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.
The Mediterranean is endowed with a great species diversity, often affiliated with evolutionary processes, landscape discontinuities, Quaternary climatic oscillations, and human presence. Here, we discuss the potential of a methodological framework to explore species genetic structure across landscape in insect groups. We have applied the suggested biogeographic framework, and explored spatial patterns of genetic diversity of nine species of the hoverfly genus Eumerus in the Mediterranean region (Chroni et al. 2019). More specifically, we assessed intraspecific genetic differentiation, tested for a spatially-explicit Bayesian clustering, and evaluated the inferred results based on landscape discontinuities and presence of isolation-by-distance. Overall, the spatial genetic structure analyses inferred (i) two genetic clusters ascribed to allopatric and peripatric processes, as well as to landscape discontinuities (4 species); and (ii) one genetic cluster pointing into the hypothesis of consisting of relict taxa (5 species). We have also identified genetically-diverging regions in the Mediterranean, and discussed the potential driving forces that gave rise to these spatial genetic patterns. ; Financial support was provided by the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, Grant No. 43002 and Grant No. 173002, and 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: POL-AEGIS Project, grant MIS 376737. We also acknowledge the program ' rants ΙΚΥ' of the State Scholarships Foundation of Greece, within the framework of the Operational Program 'Education and Lifelong Learning' of the European Social Fund (ESF) NSRF 2007–2013 (contract WP2-SHORT TERMS-19348) for partial financial support of the PhD thesis of Dr Antonia Chroni.
Study of specimens of Merodon Meigen collected in southwestern Europe resulted in new data and taxonomic changes for this genus. The cryptic species Merodon confusus sp. nov. (Merodon equestris species group) is described based on specimens collected in Cabañeros National Park, central Spain. Morphological and molecular diagnostic characters are provided to separate members of the species group. Merodon aeneus fulvus Gil Collado is proposed as a junior synonym of Merodon pumilus Macquart. The first Iberian record of Merodon rufus Meigen is reported and updates of the revision of Iberian Merodon are provided. ; This research was partially financed by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (projects CGL2008-04472, CGL2009-09656-BOS), the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia (project number: 173002), the Provincial Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia (project: Genetic diversity of agricultural ecosystems), and the European Union (project Life/NAT/E/000762).
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).
Worldwide, there is a well-documented crisis for bees and other pollinators which represent a fundamental biotic capital for wild life conservation, ecosystem function, and crop production. Among all pollinators of the world, bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) constitute the major group in species number and importance, followed by hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae). The Aegean constitutes one of the world's hotspots for wild bee and other pollinator diversity including flies (mainly hover flies and bee flies), beetles, and butterflies. Despite this advantage, our present knowledge on Greek pollinators is poor, due to a lack of focused and systematic research, absence of relevant taxonomic keys, and a general lack of taxonomic experts in the country. As a result, assessments of pollinator loss cannot be carried out and the causes for the potential pollinator loss in the country remain unknown. Consequently, the desperately needed National Red Data list for pollinators cannot be compiled. This new research (2012–2015) aims to contribute to the knowledge of the pollinator diversity in Greece, the threats pollinators face, as well as the impacts these threats may have on pollination services. The research is conducted in the Aegean archipelago on >20 islands and several mainland sites in Greece and Turkey. Prime goals are: i. the assessment of bee and hover fly diversity (species, genetic); ii. their pollination services; and iii. the effects of climate change, grazing, intensive bee-keeping, fires, electromagnetic radiation on bee diversity and ecology, as well as on plant–pollinator networks. At the same time, this research contributes to the taxonomic capital in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean, focusing on the creation of the first identification keys for pollinators, the training of new scientists, as well as the enrichment and further development of the Melissotheque of the Aegean, a permanent reference collection of insect pollinators established at the University of the Aegean. ; En todo el mundo hay una crisis bien documentada para las abejas y otros polinizadores los cuales representan un capital biótico fundamental para la conservación de la vida silvestre, la función de los ecosistemas, y la producción de cultivos. Entre todos los polinizadores del mundo, las abejas (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) constituyen el grupo principal en cuanto al número de especies y su importancia, seguido por los sírfidos (Diptera: Syrphidae). El Egeo constituye uno de los puntos importantes de diversidad de abejas silvestres y otros polinizadores del mundo, incluyendo moscas (principalmente sírfidos y bombílidos), escarabajos y mariposas. A pesar de esta ventaja, los conocimientos actuales sobre los polinizadores griegos son reducidos, debido a la falta de una investigación focalizada y sistemática, la ausencia de claves taxonómicas pertinentes, y una falta general de expertos en taxonomía en el país. Como resultado, no se pueden llevar a cabo evaluaciones de la pérdida de polinizadores y las causas de la pérdida potencial de polinizadores en el país siguen siendo desconocidas. En consecuencia, la imperiosamente necesitaba Lista Roja de datos para polinizadores no se puede compilar. Esta nueva investigación (2012-2015) tiene como objetivo contribuir al conocimiento de la diversidad de polinizadores en Grecia, enfrentarse a las amenazas para los polinizadores, así como investigar el impacto que estas amenazas pueden tener sobre los servicios de polinización. La investigación se llevará a cabo en el archipiélago del mar Egeo en más de 20 islas y en varios sitios del continente en Grecia y Turquía. Los principales objetivos son: i. la evaluación de la diversidad de abejas y sírfidos (especies, genética); ii. sus servicios de polinización, y iii. los efectos del cambio climático, el pastoreo, la apicultura intensiva, los incendios y las radiaciones electromagnéticas sobre la diversidad de abejas y la ecología, así como en las redes planta-polinizador. Al mismo tiempo, esta investigación contribuirá a la taxonomía en Grecia y el Mediterráneo Oriental, centrándose en primer lugar en la creación de las claves de identificación para polinizadores, la formación de nuevos científicos, así como el enriquecimiento y el desarrollo de la Melisoteca del Egeo, una colección de referencia permanente de los insectos polinizadores establecidos en la Universidad del Egeo. ; This research is 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.
