fig : pl), and the folded theca without additional structures of the hypandrium in M. spinolobus sp. nov. ( Fig. 5C View Fig : vr) (theca unfolded ( Fig. 19C View Fig ), and with distinct subapical lamellas and lateral wings in M. commutabilis ).