Notes on the Afrotropical hover fly genus Meromacroides Curran (Syrphidae, Eristalinae)
Open Access
- 15 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Pensoft Publishers in African Invertebrates
- Vol. 62 (2), 383-397
- https://doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.62.68360
Abstract
The African endemic hover fly Meromacroides meromacriformis (Bezzi, 1915) (Syrphidae, Eristalinae) was described more than a century ago and its monotypic status established in 1927, but subsequent collections and publications are rare. Only the male has been described and nothing is known about its biology. We re-describe the male, including geographic variation, describe the female for the first time and provide the first DNA barcodes for the species. Despite the large range and observed variations, there is insufficient evidence to describe additional taxa in the genus. Biological observations are presented, which may shed some insight into this rare and enigmatic hover fly, whose known distribution now spans the Afrotropical Region.Keywords
Funding Information
- JRS Biodiversity Foundation
This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- MEGA7: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 7.0 for Bigger DatasetsMolecular Biology and Evolution, 2016
- DNA Barcoding to Improve the Taxonomy of the Afrotropical Hoverflies (Insecta: Diptera: Syrphidae)PLOS ONE, 2015
- Focus stacking: Comparing commercial top-end set-ups with a semi-automatic low budget approach. A possible solution for mass digitization of type specimensZooKeys, 2014
- Robert Plant (1818–1858): A Victorian plant hunter in Natal, Zululand, Mauritius and the SeychellesSouth African Journal of Science, 2011