Eloeophila persalsa ( Alexander, 1940 )

Kato, Daichi, 2021, Taxonomic study of the genus Eloeophila Rondani, 1856 of Japan (Limoniidae Diptera), Zootaxa 4995 (3), pp. 425-451 : 440-441

Eloeophila persalsa ( Alexander, 1940)

( Figs 9A–G , 13D )

Limnophila (Eloeophila) persalsa Alexander, 1940: 46 .

Type locality: North Korea, Seren Mountains .

Limnophila (Eloeophila) hidana Alexander, 1970: 71 . Syn. nov.

Type locality: Japan, Honshu, Gifu, Mt. Ontake-san .

Eloeophila (s.str.) persalsa: Savchenko & Krivolutskaya (1976: 62) .

Eloeophila persalsa: Podenas et al. (2020: 515) ; Oosterbroek (2021).

Eloeophila hidana: Nakamura (2014: 12) ; Oosterbroek (2021).

Material examined. HOLOTYPE female, JAPAN, Honshu, Hida (Gifu), Ontake , 27.VII.1959, Mishima ( E. hidana / USNM) . PARATYPES: NORTH KOREA: 1 male, Seren Mts. , 3000 feet, 5.VII.1938, Yankovsky ( E. persalsa / USNM) ; 1 male, same data as previous except 3700 feet, 30.VI.1938 . Non-type material: JAPAN: [Honshu] 2 males, Nagano, Sakae-mura, Sakai, Koakazawa-gawa River , Alt. 1320–1500 m, 9.VII.2019 , D. Kato ( BLKU); 2 females, same data as previous except 23.VII.2019 .

Short description. General coloration ocherous to brown ( Fig. 9A ). Head. Grey to dark grey. Antenna about 2.5 times as long as head. Scape dark grey. Succeeding segments pale brown.

Thorax. Unmarked, sometimes weakly greyish. Wing ( Fig. 9B ) tinged with pale brown, sparsely patterned with dark brown: costal region with seven dark spots; tips of most veins at wing margin and all crossveins each with dark spot or seam. Legs mainly yellow; each femur with dark tip, about three times as long as wide. Halter pale yellow.

Abdomen. Pregenital segments weakly dark on posterior part of each segment. Male terminalia ( Figs 9C–G ) with outer gonostylus bearing small apical claw-shaped lobe directed medially; outer margin serrate on distal 1/3; inner margin on apical part rounded and serrate ( Fig. 9D ). Paramere with mesal-apical lobe flat and wide, about 1.5 times as long as wide and slightly longer than lateral lobe, rounded and broad on distal part ( Fig. 9G ). Aedeagus almost straight, about six times as long as wide in lateral view ( Fig. 9E ). Apodeme of vesica indistinct ( Fig. 9E ).

Measurements. Male (n = 4): body length: 5.5–7.5 mm; wing length: 6.5–8.0 mm. Female (n = 3): body length: 7.0– 7.7 mm; wing length: 7.5–8.8 mm.

Distribution. Japan (Honshu), Kuril Islands (Kunashir and Shikotan Is) ( Fig. 13D ), Russia, North Korea, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.

Remarks. This species is very similar to a Japanese species, E. hidana , whose male was unknown. As a result of examining the males, E. hidana is considered to be a synonym of E. persalsa , based on the structure of male terminalia. In terms of general appearance, E. persalsa is somewhat similar to E. subaprilina , but is differentiated from it by the following characters: notum and pleuron unmarked or almost so (distinctly patterned with dark markings in E. subaprilina ); wing with one dark spot on distal part of A 1 ( Fig. 9B ) (two dark spots in E. subaprilina ( Fig. 10B )); knob of halter pale yellow (dark brown in E. subaprilina ); outer gonostylus without lobe besides apical lobe ( Fig. 9D ) (with small lobe at outer margin near tip besides apical lobe in E. subaprilina ( Fig. 10D )).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Eloeophila persalsa (Alexander, 1940). A. habitus, lateral view; B. wing; C. male terminalia, dorsal view; D. outer gonostylus, ventral view; E. aedeagal complex, dorsal view; F. same, lateral view (left = dorsal); G. paramere, dorsal surface. Scale bars: A–B, 2 mm; C–G, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 10. Eloeophila subaprilina (Alexander, 1919). A. habitus, lateral view; B. wing; C. male terminalia, dorsal view; D. outer gonostylus, ventral view; E. aedeagal complex, dorsal view; F. same, lateral view (left = dorsal); G. paramere, dorsal surface. Scale bars: A–B, 2 mm; C–G, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 13. Distributions of Japanese species of Eloeophila. A. E. amamiana (red); E. apicisetula Kato, sp. nov. (blue); B. E. canidorsalis Kato, sp. nov. (red); E. dietziana (blue); C. E. enischnophallus Kato, sp. nov. (red); E. kintaro (blue); E. tergilobellus Kato, sp. nov. (green); D. E. hadrophallus Kato, sp. nov. (red); E. lilliputina (blue); E. persalsa (green); E. E. subaprilina (red); F. E. ussuriana iwatensis (red); E. verrucosa (blue).