Long-legged flies (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) in the Czech Republic- 2. Corindia and Thrypticus
Author
Kejval, Zbyněk
Muzeum Chodska, Chodské náměstí 96, CZ- 344 01 Domažlice, Czech Republic
Author
Pollet, Marc
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Herman Teirlinckgebouw, Havenlaan 88 bus 73, B- 1000 Brussels, Belgium & Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Operational Directory Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Entomology, Vautierstraat 29, B- 1000 Brussels, Belgium
text
Zootaxa
2024
2024-04-02
5432
3
411
424
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5360.3.8
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5432.3.5
1175-5326
10906675
9C58228C-341C-4F29-A08F-63CE23692D4F
Thrypticus
—host plants, habitats and localities
The larvae of
Thrypticus
species
are plant-miners and form mines within the stems of wetland or aquatic monocotyledons (
Dyte 1959
;
Bickel & Hernandez 2004
;
Negrobov & Naglis 2020
;
Drake
et al.
2023
). For this purpose, females possess a strongly scletorized, blade-like oviscapt (
Figs 11, 14
) for piercing and ovipositing into plant tissue, a biological behaviour which is unique in the family (
e.g.
,
Johannsen & Crosby 1913
;
Parent 1924
;
Negrobov & Naglis 2020
). The known host plants for the world fauna belong to the following families and genera:
Cyperaceae
(
Schoenoplectus
,
Eleocharis
),
Poaceae
(
Muhlenbergia
,
Phragmites
,
Spartina
),
Juncaceae
(
Juncus
), and
Pontederiaceae
(
Eichhornia
,
Pontederia
) (
Dyte 1993
;
Hernández 2008
;
Schoenoplectus
species
listed as
Scirpus
).
The bulk of the faunistic data presented below originates from a survey conducted by the first author during
2021–2023 in
16 wetland localities, mainly in western
Bohemia
(westernmost part of the
Czech Republic
). In most cases, the sites were located on the banks of ponds/pools (or bed, if drained). The two sites that received extra attention are described below. Despite the lack of reliable data (no reared specimens), major or at least important genera of host plants for Palaearctic
Thrypticus
appear to be
Schoenoplectus
and
Eleocharis
. They are both listed by
Dyte (1993)
for the species of the northern, temperate part of the Nearctic Region (Maryland, Michigan) and mentioned (both mostly as
Scirpus
) in a number of the Palaearctic records,
e.g.
Storå (1956)
,
Frey (1957)
, and
Drake
et al.
(2023)
. Accordingly, the herein presented short term survey brought about the best results (both in terms of the number of species and specimens) precisely in those places where plants of both genera grew in abundance. For more details, see the Ecology section of the respective species records. An exception to this rule seems to be
T. smaragdinus
Gerstäcker, 1864
which has mainly been reported from
Phragmites
vegetations (see further).
Bolevecké rybníky
(
Bohemia
,
49°47′N
13°23′E
, altitude
310–340 m
,
Figs 1, 2
)—a system of nine ponds in the northern suburban part of
Plzeň
, with a history dating back to the 15th century. These are mostly smaller ponds, with exception of the Velký bolevecký pond, which has an area of approximately 53 ha.
Thrypticus
flies were collected during a dedicated inventory (see above) on the banks of four ponds (Velký bolevecký, Kamenný, Senecký and Nováček pond), with
Eleocharis
spp.
(mostly
E. palustris
(Linnaeus))
and/or
Schoenoplectus lacustris
(Linnaeus)
. Most records (five species and the majority of specimens) originate from the Velký bolevecký pond, which has the following characteristics (largely shared by other ponds,
Figs 1, 2
): oligotrophic lake-like pond with limited fish stock, and well-developed macrophyte cover, having shallow littoral and largely sandy banks (
Jůza
et al.
2019
).
The species collected:
Thrypticus bellus
,
T. bolevensis
sp. nov.
,
T. cuneatus
(Becker, 1917)
,
T. divisus
(Strobl, 1880)
,
T. laetus
Verrall, 1912
,
T. nigricauda
Wood, 1913
and
T. pollinosus
Verrall, 1912
.
Soos
(
Bohemia
, National Nature Reserve,
50°08′53″N
12°24′24″E
, altitude
440 m
,
Figs 3, 4
)—protected wetland area with the remains of former volcanic activity, located approximately
6 km
northeast of Františkovy Lázně. A spectacular peatbog site with fens on numerous mineral spring effluents, emanations of pure carbon dioxide in mofettes, saltwater wetlands, and a diatomite shield in its central part (
Horáčková 2012
). The major saline habitats are halophytic common reed stands and salt marsh grasslands, with rare plant species,
e.g.
Glaux maritima
Linnaeus
and
Scorzonera parviflora
Jacquin (
Brabec & Velebil 2019
)
. Of the two major genera of host plants, there are extensive, largely monodominant stands of
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani
whereas
Eleocharis
is also locally abundant, with at least two species,
E. palustris
and
E. uniglumis
(Link)
, see
Brabec & Velebil (2018)
.
The species collected:
Thrypticus bellus
Loew, 1869
,
T. intercedens
Negrobov, 1967
,
T. nigricauda
Wood, 1913
,
T. tarsalis
Parent, 1932
and
T. virescens
Negrobov, 1967
.