Phaonia fusca (Meade, 1897)

Fig. 1 B

Hydrophoria fusca Meade, 1897: 31 . Type locality: United Kingdom, England, Lancashire, Silverdale (~ 54.17°N 2.82°W).

Spilogaster suspiciosa Stein, 1907: 324 . Type locality: China, border of Xinjiang and Qinghai prov. Lectotype ♂, ZIN (designated by Zinovjev, 1990: 478; Pont, 2004: 89), syn. nov.

Phaonia fusca fusca (Meade, 1897); Zinovjev, 1990: 474.

Phaonia fusca suspiciosa (Stein, 1907); Zinovjev, 1990: 476.

Phaonia fusca ssp. fusca (Meade, 1897); Sorokina & Pont, 2010: 43; Sorokina et al., 2016: 35.

Phaonia fusca ssp. suspiciosa (Stein, 1907); Sorokina & Pont, 2010: 43; Sorokina et al., 2016: 35.

Phaonia fusca (Meade, 1897); Sorokina 2012a: 204.

Material examined. Lectotype of Spilogaster suspiciosa, ♀ (Fig. 1 B): р Орогын Сыртын/ ю Наньшаня Гоби Роб Козлов 3–20.VII.95 (= CHINA, border of Xinjiang and Qinghai prov., S of Nanshan-Qilian Mts., = 39°N 94°E, 3– 20.07.1895, leg. V. Roborovsky & P. Kozlov) (ZIN); Lectotypus Spilogaster suspiciosa Stein, 1907 design. Zinovjev 1989 (Zinovjev, 1990: 476). Paralectotypes of Spilogaster suspiciosa, 23♂♂ 7♀♀: 6♂♂ 3♀♀, the same label as the lectotype; 1♂, р. Дза-чю, 11000' Камъ, бас. Голубой Козлов. сер. IV01 (=CHINA, Sichuan prov., about 32.0°N, 99.5°E, mid April 1901, leg. P. Kozlov); 8♂♂ 3♀♀, р Бомын (Ичегын)/ св Цайдамъ, Гоби/ Роб Козлов кVI95 (=CHINA, Qinghai prov., E Tsaidam, Ichegyn R., 38.0°N 94.8°E, 3100 m asl, leg. V. Roborovsky & P. Kozlov, end of June 1895); 4♂♂ 1♀, Хабирга-оз. Бага цадамин, в. Цайд./ Роб Козлов 3– 11.VI95 (=CHINA, Qinghai prov., E Tsaidam, Khabirga, Baga-tsaidamin Lake, 37.6°N 95.4°E, 3200 m asl, 3– 11.06.1895, leg. V. Roborovsky & P. Kozlov); 3♂♂, х. Барун-Цзасака/ мет.ст., в. Цайдам/ Козлов. кон. VII01 (=CHINA, Qinghai prov., Tsaidam, 36.2°N 97.4°E, 2800 m asl, end of July 1901, leg. P. Kozlov); 1♂, Курлык, Баингол/ вост. Цайдамъ,/ Роб Козлов 28V95 (=CHINA, Qinghai prov., E Tsaidam, Kurlyk=Keluke Lake, Baingol R., 37.3°N 96.9°E, 2850 m asl, 28.05.1895, leg. V. Roborovsky & P. Kozlov) (all in ZIN). RUSSIA, Altai Republic: 14♂, Kosh-Agach env., 50.0°N 88.6°E, 1750 m asl, 2–4.07.2016, leg. N. Vikhrev (ZMUM). UNITED KINGDOM, 1♂, England, Kent, Pegwell Bay (51.30°N 1.35°E), 4.08.1954, leg. E.A. Fonseca (ZIN).

Remarks. The exact localities of Spilogaster suspiciosa were identified using the reports by Roborovsky (1949) and Kozlov (1947) on their expeditions to Central Asia.

Synonymy. Hennig (1963: 786) recommended separating Phaonia fusca and Phaonia suspiciosa as follows:

- Orbital setae only slightly shortened up to the ocellar triangle......................... Ph. stackelbergi & Ph. suspiciosa - On the upper half of the orbits only fine setulae are present................................. Ph. fusca & Ph. boleticola

This key is correct in case of Phaonia stackelbergi Hennig, 1963 but not in the case of Phaonia suspiciosa, which has only a few short and sparse setulae on the upper part of the fronto-orbital plates, and sometimes the upper part of the fronto-orbital plates is even bare. Zinovjev (1990) found males of Phaonia suspiciosa and Phaonia fusca indistinguishable, but he divided the females into two subspecies, Phaonia fusca fusca and Phaonia fusca suspiciosa, by the fine structure of the ovipositor. In our opinion this difference is unconvincing. The division of Phaonia fusca into two subspecies might have some justification on the basis of their disjunctive distribution: Phaonia fusca fusca is known from NW Europe, whereas Phaonia fusca suspiciosa inhabits Central Asia. However, according to Zinovjev (1990) female specimens from Central Asia have the ovipositor of either the suspiciosa - type or the fusca - type. We therefore assume the differences in the ovipositor to be intraspecific variability, and we place Phaonia suspiciosa (Stein, 1907) as a new junior synonym of Phaonia fusca (Meade, 1897) .