Suchergebnisse

Biodiversity is declining on a global level, which raises the question of efficiency of Protected Areas (PAs). Furthermore, PAs are often established for political or economic reasons, rather than based on ecological principles, or scientific criteria. When designating PAs, the focus is mainly on well known, charismatic species, often leaving invertebrates, especially insects, underrepresented. In Serbia, 77 species of hoverflies have been protected by the national law Code on declaration and protection of strictly protected and protected wild species of plants, animals and fungi (Official Gazette of RS, no. 5/2010). In order to improve the conservation status of hoverflies, Vujić et al. (2016) identified species of conservation concern and proposed priority areas (Prime Hoverfly Areas - PHA) for their preservation in Serbia, based on long-term monitoring data. The aims of this study are to identify the areas of high hoverfly diversity in Serbia and to evaluate the efficiency of protected areas and Prime Hoverfly Areas in conservation of hoverfly diversity, especially species of conservation concern. The results indicate that PHA network corresponds better to areas of high hoverfly diversity than the network of PAs. The correspondence is even better when it comes to areas harbouring species of conservation concern. ; Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia Grant Nos. OI173002 and III43002, the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia Grant No. 114-451-1125/2014-03 and 114-451-1702/2014-03 and H2020 Project "ANTA E " (664387).

In Serbia according to the national legislation, 33 species of hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) are declared as strictly protected and 44 species as protected. In addition, Vujić et al. (2016) defined Prime Hoverfly Areas (PHA) and suggested 168 species of hoverflies for protection and designated 91 endemic or endangered species, including 9 species of Eumerus Meigen, 1822 and 11 of Platycheirus Lepeletier & Serville, 1828. The aim of this study was to analyze the environmental niches of Eumerus and Platycheirus species recognized as important for conservation in Serbia. For species of genus Eumerus and Platycheirus, distributional pattern in relation to altitude, annual precipitation and annual mean temperature were established. In order to compare environmental niches of Eumerus and Platycheirus species, Principal components analysis (PCA) was carried out. Results of the analyses showed that Eumerus species have a narrower altitudinal range, with some species found only in the lowland region. They inhabit more arid habitats, and prefer areas with higher annual mean temperatures. In contrast, it was established that most Platycheirus species can be found at higher altitudes with colder climate and that they prefer more humid conditions. Principal Component A analysis indicated partial overlap of the environmental niches of these two genera, but Platycheirus species seemed to be better adapted to harsher conditions.

This study provides an overview of the Eumerus minotaurus taxon group, diagnosing a new species, E. anatolicus Grković, Vujić and Radenković sp. n. (Muğla, Turkey), and unraveling three cryptic species within E. minotaurus: E. karyates Chroni, Grković and Vujić sp. n. (Peloponnese, Greece), E. minotaurus Claussen and Lucas, 1988 (Crete and Karpathos, Greece) and E. phaeacus Chroni, Grković and Vujić sp. n. (Corfu and Mt Olympus, Greece; Mt Rumija, Montenegro). We applied an integrative taxonomic approach based on molecular, morphological and wing geometric morphometric data to corroborate and delimit cryptic species within the complex. In addition, we discuss the latent biogeographic patterns and speciation processes leading to configuration of the E. minotaurus group based on palaeogeographic evolution of the Aegean. Mitochondrial phylogeographic analysis suggested that speciation within the E. minotaurus group is attributable to formation of the mid-Aegean Trench and Messinian Salinity Crisis, and was integrated at the Pleistocene. We show that more accurate estimates of divergence times may be based on geological events rather than the standard arthropod mtDNA substitution rate. ; Financial support for this research was provided by the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (Projects OI173002 and III43002) and the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development (Project 'Genetic resources of agro-ecosystems in Vojvodina and sustainable agriculture'), as well as the European Union (European Social Fund – ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program 'Education and Lifelong Learning' of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) – Research Funding Program: THALES. Investing in knowledge society through the European Social Fund. We also acknowledge the Program «Grants ΙΚΥ» of the State Scholarships Foundation of Greece, in the frame of the OP «Education and Lifelong Learning» of the European Social Fund (ESF) – NSRF, 2007–2013 (contract ...

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.

We investigated the phylogeographic patterns of Merodon species (Diptera, Syrphidae) in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ten species were sampled on five different islands and mainland sites as a minimum. All samples were screened for their mtDNA COI barcode haplotype diversity, and for some samples, we additionally generated genomic fingerprints. The recently established zoogeographic distribution categories classify these species as having (1) Balkan distribution; (2) Anatolian distribution; (3) continental areas and large islands distribution; and (4) with wide distribution. The ancestral haplotypes and their geographical localities were estimated with statistical parsimony (TCS). TCS networks identified as the ancestral haplotype samples that originated from localities situated within the distributional category of the species in question. Strong geographical haplotype structuring was detected for many Merodon species. We were particularly interested to test the relative importance of current (Aegean Sea) and past Mid-Aegean Trench) barriers to dispersal for Merodon flies in the Aegean. We employed phylogenetic β-diversity (Pβtotal) and its partition in replacement (Pβrepl) and richness difference (Pβrich) to test the importance of each explanatory variable (interisland distance, MAT, and island area) in interisland differences using partial Mantel tests and hierarchical partitioning of variation. β-Analyses confirmed the importance of both current and past barriers to dispersal on the evolution of group. Current interisland distance was particularly important to explain the replacement of haplotypes, while the MAT was driving differences in richness of haplotypes, revealing the MAT as a strong past barrier whose effects are still visible today in the phylogenetic history of the clade in the Aegean. These results support the hypothesis of a highly restricted dispersal and gene flow among Merodon populations between islands since late Pleistocene. Additionally, patterns of phylogeographic structure deduced from haplotype connections and ISSR genome fingerprinting data revealed a few putative cases of human-mediated transfers of Merodon spp. ; This research has been co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund – ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program "Education and Lifelong Learning" of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) – Research Funding Program: THALES. Investing in knowledge society through the European Social Fund," and Carl Cedercreutz Foundation, Helsinki, Finland.

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).