identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
DD64879C4B648C05FF05F887D930FF24.text	DD64879C4B648C05FF05F887D930FF24.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Melanogaster jaroslavensis (Stackelberg 1922)	<div><p>The Melanogaster jaroslavensis group of species</p> <p>Morphological diagnosis. Wing base bright yellow in both sexes but wing completely yellow in female. Body black with a greenish or bluish shine. The hypandrium of the male genitalia is similar to that of the species of the M. hirtella group, but the surstyli (epandrium) are similar to those of the species of both the M. hirtella and M. nuda groups sensu Kassebeer (1999 a).</p> </div>	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/DD64879C4B648C05FF05F887D930FF24	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Popov, Grigory V.;Prokhorov, Alexey V.	Popov, Grigory V., Prokhorov, Alexey V. (2020): Revision of the Melanogaster jaroslavensis group (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan. Zootaxa 4743 (4): 536-552, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4743.4.4
DD64879C4B678C01FF05F995DE5EF82B.text	DD64879C4B678C01FF05F995DE5EF82B.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Melanogaster jaroslavensis (Stackelberg 1922)	<div><p>Melanogaster jaroslavensis (Stackelberg, 1922)</p> <p>Figs 1 A–F; 2A–C; 3; 4A–C; 5A</p> <p>Chrysogaster jaroslavensis Stackelberg, 1922: 363. Type locality: Russia [LT ♂ ZIN]</p> <p>Chrysogaster jaroslavensis: Stackelberg (1923: 226; 1933: 230; 1953: 269; 1958: 194, 221; 1959: 898, 900), Sack (1928: 36), Peck (1988: 134), Richter &amp; Kuztentsov (2007: 10), Pestov et al. (2010: 91)</p> <p>Melanogaster jaroslavensis: Maibach et al. (1994 a: 230)</p> <p>Melanogaster jaroslavensis: Maibach et al. (1994 b: 268), Vujić &amp; Stuke (1998: 346)</p> <p>Material examined. Lectotype, ♂ [Beditsino (Berditsino), Yaroslav. u. (= uezd, = Region), near puddle, Lupinus flowers, 2.VI.1908, A. I. Yakovlev leg., Yakovlev coll.] (ZIN). Paralectotypes (all ZIN): 2♂♂, 2♀♀ [Berdits (ino), Barbarea flowers, 26, 28.V.1907, A. Zhuravsky leg.], ♀ [Berdits (ino), Barbarea flowers, 22.V.1907, A. Zhuravsky leg.], 3♀♀ [Berditsino, Yaroslav. u., 26.V.1907, A. Yakovlev leg.], ♀ [Berditsino, Yaroslav. u., 7.VI.1908, A. Ya- kovlev leg.]. Additional material (all SIZK): ♀ [Ukraine, Sumy Reg., Matskove env., 51.48N 33.90E, <a href="http://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=33.9&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=51.48" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 33.9/lat 51.48)">Esman River valley</a>, Ranunculus flowers, 10.V.2018, M. Zaika leg.], 2 ♂♂, ♀ [idem, 15.V.2018, M. Zaika leg.].</p> <p>Diagnosis. Body length: 6.4–7.1 mm. Melanogaster jaroslavensis male differs from males of the new species and M. tadzhikorum by: much narrower relative face and frons width; facial tubercle shape (distinctly protruded in M. jaroslavensis, weakly protruded or almost absent in those species); halter colour (entirely yellow in M. jaroslavensis); surstylus shape (in lateral view the surstyli elongated and narrow in M. jaroslavensis, short and broad in those species). Hypopygium very similar to M. kirgisorum; hypandrium and epandrium typical for M. hirtella species-group (Maibach et al., 1994 a; Kassebeer, 1999 a). Melanogaster jaroslavensis male can be separated from M. kirgisorum male by: brightly shining frons and anepisternum without pollinosity; even narrower face and frons; shape of facial tubercle in lateral view (more acute in contrast to M. kirgisorum); length of both anepisternum and anepimeron pile (both very short pilose in M. jaroslavensis but covered with distinctly long pile in M. kirgisorum); genitalia structure (in ventral view parameres almost straight apically in M. jaroslavensis but hook-shaped in M. kirgisorum, in dorsal view surstyli emarginated laterally at the base but almost straight in M. kirgisorum). Female of M. jaroslavensis can be distinguished from females of the new species and M. tadzhikorum by narrower frons, from M. kirgisorum female by: even narrower frons; body with short pile and sternites shiny.</p> <p>Redescription. MALE (Figs 1A, C, E; 2 A–C; 4A–C). Body dark olive greenish, length 6.4–7.1 mm. Head (Figs 1C, E; 4A, B). Eyes bare, holoptic, eye contiguity 0.5 times as long as the height of the ocellar triangle; frons slightly swollen, shiny black, upper half with long whitish pile; face and frons narrow, the ratio of the maximum width of the head to the width of the frons at the level of the antennal base 2.6–3.1, frons shiny, apart from pollinose stripe between eyes from antennal base to facial tubercle; facial tubercle distinctly protruded; upper mouth-edge strongly protruding forward (further than the median facial tubercle); lower part of the face with sparse pale pile; antenna black including bare arista; ocelli nearly equidistant, but the distance between the posterior ocelli slightly greater; vertex with mixed pale and dark pile, occiput pale pilose. Thorax (Fig. 1A, C). Scutum and scutellum shiny dark olive greenish, not pollinose, finely punctated, covered with short subadpressed yellowish pile; sides of thorax shiny; proepisternum, posterior anepisternum, anepimeron, katatergite, anterior part of proepimeronand upper part of katepisternum with sparse short whitish pile; anterior anepisternum, meron, metapleuron, posterior part of proepimeron and katepimeron bare. Legs brownish-blackwith light pile, long pile whitish, short pile yellowish on tarsi. Wing (Fig. 1A, C). Length: 4.9–5.2 mm. Hyaline, entirely microtrichose, clearly yellowish basally, as well as veins yellow near base but brownish apically; pterostigma yellow; vein M joining vein R 4+5 at right angle; calypter whitish with yellowish edge; halteres yellow. Abdomen (Fig. 1 A). Shiny, general colour dark olive greenish. Tergite I slightly rugose, tergites II–IV distinctly transversely rugose. Tergites I–III with distinct pollinosity dorsally, greenish-bronze on the sides, tergite IV shiny greenish-bronze except triangular matt black spot on two-thirds of the tergite length, tergite VIII shiny bronze black. Tergites covered with short adpressed pale pile except tergites I–II with long erect pile on sides. Sternites shiny, greenish-bronze with inconspicuous transverse rugosity, with adpressed pale pile except sternites I–II with more long erect pile. Genitalia (Figs 2 A–C; 4C). Parameres almost straight apically in ventral view; surstyli elongated with widened base, slightly curved in lateral view, emarginated laterally at the base in dorsal view; cerci kidney-shaped in dorsal view.</p> <p>FEMALE (Figs 1B, D, F; 5A). Body length: 6.9–7.1 mm. Similar to the male except for sexual dimorphism, and differing by the following characters. Head (Figs 1D, F; 5A). Frons narrow, ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 2.1–2.3, ratio of the maximum head width at the level of the antennal base to the vertex width 3.6–3.9. Frons and vertex shiny, occiput pollinose, with sparse short pale pile; frons with weak but clearly visible transverse furrows and roughly dotted; face pollinose in upper half, shiny in lower half, with sparse whitish pile. Thorax (Fig. 1B, D). Scutum and scutellum shiny greenish or blackish, covered with short whitish-yellowish pile. Wing (Fig. 1B). Length 5.6–5.7 mm. Abdomen (Fig. 1B). Sternites shiny, sternites III–IV with weak pollinosity at anterior edge, sternite V entirely weakly pollinose, not so shiny.</p> <p>Distribution. From Central European Russia (Leningrad, Yaroslavl, Perm, Kirov Regions) (Stackelberg, 1922, 1923, 1953, 1958, 1959; Peck, 1988; Pestov et al., 2010) into northern Ukraine (new record).</p> <p>Biology. The preferred environments are alluvial forests and wet meadows in the vicinity of rivers. In the Sumy Region (Ukraine) all specimens were collected on a floodplain near the edge of an Alnus glutinosa forest (Fig. 3). The flowers visited are: Ranunculus, Caltha, Barbarea (Stackelberg, 1922, 1953, 1958, 1959; this study).Adults fly in May in the southern parts of the range, and June in the northern parts (10.V–20.VI). The larva is unknown.</p> </div>	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/DD64879C4B678C01FF05F995DE5EF82B	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Popov, Grigory V.;Prokhorov, Alexey V.	Popov, Grigory V., Prokhorov, Alexey V. (2020): Revision of the Melanogaster jaroslavensis group (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan. Zootaxa 4743 (4): 536-552, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4743.4.4
DD64879C4B628C00FF05FF63DBD4F830.text	DD64879C4B628C00FF05FF63DBD4F830.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Melanogaster kirgisorum (Stackelberg 1952)	<div><p>Melanogaster kirgisorum (Stackelberg, 1952)</p> <p>Figs 4 D–F; 5B</p> <p>Chrysogaster kirgisorum Stackelberg, 1952: 364. Type locality: Kyrgyzstan [LT ♂ ZIN]</p> <p>Chrysogaster kirgisorum: Stackelberg (1959: 901), Peck (1968: 98; 1988: 134; 1996: 290), Richter &amp; Kuztentsov (2007: 10) Melanogaster kirgisorum: Maibach et al. (1994 a: 230)</p> <p>Melanogaster kirgisorum: Maibach et al. (1994 b: 268), Vujić &amp; Stuke (1998: 346)</p> <p>Material examined. Lectotype, ♂ [Frunze (Pishpek) (= Bishkek), Semirechye (Kyrgyzstan), 16.IV.1931, L. Zimin leg.]. Paralectotypes: ♀ [Frunze (Pishpek) (= Bishkek), Semirechye (Kyrgyzstan), 26.IV.1931, L. Zimin leg.], 2♀♀ [Kyrgyzstan, Sretenka, Belovodsk district, 30. V.1931, L. Zimin leg.], 4♀♀ [Kyrgyzstan, Sretenka, Belovodsk district, 31. V.1931, L. Zimin leg.], 1♀ [Kyltur Lake coast in Kygatinskaya cleft, Turk (Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz Ala-Too Ridge) 2770 m, 7. VI.1904, Begak leg.], 2♂♂ [Karatau Ridge, Ak-Bulak NE slope (Kazakhstan), VI.1911, Trizna leg.].</p> <p>Diagnosis. Body length: 6.3–7.3 mm. Thorax and abdomen clearly dark olive greenish. Melanogaster kirgisorum male differs from males of the new species and M. tadzhikorum by the same features as those in M. jaroslavensis. Hypopygium very similar to M. jaroslavensis; hypandrium and epandrium typical for M. hirtella species-group (Maibach et al., 1994 a; Kassebeer, 1999 a). Melanogaster kirgisorum male can be separated from M. jaroslavensis male by: frons and anepisternum light-greyish pollinose; face and frons broader; shape of facial tubercle in lateral view (more blunt in contrast to M. jaroslavensis); anepisternum and anepimeron long pilose but covered with distinctly short pile in M. jaroslavensis; genitalia structure (in ventral view parameres hook-shaped apically in M. kirgisorum but almost straight in M. jaroslavensis, in dorsal view surstyli almost straight in comparison to surstyli emarginated laterally at the base in M. kirgisorum). Female of M. kirgisorum can be distinguished from females of the new species and M. tadzhikorum by narrower frons, from M. jaroslavensis female by: wider frons; body with long pile and sternites greyish pollinose.</p> <p>Redescription. MALE (Fig. 4 D–F). Body length: 6.4–7.3 mm. Head (Fig. 4D, E). Eyes bare, eye contiguity length shorter than the frons length. Frons convex, with longitudinal impression in front third, black, light-greyish pollinose, with long white protruding pile. Face and frons narrow, ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 2.4–2.5. Face parallel-sided, with dense grey pollinosity except both facial tubercle and oral margin shining black. Facial tubercle moderately developed. Mouth-edge protrudes forward equal to facial tubercle. Face from the sides with almost inconspicuous transverse wrinkles and with white pile. Vertical triangle black, weakly shining, with pale pile. Occiput black with greyish pollinosity. All antennal segments black. Basoflagellomere rounded, arista bare. Thorax. Mesonotum and scutellum dark olive greenish, sparsely fine dotted with rather long yellowish pile (of length less than the basoflagellomere diameter). Anepisternum dark olive greenish, matt, greyish pollinose, anepisternum and anepimeron covered with long fine yellowish pile. Legs black with pale pile. Wing. Transparent, yellowish with bright yellow base. Length: 5.0– 5.3 mm. Abdomen. Dark olive greenish, tergites II–III above and triangle spot in front half of tergite IV velvet black. Tergites covered with short yellowish white pile dorsally and with long ones on the sides, sternites covered with long yellowish white pile. Genitalia (Fig. 4F). Parameres hook-shaped apically in ventral view; surstyli elongated with widened base, slightly curved in lateral view, almost straight laterally at the base in dorsal view; cerci kidney-shaped in dorsal view.</p> <p>FEMALE (Fig. 5B). Body length: 6.3–7.0 mm. Similar to the male except for sexual dimorphism, and differing by somewhat smaller body size, shorter body pilosity and the following characters. Body with long pale pile, its length on thorax and tergites III–V 2–3 times as long as ocellus diameter. Head (Fig. 5B). Frons roughly dotted, with 5–6 transverse furrows from each side, with short white pile. Frons and face narrow, ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 2.1–2.3, ratio of the maximum head width at the level of the antennal base to the vertex width 3.1–3.2. Mouth-edge clearly prominent. Facial tubercle absent. Antenna black. Thorax. Mesonotum with rather long erect white pile. Wing. Length 5.5–5.7 mm. Abdomen. Tergites weakly shining on abdomen middle; tergite V with straight edge; sternites greyish pollinose.</p> <p>Distribution. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan (Stackelberg, 1952, 1959; Peck, 1988).</p> <p>Biology. The preferred environments are alluvial localities, usually in the vicinity of standing or running water: in Kyrgyzstan the species is quite common. The species was collected at altitudes up to 2770 m. In Kyrgyzstan the flowers visited are: Salix (most abundant), Ferula, Prangos and Brassicaceae species (Peck, 1968). Adults fly in spring and summer, 16.IV–19.VI (Stackelberg, 1952; Peck, 1968; Richter &amp; Kuznetsov, 2007). The larva is unknown.</p> </div>	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/DD64879C4B628C00FF05FF63DBD4F830	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Popov, Grigory V.;Prokhorov, Alexey V.	Popov, Grigory V., Prokhorov, Alexey V. (2020): Revision of the Melanogaster jaroslavensis group (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan. Zootaxa 4743 (4): 536-552, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4743.4.4
DD64879C4B6D8C0FFF05FF63D8B8F815.text	DD64879C4B6D8C0FFF05FF63D8B8F815.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Melanogaster tadzhikorum (Stackelberg 1952)	<div><p>Melanogaster tadzhikorum (Stackelberg, 1952)</p> <p>Figs 4 G–I; 5C</p> <p>Chrysogaster tadzhikorum Stackelberg, 1952: 363. Type locality: Tajikistan [LT ♂ ZIN]</p> <p>Chrysogaster tadzhikorum: Stackelberg (1959: 901), Peck (1988: 135), Richter &amp; Kuztentsov (2007: 21)</p> <p>Melanogaster tadzhikorum: Maibach et al. (1994 a: 230)</p> <p>Melanogaster tadzhikorum: Maibach et al. (1994 b: 268), Vujić &amp; Stuke (1998: 346)</p> <p>Material examined. Lectotype, ♂ [Stalinabad (= Dushanbe), Tajikistan, 28.IV.1942, Gussakovsky leg.]. Paralectotypes: ♀ [Peter the Great Range, Kamchirak Pass (Tajikistan), 26. VI.1911, Golbek leg.], ♂, ♀ [Katta-Ming, Kattakurgan District, Samarqand Region (Uzbekistan), 24.IV.1923, L. Zimin leg.], ♂, ♀ [Stalinabad, Tajikistan, 15.IV.1942, Gussakovsky leg.], 3♀♀ [Stalinabad, foothills, Tajikistan, 22, 24, 26.IV.1942, Gussakovsky leg.], 2♀♀ [Stalinabad, Dushambinka River valley (Tajikistan), 13. V.1943, Stackelberg leg.], ♀ [Varzob, Gissar Range, Ta- jikistan, 1. V.1944, Stackelberg leg.], 4♀♀ [Ziddy, S slope of Gissar Range, Tajikistan, 15, 16. VI.1944, Stackelberg leg.].</p> <p>Diagnosis. Body length: 6.3–7.4 mm. Body from dark olive to greenish black, shiny. Facial tubercle well developed but less than in M. jaroslavensis and M. kirgisorum. Hypandrium similar to M. hirtella species-group, epandrium typical for M. nuda species-group (see Kassebeer, 1999 a). Melanogaster tadzhikorum male is most similar to the male of the new species, but can be separated from it by: frons covered with pale and dark pile; face and frons narrower; facial tubercle more protruded; surstyli almost straight laterally in ventral view. Both M. tadzhikorum and the new species females are characterized by a very broad frons (ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 1.7–1.8, ratio of the maximum head width at the level of the antennal base to the vertex width 2.6–2.7), but M. tadzhikorum female can be distinguished from that of the new species by the 5–6 clearly developed transverse furrows on the frons laterally. Like the new species, M. tadzhikorum can be distinguished from M. jaroslavensis and M. kirgisorum by the same features.</p> <p>Redescription. MALE (Fig. 4 G–I). Body length: 6.4–7.4 mm. Head (Fig. 4G, H). Eyes bare, eye contiguity length equal to frons length. Frons convex with pit in front third, black, shining without pollinose or with weak greyish pollinosity, upper part covered with long dark brown to black pile. Frons and face broad, ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 2.1–2.2. Face with weak greyish pollinosity in upper half and shiny black in lower half. Facial tubercle weakly developed. Mouth-edge protrudes forward more than facial tubercle. Lateral sides of face with weak transverse wrinkles and with sparse long white pile. Vertical triangle black, faintly shiny, with pale pile. Occiput black with dark greyish pollinosity. All antennal segments black. Basoflagellomere rounded, arista bare. Thorax. Mesonotum and scutellum shining black, sparsely finely dotted with long pale yellowish pile (length equal to basoflagellomere diameter). Mesopleura matt black, grey pollinose, anepisternum and anepimeron with pile as on mesonotum. Legs black with pale pile. Wing. Length 5.2–5.5 mm. Almost hyaline, entirely microtrichose, clearly yellowish basally, as well as veins yellow near base but brownish apically; pterostigma yellow; vein M joining vein R 4+5 at right angle; calypter whitish with yellowish edge; halter stem light greyish-brown, knob dark. Abdomen. Shining black, tergites II–III above and triangle spot in front half of tergite IV velvet black. Tergites covered with short yellowish white pile dorsally, long on sides, sternites covered with long yellowish white pile. Genitalia (Fig. 4I). Surstyli relatively short and almost rectangular in lateral view, with small hook-like process on apex, weakly emarginated apically in ventral view, almost straight; cerci triangle in dorsal view.</p> <p>FEMALE (Fig. 5C). Body length: 6.1–6.5. Similar to the male except for sexual dimorphism, and differing by somewhat smaller body size, shorter body pilosity and the following characters. Head (Fig. 5C). Ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 1.7–1.8, ratio of the maximum head width at the level of the antennal base to the vertex width 2.6–2.7. Frons broad and roughly dotted with 5–6 transverse furrows from each side, with short white pile. Mouth edge clearly prominent. Thorax. Mesonotum with short erect whitish pile. Wing. Length 5.5–5.7 mm, yellowish. Abdomen. Tergite V with straight edge. Sternites brightly shining.</p> <p>Distribution. Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan (Peck, 1988).</p> <p>Biology. The preferred environments are alluvial localities in the mountain areas at altitudes from 800 to 2000 m (Stackelberg, 1952, 1959; Peck, 1968). Adults fly in spring and summer (15.IV–26.VI). The flowers visited are Berberis sp. and Umbelliferae (Peck, 1968). The larva is unknown.</p> </div>	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/DD64879C4B6D8C0FFF05FF63D8B8F815	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Popov, Grigory V.;Prokhorov, Alexey V.	Popov, Grigory V., Prokhorov, Alexey V. (2020): Revision of the Melanogaster jaroslavensis group (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan. Zootaxa 4743 (4): 536-552, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4743.4.4
DD64879C4B6C8C0BFF05FF63DFEEFEC0.text	DD64879C4B6C8C0BFF05FF63DFEEFEC0.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Melanogaster raccoon Popov & Prokhorov 2020	<div><p>Melanogaster raccoon sp. nov.</p> <p>Figs 6 A–J; 7–9</p> <p>Type material. Holotype. ♂ [Afghanistan, Bamyan Prov., Band-e Amir, alt 2900 m, 26.VI.2016, Yu. Skrylnik].</p> <p>Paratypes. No. 1: ♂ [Afghanistan, vic. of Kabul, Paghman, alt 2700 m, 2.VI.2010, O. Pack leg.]; No. 2: ♂ [Af- ghanistan, Band-e Amir, Bamyan Province, alt 3200 m, 25.V.2010, O. Pack leg.]; No. 3 &amp; 4: 2 ♂♂ [Afghani- stan, Kabul Prov., Paghman, alt 2500–2600 m, 9.VI.2016, O. Pak leg.]; No. 5 &amp; 6: 2 ♀♀ [Afghanistan, Sha-tu pass, alt 3100–3200 m, 18.VI.2016, Yu. Skrylnik leg.]; No. 7: ♀ [Afghanistan, Kabul Prov., Paghman, alt 2400 m, 30.VI.2013, Yu. Skrylnik leg.].</p> <p>Diagnosis. Small-sized robust species with body length 6.0– 7.5 mm. Melanogaster raccoon sp. nov. male can be separated from males of the other three species by the virtual absence of a facial tubercle. Melanogaster raccoon sp. nov. is most similar to M. tadzhikorum, but can be separated from it by: frons covered with pale pile only; face and frons broader; emarginated surstyli at the apex in ventral view. Melanogaster raccoon sp. nov. female differs from females of the other three species by the absence of transverse furrows on the frons. Melanogaster raccoon sp. nov. can be distinguished both from M. jaroslavensis and M. kirgisorum by: halter colour (light greyish-brown stem and dark knob in M. raccoon sp. nov., but entirely yellow in those species); frons and face widths (clearly wider in M. raccoon sp. nov.); surstyli short and emarginated apically in ventral view. Hypopygium very similar to M. tadzhikorum. Hypandrium similar to one of the M. hirtella species-group, epandrium typical for the M. nuda species-group (Maibach et al., 1994 a; Kassebeer, 1999 a). Generally, M. raccoon sp. nov. can be easily separated from remaining species of this group by the combination of the body pile pale without dark ones on male frons, the almost flat face in male, the absence of frontal transverse furrows in female, and surstyli both short and emarginated apically in ventral view.</p> <p>Description. MALE (Figs 6A, C–G; 7). Body length: 6.5–7.5 mm. Head (Fig. 6E, F). Eyes bare, holoptic; frons slightly swollen, shining, upper half with dense and long yellowish-white or only white pile; face and frons broad, ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 1.9–2.0. Frons shiny, apart from pollinose stripe between eyes from antennal base to facial tubercle or almost completely pollinose; facial pile whitish; facial tubercle very small, weakly protruded, almost absent; antenna brownish-black to black including bare arista; ocelli nearly equidistant but the distance between the posterior ocelli slightly greater; vertex and occiput white pilose. Thorax (Fig. 6A, C). Scutum and scutellum shiny black with weak bluish shine, not pollinose, finely punctate, covered with long whitish pile, on posterior margin of scutellum pile longer; sides of thorax shiny, whitish pilose (postpronotum, posterior anepisternum, anepimeron and katepisternum except bare part between the top and the bottom covered with long white pile; proepisternum and proepimeron covered with medium white pile; katatergite with short light yellowish pile; anterior anepisternum, katepimeron, meron and metapleuron bare). Legs black, paratype No. 2 with partly dark brownish-black legs, covered with pale pile, long pile whitish, short pile sometimes yellowish-white on tarsi. Wing (Fig. 6D). Length 5.2–5.5 mm. Almost hyaline, entirely microtrichose, clearly yellowish basally, as well as veins yellow near base but brownish apically; pterostigma yellow; vein M joining vein R 4+5 at right angle; calypter whitish with yellowish edge; halter stem light greyish-brownish, knob dark. Abdomen (Fig. 6A, C, G): general colour black. Tergite I slightly rugose, tergites II–III distinctly transversely rugose, tergite IV almost unnoticeably rugose. Tergites I–III matt black dorsally with distinct pollinosity between wrinkles, slightly greenish-bronze on their sides, tergite IV shiny bronze except triangular matt black spot on front edge of tergite, tergite VIII shiny black with goldish to greenish-bronze shine. Abdomen covered with moderately long protruding white pile, longest ones located on the tergite sides, shortest ones located on tergite dorsally. Sternites shiny, greenish-bronze with inconspicuous transverse rugosity, gently pollinose, covered with protruding and adpressed white pile. Genitalia (Fig. 7). Surstyli relatively short and almost rectangular in lateral view, with small hook-like process on apex, but slightly emarginated apically in ventral view (Fig. 7A, B); cerci almost triangular in dorsal view.</p> <p>FEMALE (Fig. 6B, H–J). Body length: 6.0– 6.5 mm. Similar to the male except for sexual dimorphism, and differing by somewhat smaller body size, shorter body pilosity and the following characters. Head (Fig. 6 H–J). Frons, vertex and occiput shining, with sparse short white pile; transverse furrows of the frons absent; frons and face broad (ratio of the maximum head width to the frons width at the level of the antennal base 1.7–1.8, ratio of the maximum head width at the level of the antennal base to the vertex width 2.6–2.7). Face pollinose in upper half, shiny in lower half; facial pile whitish; scape and pedicel black; basoflagellomere brownish-black; arista black. Thorax (Fig. 6B). Scutum and scutellum shiny black with weak bluish shine (2 paratypes) or without such shine (1 paratype), covered with short whitish pile; legs black. Wing (Fig. 6B). Length 5.5–5.8 mm, yellowish. Abdomen (Fig. 6B). Tergite IV not rugose, black, without matt black triangular spot on anterior edge of tergite, tergite V black. Abdomen covered with short protruding white pile. Sternites shiny, brownish black, finely punctated, covered with subadpressed pale pile of equal length.</p> <p>Etymology. The specific name refers to the common nocturnal mammal (Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758), “raccoon” in English and in Ukrainian) native to North America and introduced in the Palaearctic Region, with whom the new species shares such characteristics as the contrasting black-and-white colouration and the ability to climb high up.</p> <p>Distribution. Central Afghanistan (Fig. 8).</p> <p>Biology. Melanogaster raccoon sp. nov. occurs at altitudes of 2400–3200 m above sea level. The species inhabits in mesophilous valleys between dry semi-desert areas high in the mountains (Fig. 9). Three specimens of M. raccoon sp. nov. were collected from the Band-e Amir National Park and its vicinity about 60 km west of the town of Bamyan in Central Afghanistan. The vegetation of the shores of Lake Band-e Amir shores is peculiar: it is a natural oasis at an altitude of 3000–3050 m along the chain of lakes in the canyon. The surrounding area is a hilly plateau dissected by deep canyons with streams that drain into the Band-e-Amir River, covered with alpine friganoid and tragakantoid steppe. The adults fly from May to June (25.V–30.VI by label data). Nothing is known about the life history of this species, but we can speculate that the larvae are hydrobionts similar to the known larvae of other species belonging in this genus (Hennig, 1952; Hartley, 1961; Maibach &amp; Goeldlin, 1994).</p> </div>	http://treatment.plazi.org/id/DD64879C4B6C8C0BFF05FF63DFEEFEC0	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		MagnoliaPress via Plazi	Popov, Grigory V.;Prokhorov, Alexey V.	Popov, Grigory V., Prokhorov, Alexey V. (2020): Revision of the Melanogaster jaroslavensis group (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan. Zootaxa 4743 (4): 536-552, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4743.4.4
