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Detection of morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species implies using an integrative taxonomic approach with a combination of molecular, contemporary morphological, ecological and other relevant analyses. Within a contemporary morphological analysis, two approaches are commonly used in hoverfly taxonomy: a geometric morphometric analysis of the wing and surstyle shape. Here, the importance of the R4+5 vein shape is tested in cryptic species delimitation within four Merodon species groups using linear and semilandmark geometric morphometric analyses. As expected, geometric morphometrics showed a stronger resolution compared to linear morphometrics. Linear morphometrics failed to detect differences related to sexual dimorphism or differences among the species M. pruni and M. obscurus. However, all cryptic species and sexes were separated with high significance based on the R4+5 vein shape. Moreover, obtained results concurred with the landmark-defined wing shape and molecular results published in previous studies. Additionally, combining two characters, the semilandmark R4+5 vein shape and the landmark-defined wing shape, provided more detailed and precise insights into the shape differences. Our results showed that the R4+5 vein shape stands out as an important character in species delimitation of hoverflies where the sinuation of this vein is present. Therefore, it can be beneficial as a single character or in combination with a landmark-based wing shape analysis.
The Cretaceous family Cretapsychidae Wichard, 2021 belongs to the superfamily Sericostomatoidea Stephens, 1836 and is characterized by the five-segmented maxillary palps, with the second segment being the longest and the following three segments becoming successively smaller, and the tibial spur formula 2/2/4. In addition, the wing venation is characterized by apical forks II, III, and V in the forewings and forks I, III, and V in the hindwings. The two newly described species (C. kachini sp. nov. and C. myanmari sp. nov.) extend the genus Cretapsyche Wichard, Neumann, Müller & Wang, 2018 to six extinct species, all of which were found in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber from Kachin State, Myanmar.
A specimen of Melitoma taurea (Say) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was captured on Hart-Miller Island, Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore County, Maryland. The specimen possessed the typical three submarginal cells on the right forewing but exhibited four submarginal cells on the left forewing due to the presence of an additional submarginal crossvein dividing the second submarginal cell. The presence of four submarginal cells is a rare oc-currence in bees. Besides documenting this occurrence, this paper presents a summary of known published and previously unpublished records of atypical and variable numbers of submarginal cells. Published records were found for 66 species: Colletidae (1), Andrenidae (28),Halictidae (19), and Apidae (18). In four instances,pub-lished records were also found at the genus or subgenus level. Previously unpublished records are reported for 29 species: Colletidae (1), Andrenidae (5), Halictidae (13), and Apidae (10). Previously unpublished records are also shown for six specimens that are only identified to genus or subgenus. Twelve-and-one-third percent of the specimens with atypical numbers of submarginal cells would normally have had two submarginal cells; 87.7% would normally have had three submarginal cells. Approximately, 49.4% of the specimens had atypical numbers on one wing, and approximately 50.6% had atypical numbers on both wings. Of the normally two submarginal cell specimens, 80.0% gained and 20.0% lost one submarginal crossvein. Of the normally three submarginal cell specimens, 1.4% gained one submarginal crossvein and 98.6% lost one or more submarginal crossveins.