Published November 30, 2025 | Version v1
Taxonomic treatment Open

Merodon avidus Rossi 1790

Description

Merodon avidus Rossi, 1790

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Azerbaijan: NAR, Sharuz, Shahbulag, 1210 m [39°38ʹ57ʹʹN 45°08ʹ12ʹʹE], 26. V 2025, 1 ♂.

DISTRIBUTION. Reported for NAR for the first time. The Merodon avidus species complex is represented by a few species in the Transcaucasia, including sympatric ones, what creates problems with their identification. It was noted, that spring generations of M. avidus are very similar to those of M. moenium Meigen & Wiedemann, 1822 based on external morphology and are easily confused using existing diagnostic features (Vujić et al., 2024). It is probably this species that is listed in the review by Stackelberg & Richter (1968) as “ Merodon spinipes ab. avidus Rondani ” for Armenia, while the mentioned specimens from Talysh most likely refer to the recently described M. atroavidus Vujić, Radenković et Likov, 2024 or Merodon nigroscutum Vujić, Radenković et Likov, 2024. Mengual et al. (2020) points out, что all the identifications Caucasian members of Merodon avidus species complex are need the verification.

Notes

Published as part of Mutin, V. A. & Proshchalykin, M. Yu, 2025, A NEW SPECIES AND NEW RECORDS OF HOVERFLIES (DIPTERA: SYRPHIDAE) FROM THE NAKHCHIVAN AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN, pp. 1-14 in Far Eastern Entomologist 537 (537) on page 6, DOI: 10.25221/fee.537.1, http://zenodo.org/record/20504652

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Linked records

Additional details

Biodiversity

Collection code
MATERIAL , V
Scientific name authorship
Rossi
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Order
Diptera
Family
Syrphidae
Genus
Merodon
Species
avidus
Taxon rank
species
Taxonomic concept label
Merodon avidus Rossi, 1790 sec. Mutin & Proshchalykin, 2025

References

  • Vujic, A., Kocis Tubic, N., Radenkovic, S., Acanski, J., Likov, L., Arok, M., Gorse, I. & Djan, M. 2024. The extraordinary diversity of Merodon avidus complex (Diptera: Syrphidae) - adding new areas, new species and a new molecular marker. Insects, 15: 105. DOI: 10.3390/insects15020105
  • Stackelberg, A. A. & Richter, V. A. 1968. Hover-flies (Diptera, Syrphidae) of the Caucasus. Trudy Vsesoyuznogo Entomologicheskogo Obshchestva, 52: 224-274. [In Russian]
  • Mengual, X., Bot, S., Chkhartishvili, T., Reimann, A., Thormann, J. & von der Mark, L. 2020. Checklist of hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) of the Republic of Georgia. ZooKeys, 916: 1-123. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.916.47824