Suchergebnisse

The genus Merodon Meigen, 1803 is the largest European hoverfly genus, widely distributed around the Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions. Larvae of Merodon are phytophagous, feeding on buried plant storage structures, often bulbs of plants pollinated by the adults. The larval morphology and habits of most species remain unknown. Merodon planifacies Bezzi, 1915, belongs to the Afrotropical lineage of the M. desuturinus species-group. The latest studies of Merodon in Africa have revealed the existence of two new species within the taxon previously known as Merodon planifacies, found exclusively in the Drakensberg Mountains in Republic of South Africa, specifically in the Cathedral Peak National Park and the Royal Natal National Park. These two new species are M. capi in litt. and M. roni in litt. The current study presents the general description of the pre-imaginal stages of M. capi and M. roni, together with the functional morphology of the cephalopharyngeal skeleton. Geometric morphometry and linear measurements were carried out on the spiracular openings of the Posterior Respiratory Process (PRP) of pupae. There were differences in the shape of the PRP and spiracular openings between the two species. The feeding requirements of adults of the two species were analysed and compared with a third species from the M. desuturinus species-group, found in the same valleys at the same time: M. drakonis Vujić & adenković, 2018. Pollen grains found on the body and in the gut were identified and counted; the morphology of the mouthparts of the adults was also described and compared. ; This study was funded by the project of the European Union: Horizon 2020, Marie kłodowska-Curie action, Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) Programme: FlyHigh – Insect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications.

Merodon capi Vujić et Radenković, 2020 and Merodon roni Radenković et Vujić, 2020 are two cryptic species belonging to the Merodon planifacies Bezzi, 1915 species complex that have recently been described, with the differences between them being revealed by molecular and geometric morphometry studies of adult specimens. In the present study, the preimaginal morphology of both species is described and displayed, with the material used corresponding to samples taken from bulbs of Merwilla plumbea (Lindl.) Speta plants at two locations in KwaZulu-Natal province (South Africa). The preimaginal stages were compared, looking for morphological evidence supporting species divergence. Linear and geometric morphometric analyses of the larval posterior respiratory process were conducted for the first time and the results of these analyses support the separation of the two taxa. Information about the life cycle and the relation with the host plant is also provided. In addition, we carried out a preliminary study of the adult feeding requirements of the species, based on the description of the mouthparts and an analysis of the pollen present in the gut and on the integument of adults. The results of the study supports a close relationship between the preimaginal stages and plant species of the Hyacinthaceae family. ; The study was mainly funded by the European Union project: Horizon 2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) Programme: FlyHigh – "Insect–plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications" (project 645636). The study was partly supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, Grant No. 451-03-68/2022–14/200125 and Grant No. 451-03-68/2022–14/200358. It was also supported by the research department of the University of Alicante in the framework of a predoctoral grant (UAFPU2019-03). This manuscript was written as a part of a PhD project conducted by Andrea Aracil at the University of Alicante (Spain).