New data on the genus Cheilosia Meigen (Diptera, Syrphidae) from Central Asia, with descriptions of two new species and a key to the 'group C'.

New information is given on the distribution of Cheilosia Meigen species (Diptera, Syrphidae) in Central Asia, together with a description of two new species. The new species, Cheilosia teneripilosa sp. nov. and Cheilosia vadimi sp. nov., belong to the subgenus Montanocheila Barkalov. Cheilosia teneripilosa differs from its close allies by a set of the following characters: eyes with long black hairs, legs of male completely black, abdomen predominantly with light hairs, superior lobe of hypandrium with a very small left process. Cheilosia vadimi is close to C. kirgizorum Peck, but differs by shorter hairs on the eyes and scutum, and a completely different shape of the superior lobe of the hypandrium. A revised key is given to the 'group C' species of Cheilosia from Central Asia (those with haired eyes, bare face and absence of strong bristles on scutellar hind margin). The descriptions of the new species are accompanied by drawings of the head and male genitalia.

Revision of the Merodon serrulatus group (Diptera, Syrphidae).

The phytophagous hoverfly genus Merodon Meigen, 1803 (Diptera, Syrphidae), which comprises more than 160 species distributed in Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions, can be differentiated into multiple groups of species that harbor high levels of hidden diversity. In this work, the serrulatus species group of Merodon is revised, providing an illustrated key to species, a detailed discussion on the taxonomic characters and a morphological diagnosis, including also the first data about the preimaginal morphology of this species group. The study includes characteristics of the 13 species of the M. serrulatus group, along with the available distributional data. Moreover, descriptions are provided for seven new species, namely M. defectus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. disjunctus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. medium Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. nigrocapillatus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. nigropunctum Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., M. opacus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov., and M. trianguloculus Vujic, Likov & Radenkovic sp. nov. In addition, the taxa M. serrulatus (Wiedemann in Meigen, 1822), M. bequaerti Hurkmans, 1993, M. hirsutus Sack, 1913, M. kawamurae Matsumura, 1916, M. sacki (Paramonov, 1936) and M. sophron Hurkmans, 1993 are redefined and redescribed. Following a detailed study of the type material sourced from different entomological collections, the status of all available taxa related to M. serrulatus is revised and a new synonymy is proposed: M. tener Sack, 1913 syn. nov. (junior synonym of M. serrulatus). The identity of M. trizonus (Szilády, 1940) could not be assessed as the type specimens are lost. Thus, the name M. trizonus is considered as nomen dubium. The monophyly and composition of this species group are assessed through Maximum Parsimony and Maximum Likelihood analyses of the mitochondrial COI and nuclear 28S rRNA gene sequences.

Two new enigmatic species of the genus Merodon Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the north-eastern Middle East.

Two new remarkable species of the genus Merodon Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) are described from biodiversity hotspots in the Middle East: Merodon eumerusi Vujic, Radenkovic et Likov sp. n. and Merodon mixtum Vujic, Radenkovic et Likov sp. n. Although M. eumerusi, from the Mountains of Central Asia, belongs clearly to the lineage of M. avidus-nigritarsis, it possesses some unique features within the genus that are also present in other Merodontini genera. M. mixtum, from the Irano-Anatolian mountains, has typical characters of different species groups within the M. albifrons lineage. Here, we discuss the unusual apomorphic characters of these newly discovered taxa and highlight the need for further analyses to ascertain the phylogenetic relationships within the tribe Merodontini and the genus Merodon.

Taxonomic review of the Palaearctic species of the Cheilosia caerulescens-group (Diptera, Syrphidae).

The Palaearctic species of the Cheilosia caerulescens group (Diptera: Syrphidae) are revised in this work. The species group belongs to the genus Cheilosia subgenus Taeniocheilosia Oldenberg. One new species is described from north Caucasus, Cheilosia (Taeniocheilosia) circassica sp. n.Cheilosia primulae Hering is established as a junior synonym of Cheilosia laeviventris Loew. Four lectotype designations are made. The species of the Cheilosia caerulescens group are redescribed and illustrated, and a table of diagnostic characters and an identification key to species are provided. MtDNA COI barcodes were generated for several specimens of C. (T.) caerulescens Meigen and other Cheilosia (Taeniocheilosia) and Cheilosia s. str. taxa. Parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses did not place the morphologically similar C. hercyniae Loew in the C. caerulescens group but among other Cheilosia (Taeniocheilosia) taxa. The following eight taxa are included in the Cheilosia (T.) caerulescens group of species: Cheilosia armeniaca Stackelberg, 1960, C. caerulescens caerulescens (Meigen, 1822), C. caerulescens calculosa Skufjin, 1977, C. circassica sp. n., C. herculana Bradescu, 1982, C. kerteszi Szilády, 1938, C. laeviventris Loew, 1857, and C. venosa Loew, 1857.

Review of the Asian species of the subgenus Neocheilosia Barkalov (Diptera, Syrphidae), with description of new species.

The Asian species of the subgenus Neocheilosia are reviewed. A new species Cheilosia (Neocheilosia) shiranesana Barkalov & Ichige sp. n. is described, and Cheilosia mutini Barkalov is synonymized with Cheilosia komabaensis Shiraki syn. n. A listing of the five Asian species of the subgenus,information on their distribution and an illustrated identification key is provided.

Descriptions of three new species of the genus Cheilosia Meigen from China (Diptera, Syrphidae).

Three species of genus Cheilosia (Diptera, Syrphidae: Eristalinae) from China are described as new to science, Cheilosia bullabucca Barkalov & Ståhls sp. n., C. lamproptera Barkalov & Ståhls sp. n. and C. yunnanensis Barkalov & Ståhls sp. n. We provide species descriptions and keys for their identification. The phylogenetic placements of the taxa was estimated based on their morphological characteristics and by analysing the taxa under parsimony using a mtDNA COI sequence dataset including a comprehensive set of Palaearctic previously generated Cheilosia spp. sequences representing all major subgenera. Based on both their morphological affinities and the molecular data. The Chinese taxa were placed in the subgenera Eucartosyrphus (C. bullabucca), Cheilosia s. str. (C. oblonga), Floccocheila (C. versicolor) while C. yunnanensis was not resolved as member of Cheilosia s. str. based on DNA despite sharing morphological characteristics with the subgenus. As the name Cheilosia (Nephocheila) prima Barkalov & Cheng from China is a junior homonym of Cheilosia (Cartosyrphus) prima Hunter, 1896 from the Nearctic region, for the Chinese species the new name Cheilosia (Nephocheila) primaria Barkalov & Ståhls nomen nov. is proposed.

Two new species of Syrphidae (Diptera) from Chukotka (Northern Russian Far East).

Two new species, Platycheirus beringiensis sp. n. and Cheilosia chukotana sp. n., are described from Chukotka (northern part of Russian Far East). The new Platycheirus is close to Platycheirus immarginatus (Zetterstedt), but differing by the following characters: fore tibia with a black stripe on posterior side; mid-femur without fine black curved hairs directed to the base of the femur; mid-tibia without long anteroventral hairs; abdomen black with fine brownish lustre on tergites. The new Cheilosia species is close to Ch. semifasciata Becker, but differs by its characteristic sharply raised central knob, and by lack of transversal stripe and indentation in anterior third of frons. 

Two new species of Chrysotus Meigen (Diptera, Dolichopodidae) from Siberia, with a key to the Siberian species.

Two new species from the southern tundra of the Taimyr Peninsula (Russia) are described. Chrysotus tricaudatus Negrobov, Barkalov & Selivanova sp. nov. is similar to C. albibarbus Loew, but can be distinguished by its brown palpus with black setae, yellow hind tibia and base of hind tarsus, and features of the male genitalia. Chrysotus komovi Negrobov, Barkalov & Selivanova sp. nov. is similar to C. obscuripes Zetterstedt, but can be distinguished by features of the male genitalia. A key to all Siberian species of the genus is also presented along with figures of diagnostic morphological characters. 

A new Platycheirus Le Peletier et Serville, 1828 (Diptera, Syrphidae) species of the manicatus subgroup, from the Taimyr Peninsula (Northern Siberia).

A new species of the genus Platycheirus Le Peletier et Serville, 1828 (Diptera, Syrphidae) is described from the Taimyr Peninsula (North of Krasnoyarsk Region). The new species belongs to the manicatus subgroup, being close to P. groenlandicus Curran, 1927, but differing by the narrower angle of approximation of the eyes (approximately equal 90 degrees) and the presence of short black setae on the ventral side of the mid metatarsus. In P. groenlandicus the angle of approximation of the eyes is 120 degrees and the mid metatarsus has yellow setae ventrally. A key to Siberian species of the manicatus subgroup is presented and morphological characters of all species are illustrated.