Close relatives of Mediterranean endemorelict hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) in South Africa : Morphological and molecular evidence in the Merodon melanocerus subgroup

An ongoing study of the genus Merodon Meigen, 1803 in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) has revealed the existence of new species related to M. melanocerus Bezzi, 1915. The M. melanocerus subgroup belongs to the Afrotropical lineage of the M. desuturinus group. Revision of all available material from museums and detailed analyses of newly -collected specimens from our own expeditions to RSA resulted in delimitation of five species: M. capensis Hurkmans sp. n., M. commutabilis Radenkovic et Vujic sp. n., M. drakonis Vujic et Radenkovic sp. n., M. flavocerus Hurkmans sp. n. and M. melanocerus. In addition to classical morphological characters, sequences of the mitochondrial COI gene are provided for four related taxa. Results of molecular phylogenetic analyses supports monophyly of the M. desuturinus group and confirmed delimitation between species. Links between Palaearctic and Afrotropical faunas of this group, as well as possible evolutionary paths, are discussed. Based on phylogenetic analyses, four lineages (putative subgenera) have been recognized within the genus Merodon; besides the three previously established ones, albifrons+desuturinus, aureus (sensu lato) and avidus-nigritarsis, one new lineage named natans is distinguished.Peer reviewe

First records of Chrysotoxum volaticum Séguy, 1961 from Europe and Platycheirus marokkanus Kassebeer, 1998 from Spain (Diptera: Syrphidae) together with additional records of Spanish Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803

The first European records of Chrysotoxum volaticum Séguy, 1961 from Spain and France, and Platycheirus marokkanus Kassebeer, 1998 from Spain are provided. These are further examples of North African species also present in the Iberian Peninsula. Diagnostic characters are given to separate C. volaticum and the similar Chrysotoxum bicinctum (Linnaeus, 1758), and additional records of other Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803 hoverflies from Spain are also reported. We also provide DNA barcodes for C. volaticum and discuss the utility of DNA barcoding to identify species in the genus Chrysotoxum.The study of the material of Chrysotoxum in the NHM was made possible by receiving support from the SYNTHESYS project http://www.synthesys.info/ which is financed by European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP6 “Structuring the European Research Area” Programme. Financial support was also provided by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (projects CGL2005-07213/BOS and CGL2006-13847-C02-01). Antonio Ricarte’s position (Ref. UATAL05) at the University of Alicante is funded by the ‘Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento’

Metabarcoding dietary analysis in the insectivorous bat Nyctalus leisleri and implications for conservation

In this study, we aim to uncover diet preferences for the insectivorous bat Nyctalus leisleri (Leisler's bat, the lesser noctule) and to provide recommendations for conservation of the species, based on the analysis of prey source habitats. Using a novel guano trap, we sampled bat faeces at selected roosts in a forest in Germany and tested two mitochondrial markers (COI and 16S) and three primer pairs for the metabarcoding of bat faecal pellets.We found a total of 17 arthropod prey orders comprising 358 species in N. leisleri guano. The most diverse orders were Lepidoptera (126 species), Diptera (86 species) and Coleoptera (48 species), followed by Hemiptera (28 species), Trichoptera (16 species), Neuroptera (15 species) and Ephemeroptera (10 species), with Lepidoptera species dominating in spring and Diptera in summer. Based on the ecological requirements of the most abundant arthropod species found in the bat guano, we propose some recommendations for the conservation of N. leisleri that are relevant for other insectivorous bat species

Current status of habitat monitoring in the European Union according to Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, with an emphasis on habitat structure and functions and on Germany

Since the beginning of the 1990s, monitoring of habitats has been a widespread tool to record and assess changes in habitat quality, for example due to land use change. Thus, Article 11 of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) requires, inter alia, monitoring of the conservation status of habitat types listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive, carried out by the Member States of the European Union (EU). This monitoring provides the foundation for the National Reports on the measures implemented and their effectiveness (Art. 17 Habitats Directive), which Member States have to submit to the European Commission every six years. Based on these requirements, Member States have developed different monitoring programmes or have adapted previously existing monitoring schemes to include relevant aspects of the Habitats Directive. The parameter ‘structure and functions’ is a key parameter for the assessment of the conservation status of habitat types as it provides information on the quality of the habitats. A standardised questionnaire was developed and sent to the competent authorities of Member States to compare and analyse the assessment methods of the quality of habitat types. Responses were received from 13 of the 28 Member States, while it was possible to include another Member State in the analysis by evaluating appropriate literature. The analysis revealed very different approaches and progress amongst the Member States in the development and implementation of monitoring programmes tailored to the reporting obligations of Article 17 of the Habitats Directive. Some Member States established a special standardised monitoring programme for Article 11 of the Habitats Directive, while others used data from already existing programmes (e.g. habitat mapping, large-scale forest inventories, landscape monitoring). Most Member States responding to the questionnaire use monitoring based on samples but the data collection, sample sizes and level of statistical certainty differ considerably. The same applies to the aggregation of data and the methods for the assessment of the parameter ‘structure and functions’. In contrast to the assessment of conservation status as part of the reporting obligations according to Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, no standardised EU guidelines exist for monitoring. The present study discusses differences in the monitoring programmes and evaluates them with regard to the objectives of comparable assessments of conservation status of habitat types in the National Reports of Member States or at a biogeographical level

Potential of Airborne LiDAR Derived Vegetation Structure for the Prediction of Animal Species Richness at Mount Kilimanjaro

The monitoring of species and functional diversity is of increasing relevance for the development of strategies for the conservation and management of biodiversity. Therefore, reliable estimates of the performance of monitoring techniques across taxa become important. Using a unique dataset, this study investigates the potential of airborne LiDAR-derived variables characterizing vegetation structure as predictors for animal species richness at the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. To disentangle the structural LiDAR information from co-factors related to elevational vegetation zones, LiDAR-based models were compared to the predictive power of elevation models. 17 taxa and 4 feeding guilds were modeled and the standardized study design allowed for a comparison across the assemblages. Results show that most taxa (14) and feeding guilds (3) can be predicted best by elevation with normalized RMSE values but only for three of those taxa and two of those feeding guilds the difference to other models is significant. Generally, modeling performances between different models vary only slightly for each assemblage. For the remaining, structural information at most showed little additional contribution to the performance. In summary, LiDAR observations can be used for animal species prediction. However, the effort and cost of aerial surveys are not always in proportion with the prediction quality, especially when the species distribution follows zonal patterns, and elevation information yields similar results

Betasyrphus

Other <i>Betasyrphus</i> species studied <p> <b> <i>B. stuckenbergi</i> (Keiser, 1971):</b> Ƥ: “ Typus [red label, Holotype] \ Manjakatompo, 1700 m \ Madagascar Centre, det Ambatolampy, 11 – 15.XII [19]57, B. Stuckenberg \ <i>Metasyrphus (Betasyrphus) stuckenbergi</i> Keiser [handwritten] \ Muséum Paris, <i>Betasyrphus stuckenbergi</i>, Keiser 1971 ”, approx. 19°20’S, 47°26’E (MNHN); Ƥ: “ Paratypus ” [red label], same locality and labels as holotype, “ Natal Museum Type no. 1582 \ Natal Museum, Piertermaritzburg, South Africa [green label]” (NMSA); Ƥ: Fianarantsoa Prov., Belle Vue, 1.2 km S Ramonafana Nat’l Park entrance, malaise in rainforest 28.XI / 6.XII.2001, 1095 m.A. Harin’Hala, ME Irwin, 21°15.99’ S, 47° 25.21 E, MG 90_05” (CAL) [this is a very dark and shrivelled female, that corresponds in all major morphological characters of Table 1 with the type specimen of <i>B. stuckenbergi</i>. However the face including middle knob is dark yellow to brownish and the frons is blackish].</p> <p> <b> <i>B. serarius</i> (Wiedemann, 1830)</b> : type material Ƥ: Mus. Westerm. \ Type [red label]”; [head glued separately on a card on the same pin] (ZMUC); Ƥ: “Mus. Westerm. \ <i>S. serarius</i> Wied., China, Trentepohl Type [red label] \ <i>Betasyphus serarius</i> Wied. Det. F.C. Thompson 1924 \ Lectoptype <i>Syrphus serarius</i> Wiedemann K.D. Ghorpade des. 1980 \ not type!“ (ZMUC); Both specimen here considered as syntypes. Additional type material in the Wiedemann collection was not available for study.</p> <p> continued next page Mouth margin On sides partly Side margin <b>yellow</b> completely yellow Side margin dark Side margin <b>yellow</b> brown to black usually dark brown to black</p>Published as part of <i>Ssymank, Axel, 2010, Review of the species of Betasyrphus Matsumura, 1917 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Madagascar with description of a new species, pp. 40-50 in Zootaxa 2417</i> on pages 46-47, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/294068">10.5281/zenodo.294068</a&gt

Betasyrphus

Key to the Madagascar species of Betasyrphus Note that the males of B. stuckenbergi are not yet known and therefore are not included in the key. However the very long antennae will presumably also be present in the male sex and key out correctly. Both species have a completely yellow face, while a large proportion of the other Afrotropical species have a dark knob or median vitta on the face. For more distinctive characters and separation of the Oriental and Palaearctic B. serarius see Tab. 1. 1 Antennae with basoflagellomere (3 rd joint) very elongated, three times longer than wide (measurements on female holotype and paratype; only other Afrotropical species with very long antennae is B. inflaticornis (Bezzi, 1915), not known from Madagascar and differentiated by a dark facial knob). Wing hyaline without dark maculae. Anterior part of wing yellowish. Abdomen appearing almost black with only vague maculae on tergite 3, on tergite 2 missing (description from females only)........................................................................................ B. stuckenbergi Keiser 1971 - Antennae with basoflagellomere (3 rd joint) one and a half to two times as long as wide. Wing hyaline usually with distinct brownish macula (clearly developed in most males, weaker and sometimes missing in the females and part of the males), see Fig. 12. Fasciae on tergites 2 + 3 distinct and widely separated from their anterior margin............... ........................................................................................................................................................... B. keiseri sp. nov.Published as part of Ssymank, Axel, 2010, Review of the species of Betasyrphus Matsumura, 1917 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Madagascar with description of a new species, pp. 40-50 in Zootaxa 2417 on page 46, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.29406

FIGURES 14, 15 in Review of the species of Betasyrphus Matsumura, 1917 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Madagascar with description of a new species

FIGURES 14, 15. Male genitalia of Betasyrphus keiseri sp. n

Description of the female of Syrittosyrphus opacea Hull, 1944 (Diptera, Syrphidae, Eristalinae) with additional notes on the genus

The taxonomy of Syrphidae is far from being complete in the Afrotropical Region and many species have been described from a single sex only. One of these is the enigmatic monotypic genus Syrittosyrphus Hull, 1944, of which, so far, only the male of Syrittosyrphus opacea Hull, 1944 was described from the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Here, we re-describe the male and describe the female. We summarise all known distribution records from South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo Provinces) and Zimbabwe (Vumba), of which several are new. We also provide notes on the species’ ecology