Macaronesian Muscidae (Diptera). II. The genus Limnophora Robineau-Desvoidy with description of a new Canarian endemic species
Author
Michelsen, Verner
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-04-08
4952
1
101
127
journal article
7374
10.11646/zootaxa.4952.1.6
364a2818-9890-4a57-91cd-d5dcf0f36c6f
1175-5326
4671806
5C640B7A-AA7A-435B-93C7-F9AC61A71A9B
[
Limnophora tigrina
(Am Stein)
]
(
Figs 11D‒F
)
Limnophora tigrina
still appears on the newest check list of Canarian
Diptera
by
Báez & Oromí (2010)
, although the existing Canarian records of “
notata
(Fallén)
” by
Macquart (1839)
and
Santos Abréu (1976)
[posthumous unedited publication from the 1930’es] have never been verified. Both records are clearly based on misidentifications, as
L. tigrina
is easily confused with the Canarian species
L. obsignatula
,
L. paneliusi
and
L. quaterna
. The four species share the characteristic “
Anthomyia
-pattern” on the mesonotum. I agree with Hennig (1959) that the present species should be removed from the list of Canarian
Muscidae
despite its documented occurrence in
Morocco
and
Tunisia
.
Material examined.
[
NHMD
]: Large sample of males and females from:
Austria
,
Czech Republic
,
Denmark
,
France
(incl.
Corsica
),
Germany
,
Italy
(
Sicily
),
Portugal
,
Russia
,
Spain
and
Sweden
. Also from
Morocco
,
Tunisia
and
Turkey
.
Diagnosis.
Small to medium sized, wing length
3.9‒5.7mm
.
Male:
Arista short-plumose, longest branches fully half as long as width of postpedicel. Frons at narrowest point 1.0‒1.4 times as wide as ocellar tubercle, black frontal vitta at this point 1.5‒2.0 times wider than adjacent silvery white fronto-orbital plates. Fronto-orbital plate without orbital setulae, robust frontal setae 7‒10, extended to level of anterior ocellus. Frons lying slightly behind moderately produced facial margin. Mesonotum whitish grey pruinose with a contrasting brownish black “
Anthomyia
pattern” consisting of a pair of large squarish marks in front of the suture, a broad band immediately behind the suture and a basal scutellar band covering most of the discal surface and connected to the scutal band by a narrow median dark stripe. Presutural acrostichal field with setulae only, arranged in 4 irregular rows confined to middle third. Calypteres whitish, well set off from brownish tinged wing membrane; vein M
1
slightly curved forward in distal part. Mid femur with 2 subapical
pd
setae and on basal two-fifths with 3‒5 robust
pv
setae; mid tibia with 2
pd
setae inserted above and below middle. Hind femur distally with 2–3 robust
av
setae, without
pv
setae. Sternite I bare. Sternite V with hind marginal setae in middle enlarged and forming a dense palisade (
Fig. 11F
); hypopygium as in
Figs 11D, E
.
Female:
Frontal triangle with straight margins, confined to upper two-thirds of frontal vitta, often darkly pruinose on distal part. Fronto-orbital plate with 2 reclinate orbital setae and 5‒6 inclinate frontal setae. Dark pattern on mesonotum reduced compared to the male: scutal band behind the suture dissolved into a pair of squarish dorsal marks and a pair of smaller marks above the wing bases; basal scutellar dark band also much reduced. Basal
pv
setae on mid femur fine; hind femur with 1‒2 distal
av
setae. Ovipositor similar to those of other examined species with a mesonotal “
Anthomyia
-pattern”, but distinguished by combination of a fully developed sternite VI with only 1pair of hind marginal setae and the absence of dorsal hindmarginal setulae on tergite VIII. See
Table 1
for more ovipositor characters.
FIGURE 12.
Limnophora exigua
(Wiedemann)
(A, B),
L. obsignatula
sp. nov.
(C),
L. riparia
(Fallén)
(D). Ovipositor, lateral (
A, C, D
) and dorsal (
B
). Same scale.
FIGURE 13.
Limnophora paneliusi
(Emden)
(
A
),
L. riparia
(Fallén)
(
B
). Ovipositor, distal part, lateral. Arrow: dorsal hind marginal setulae on T VIII. Abbreviations: Acc scl = accessory sclerite; Ce = cercus; Ep = epiproct; Hy = hypoproct; St = sternite; T = tergite. Same scale.
Distribution.
A widespread Palearctic species, but not Macaronesian.