Merodon unicolor, STROBL IN

Vujić, Ante, Zorić, Ljiljana Šašić, Ačanski, Jelena, Likov, Laura, Radenković, Snežana, Djan, Mihajla, Milić, Dubravka, Šebić, Anja, Ranković, Milica & Khaghaninia, Samad, 2020, Hide-and-seek with hoverflies: Merodon aureus - a species, a complex or a subgroup?, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 190, pp. 974-1001 : 993-994

MERODON UNICOLOR STROBL IN

CZERNY & STROBL, 1909

Diagnosis: Complete body pile whitish, except few black ones on frons; eye pile white ( Figs 12D, 17C) (black at least in upper half in M. aureus and M. pumilus ); pile on metafemora whitish ( Fig. 18B, C);

eye contiguity between 15 and 20 ommatidia, slightly shorter than length of vertical triangle ( Fig. 12D).

Material examined: Type material: Merodon aeneus unicolor Strobl in Czerny & Strobl, 1909: 203. Type locality: Spain. Merodon unicolor was described as a variety of M. aeneus Megerle in Meigen, 1822 from a single male. Holotype ♂, SPAIN, Escorial ‘v. unicolor m / Spain. / Typus’ (NMBA).

Biology and preferred habitat: Marcos-García et al. (2007) and Speight (2018) revealed some biological data. Preferred environment: Forest/open ground; well-drained, non-calcareous, montane and subalpine unimproved grassland; hedgehog heath; open, grassy areas in montane Betula and Pinus forest, up to and including Pinus uncinata forest in the Pyrenees. Adult habitat and habits: Fast-flying, at up to 1.5 m from the ground, through and around tall ground vegetation. Flowers visited: Anthemis mixta L. Flight period: April to September.

Distribution: Distributed in south-western Europe across the Iberian Peninsula: the Pyrenees in France, Andorra and Spain, and mountainous areas in Spain. The elevation range is from sea level to 2400 m ( Figs 8, 16).