Epiphragma (Epiphragma) trichomerum Alexander, 1955

Kato, Daichi, Nakamura, Takeyuki & Tachi, Takuji, 2020, Taxonomic study of the genus Epiphragma of Japan (Diptera: Limoniidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 60 (2), pp. 449-461 : 459-461

Epiphragma (Epiphragma) trichomerum Alexander, 1955

( Figs 37–43 , 47 )

Epiphragma trichomera Alexander, 1955: 286 . Type locality: Japan, Shikoku, Ehime, Mt. Saragamine.

Epiphragma subinsignis (misidentification, non Alexander, 1920): E SΑki (1932: 199).

Epiphragma (Epiphragma) trichomera : SΑ vCΗΕΝkο et al. (1992: 215).

Epiphragma trichomerum : Oο SΤΕ*R*ô*R οΕk (2019).

Type material examined. HοLοΤYΡΕ: ♁ ( USNM), JAPAN: SΗIĸOĸU: Iyo (Ehime), Mount Saragamine, altitude 1200 meters, 25.vii.1953, Kusunoki.

Non-type specimens examined. JAPAN: HOΝ SΗU: 2 ♁♁, Ishikawa, Hakusan-shi, Chugu, 23.vii.2011, T. Nakamura ( SIHU); 1 ♁, Nagano, Ueda-shi, Sugarairakôgen, 14.vii.2012, D. Kato ( BLKU); 2 ♁♁ 2 ♀♀, Tochigi, Kuriyama-mura, Dorobu, 24.vii.1994, T. Nakamura ( SIHU); 1 ♀, Shimotsuke (Tochigi), Kawamata, 23.vii.1923, T. Esaki (specimen identified by C. P. Alexander as E. subinsigis Alexamder, 1920 in 1923 / ELKU); 5 ♁♁, Yamanashi, Sutama-chô, Matsutomi Spa, 16.vii.1997, T. Nakamura ( SIHU); 1 ♁, Yamanashi, Kôshu-shi, Enzankamihagihara, Kaminichikawa-tôge Pass, 8.vii.2014, D. Kato ( BLKU). SΗIĸOĸU: 1♁, Tokushima,Miyoshi-shi, Higashiiya-Ochiai, near Matsuogawa Dam,Alt. 900 m, 10.viii.2015, D. Kato ( BLKU). K Y U SΗU: 1 ♁ 2 ♀♀, Fukuoka, Soeda-machi, Mt. Hiko-san, 17.vii.1992, T. Nakamura ( SIHU); 1 ♁, Fukuoka, Fukuoka-shi, Sawara-ku, Itaya, Mt. Sefuri-san, 3.vii.2015, D. Kato ( BLKU); 1 ♁ 2 ♀♀, same data as previous except 10.vii.2015; 1 ♁ 1 ♀, same data as previous except 24.vii.2015; 1 ♁ 1 ♀, same data as previous except 30.vii.2015; 1 ♁, same data as previous except 14.viii.2015; 1 ♀, Ôita,Yufu-shi, Syonai-chô, Oike Pond, 17.vii.1997, T. Tachi ( SIHU); 1 ♁, Miyazaki, Gokase-cho, Kuraoka, Gokase Ski Area, 28.vi.2015, D. Kato ( BLKU).

Redescription. Male. Body length 7.1–9.2 mm. Wing length 8.3–10.0 mm.

Head brown to dark brown with weak grey pruinescence; vertex with dark central line, strongly widened at middle; antenna with scape and pedicel dark brown to brown; flagellomeres 1–2 yellow, following flagellomeres slightly darkened toward antennal end; palpus and mouth parts dark brown.

Thorax with mesonotum yellowish to brown, darkened at anterior margin, lateral sides; area anterodorsal to prescutal pit with weak grey pruinescence; when viewed dorsally, pruinescence indistinct on anterior half of prescutum; prescutum with four darker stripes, sometimes weakened and extending anteriorly to middle of prescutum; postsutural area largely darkened at middle; mediotergite brown with V-shaped lighter area; pleuron dark brown, mottled with darker areas and grey pruinescence. Legs with coxae and trochanters brown, fore coxa with dark area at middle, mid and hind coxae with dark area on lower half; femora, tibiae and tarsi yellow to yellowish brown; each femur with brown band near tip, 0.5–1.5 times as long as width of femur. Wing ( Fig. 38 ) 3.3–3.6 times as long as wide, greyish subhyaline with dark brown markings of even colouration; markings interrupted transversely at basal 1/2 and/or 3/4 of wing, three sections of markings sometimes partly fused; circular marking enclosing base of Rs with distinct marking inside it; markings at both sides of inner and outer ends of cell d with small subhyaline areas; cell d with three subhyaline areas; cell sc often with small subhyaline spot at distal end; spots at tips of veins near wing tip usually fused at bases with adjacent ones; variation of development of wing marking large in same locality. Halter dusky yellow with dark band at base of knob.

Abdomen dark brown, with weak grey pruinescence, denser at posterior margin of each segment; sternites slightly paler than tergites, each segment darkened along lateral margins; sternite 8 dark brown. Male genitalia ( Fig. 39 ) with tergite 9 bearing pair of small rounded median lobes at posterior margin; sternite 9 flattened, without tubercle, middle of posterior margin concaved into U-shape; gonostyli large, about 1/2 length of gonocoxite; interbase ( Fig. 40 ) with long and S-shaped rod, extending beyond tip of aedeagus and reaching tip of gonocoxite; base of interbase much shorter than rod.

Female. Body length 8.2–11.1 mm. Wing length 8.0– 9.8 mm. Generally resembling male except for terminalia.

Ovipositor with sternite 8 ( Fig. 41 ) with linear apodeme on lateral side of posterior half; when viewed ventrally, length of sternite 8 excluding hypogynial valve usually slightly shorter than wide; sternite 8 with largely pale area near posterior corner, along longitudinal central line, and lateral to linear apodeme, markings sometimes variously weakened; furca ( Fig. 42 ) with anterior part largely widened and membranous, boundary of sclerite indistinct; sternite 10 ( Fig. 43 ) with two low projections at anterior margin and three projections at posterior margin, middle lobes on anterior and posteror sides obscure.

Distribution. Japan (Honshu; Shikoku; Kyushu) ( Fig. 47 ).

Remarks. This species is similar to Epiphragma evanescens Alexander, 1940 , which was described based only from females, but is differentiated from it by having the furca of ovipositor wide and membranous on anterior end (long rectangular and sclerotized on anterior part in E. evanescens ). Epiphragma evanescens was described from three female specimens from China (holotype) and Japan (paratypes).As a result of examining these type specimens, it was discovered that the paratypes were the females of E. trichomerum Alexander, 1955 . Moreover, we found that Alexander had mistakenly treated a male specimen of E. gracilistylus Alexander, 1933 from Japan as that of E. evanescens . Records of Epiphragma evanescens from Japan are based on misidentifications, and accordingly we remove this species from the Japanese fauna in this paper.

Figures

Figs 37–43. Epiphragma trichomerum Alexander, 1955. 37 – habitus (male); 38 – wings (upper one with less developed wing marking, lower one with well-developed wing marking); 39 – male genitalia in dorsal view; 40 – interbase in dorsal view; 41 – female abdominal sternite 8 and hypogynial valve in ventral view; 42 – furca in dorsal view; 43 – female abdominal sternite 10 in ventral view. Scale bars = 5 mm (37), 2 mm (38), 0.25 mm (39–43).

Figs 44–47. Distributions of Epiphragma species in Japan. 44 – E. gracilistylus Alexander, 1933; 45 – E. amamiense sp. nov. (blue) and E. subfascipenne Alexander, 1920 (red); 46 – E. kempi (blue) and E. subinsigne Alexander, 1920 (red); 47 – E. trichomerum Alexander, 1955.