Resolving the Taxonomy of Mountain Syrphidae (Diptera) in the Iberian Peninsula: The Species Group of <i>Cheilosia melanura</i> Becker, 1894

The largest genus of Palaearctic Syrphidae, <i>Cheilosia</i> Meigen, 1822 (Syrphidae: Rhingiini), is currently under revision in the Ibero-Balearic region (Iberian Peninsula + Balearic Islands). Prior to this study, various species groups with putative phylogenetic support were defined f...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insects
Main Authors: Iván Ballester-Torres, Zorica Nedeljković, Pablo Aguado-Aranda, Ante Vujić, María Ángeles Marcos-García, Antonio Ricarte
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-08-01
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/9/640
Description
Summary:The largest genus of Palaearctic Syrphidae, <i>Cheilosia</i> Meigen, 1822 (Syrphidae: Rhingiini), is currently under revision in the Ibero-Balearic region (Iberian Peninsula + Balearic Islands). Prior to this study, various species groups with putative phylogenetic support were defined for this genus of complex taxonomy. The group of <i>Cheilosia melanura</i> Becker, 1894 includes species distributed all over Europe, with some of these species being similar each other in both morphology and genetics. After recent fieldwork in different Iberian localities and consultation of entomological collections, a new species from Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain) was uncovered, described, and illustrated. Data on diagnostic characters, intraspecific variability, and adult biology were also provided. Maximum likelihood analyses of the fragment “C” of the 5′ end of the cytochrome <i>c</i> oxydase subunit I (COI-5′) and complete COI-5′ were performed to explore and support morphological species concepts within the group. The Spanish-endemic <i>Cheilosia andalusiaca</i> Torp Pedersen, 1971 is recognised here to be part of the <i>C. melanura</i> group based both on morphological and molecular evidence. <i>Cheilosia carbonaria</i> Egger, 1860 and <i>Cheilosia cynocephala</i> Loew, 1840 from the Iberian Peninsula are reported for the first time based on specimens originating in the Spanish Pyrenees. An identification key for the Iberian species of the <i>C. melanura</i> group is provided.
ISSN:2075-4450