Taxonomy of European Eristalinus (Diptera: Syrphidae) based on larval morphology and molecular data

Celeste Pérez-Bañón,Gunilla Ståhls,Santos Rojo,M Angeles Marcos-García

doi:10.14411/eje.2003.064

Abstract

The taxonomy of European Eristalinus syrphid flies is reviewed. New data on their life histories, biological notes and a key to species using pupal characters are provided. The larvae and puparia of Eristalinus taeniops (Wiedemann, 1818) and Eristalinus megacephalus (Rossi, 1794) are described for the first time, including new morphological characters of the thoracic respiratory process of all species. The morphology of the male genitalia of E. megacephalus is described and compared with that of E. taeniops.The results of our morphological studies of the male genitalia and molecular data (mitochondrial COI and nuclear 28S rDNA) do not support the traditional adult classification based on the patterning on the eyes (fasciate vs punctate). We present a phylogeny of the species based on molecular data. The molecular and morphological data indicate that the relationship between some species with punctate eyes and those with fasciate eyes may be closer than with other species with punctate eyes. Moreover the results of the molecular studies support two clades, which does not accord with the traditional arrangement of this group of Syrphidae.Accordingly we propose that the characters of male genitalia stated by Kanervo in 1938 (but subsequently largely ignored) for arranging the European species of the Eristalinus-Eristalodes-Lathyrophthalmus complex, are suitable for classifying these species.

Highlights

The concept and delimitation of the genus Eristalis Latreille, 1804 is variable
The aim of this study is to describe the preimaginal morphology of the European species of Eristalinus, which are undescribed (E. taeniops and E. megacephalus) and re-describe those of the two other species (E. aeneus and E. sepulchralis), including for the first time a descrip tion of the thoracic respiratory process of E. aeneus
According to current taxonomic information on the genus Eristalinus, the Palaearctic species are identified because the males of the subgenera Eristalodes and Lathyrophthalmus are holoptic, while the males of the subgenus Eristalinus are dichoptic

Summary

Introduction

The concept and delimitation of the genus Eristalis Latreille, 1804 is variable. According to Thompson (1997), Meigen (1822) restricted the name Eristalis to those species defined by two wing characters, a sinuate wing vein R4+5 and a petiolate cell R1. For the Palaearctic species, Rondani (1845) described the subgenus Eristalinus and Mik (1897) described the genera Eristalodes and Lathyrophthalmus. These three groups were erected based on traditional morphological characters (pattern of pilosity on the arista, the pattern of pigmentation on the eyes, state of eye contiguity in males). Thompson (1972) re-examined Kanervo’s work, and following Kanervo (1938) divided the Neotropical species into a few groups, based on male genitalia, but did not consider the above mentioned groups as they are not present in the Neotropical region. Hippa et al (2001) reviewed the West Palaearctic species of Eri stalis (sensu stricto) and Eoseristalis Kanervo, 1938, but not those in the genus Eristalinus (sensu lato)

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