Hydrotaea meteorica Linnaeus, 1758

Vikhrev, Nikita E., 2023, Review of the Hydrotaea meteorica group (Diptera, Muscidae), Amurian Zoological Journal XV (4), pp. 838-846 : 841-843

Hydrotaea meteorica Linnaeus, 1758 Fig. 1

Hydrotaea constans Harris, 1780

Material examined: ARMENIA, Arzakan (40.45 ° N, 44.60 ° E), 1.08.1969, V. Rikhter, 1♂ ( ZIN) ; BELARUS: Gomel, Minsk and Vitebsk Regions ( Makovetskaya, Vikhrev 2020) .

GEORGIA, Tbilisi, Tskneti (41.7 ° N, 44.7 ° E), 4– 8.06.1979, G. Veselkin, 1♂ . KYRGYZSTAN, Jalal-Abad Reg., Lake Sary-Chelek (41.90 ° N, 71.95 ° E), 29.05.1952, A. Zhelokhovtsev, 1♂ . RUSSIA: Altai Rep . Reg., Chulyshman R. (51.35 ° N, 87.75 ° E), 19.07.1970, V. Sychevskaya, 1♂ ; Amur Reg.: Zeya env., 53.7 ° N, 127.3 ° E, 29.06.1981, A. Shatalkin, 1♂ ; Yukhta , 51.5 ° N, 128.2 ° E, 27.07.1979, G. Veselkin, 1♂ ; Bashkortostan Reg., Muldashevo env., 54.82 ° N, 59.77 ° E, 9.07.2021, O. Kosterin, 1♂ ; Buryatia Reg.: Tunka env., 51.7 ° N, 102.6 ° E, 750 m asl, 7– 11.06.2021, N. Vikhrev, 4♂ ; E of Tory , 51.8 ° N, 103.2 ° E, 660 m, 12.06.2021, N. Vikhrev, 1♂ ; Arshan env., 51.927 ° N, 102.435 ° E, 1200 m, 16.06.2021, E. Makovetskaya, 11♂ ; Ulan-Ude env., Tataurovo (52.14 ° N, 107.44 ° E), 10.06.1977, G. Veselkin, 1♂ ; Irkutsk Reg., Slyudyanka , 51.68 ° N, 103.69 ° E, 480 m, 12– 14.06.2021, N. Vikhrev, 1♂ ; 28– 29.06.2021, E. Makovetskaya, 10♂; Ust-Kut (56.8 ° N, 105.8 ° E), 25.07.1979, G. Veselkin, 1♂ ; Khakasia Reg.: Abakan , park, 53.74 ° N, 91.41 ° E, 16.07.2017, N. Vikhrev, 1♂ ; Shira env., 54.5 ° N, 90.1 ° E, 21– 27.06.2011, K. Tomkovich, 2♂ ; Krasnodar Reg., Dakhovskaya env., 44.20 ° N, 40.17 ° E, 29– 30.06.2009, K. Tomkovich, 2♂ ; Krasnoyarsk Reg., Novochernorechenskiy env., 56.27 ° N, 91.12 ° E, 16.06.2011, K. Tomkovich, 2♂ ; Mordovia (Vikhrev et al. 2020); Moscow Reg. , 10 km W of Ruza, 55.66 ° N, 36.05 ° E, 1– 10.08.2016, E. Erofeeva, 2♂ ; 1– 11.06.2017, 2♂; Kostino env. (56.31 ° N, 37.75 ° E), 22– 23.05.2010, N. Vikhrev, 1♂, 3♀ ; Novosibirsk Reg. , Ob’ R. right oxbow, 54.86 ° N, 83.04 ° E, 16.06.2016, O. Kosterin, 1♂ ; Primorsky Reg., Andreevka env, 42.7 ° N, 131.1 ° E, 25– 30.06.2014, N. Vikhrev, 1♂ ; Suputinsky (presently Ussuriysky) Nat. Reserve (≈ 43.6 ° N, 132.3 ° E), 20.07.1968, Kandybina, 1♂ ( ZIN) ; Stavropol Reg., Essentuki env. (44.0 ° N, 42.8 ° E), 10.05.1979, G. Veselkin, 4♂ ; Tomsk Reg., Bachkar (57.02 ° N, 82.1 ° E), 9.07.1972, P. Polyakova, 4♂ ; Tuva Reg. , Uyuk R., 800 m, 52.07 ° N, 94.04 ° E, 27.05.2018, N. Vikhrev, 1♂ ; Saint Petersburg Reg., Yukki (60.11 ° N, 30.28 ° E), 18.07– 16.08.1933, A. Stackelberg, 3♂ ( ZIN) . TAJIKISTAN, Dushanbe Reg., Gissar Range, Varzob gorge, Takob biostation, 38.835 ° N, 68.964 ° E, 2000 m, 2– 4.06.2010, K. Tomkovich, 1♂ . TURKEY, Nevshehir Reg. , 38.594 ° N, 35.024 ° E, 1250 m, 18.04.2010, N. Vikhrev, 3♂, 2♀ .

Distribution. Widespread in Holarctic and north of the Oriental regions. I suppose that the species was introduced to North America only 200–300 years ago. When entomologists began to study regional faunas in the 19th and 20th centuries, many species associated with cattle had already been introduced to many remote localities.

Discussion. In most species of Hydrotaea , the male genitalia are uniform and useless for identification. Instead, almost all males of Hydrotaea have modified setae or setulae on the mid- and hind legs. There are only few examples of absence of such modifications. A lot of species of Hydrotaea which have the same modifications (a strong character) and differ by weak characters only were found belonging to the same species and synonymysed, but H. meteorica , H. cinerea and H. cilifemorata are still considered as valid species. The best recommendations how to divide H. meteorica and H. cinerea were given by D’Assis-Fonseca (1968: 30–31); Emden (1965: 315–317) gave detailed diagnosis for H. cilifemorata . The diagnostic characters are summarised in Table 1.

On the one hand, the considered species fit the criterion I proposed above: there are several independent diagnostic characters, though weak ones. On the other hand, these characters vary widely and gradually. They usually allow the identification of Eastern European specimens, but it is often difficult to apply them to specimens from East Asia. Two examples are given below.

THAILAND, Chantaburi province, Khao Khitchakut National Park, 12.82 ° N, 102.13 ° E, 3– 6.12. 2011, N. Vikhrev, 1♂. This specimen has the ventral setulae on f3 medium long and notopleuron without hairs near posterior seta as in H. cinerea , but the ventral spines on f2 weak; the scutum and abdomen undusted; the knob of halter and calypters brown as in H. cilifemorata .

RUSSIA, Primorsky Reg., Anisimovka env., 43.13 ° N, 132.80 ° E, 450 m, 21– 24.07.2018, N. Vikhrev, 2♂. These specimens have the ventral setulae on f3 medium long and the notopleuron without hairs near posterior

Table 1

Diagnostic characters to divide H. meteorica , H. cinerea and H. cilifemorata

ТабΛица 1

Àиагностические признаки ΑΛя разΑеΛения H. meteorica , H. cinerea and H. cilifemorata seta as in H. cinerea , but the scutum and abdomen undusted; the knob of halter and calypters brown as in H. meteorica .

H. cilifemorata might be considered as a North Indian subspecies of H. meteorica , but H. cinerea can not be a subspecies because it has the same wide trans-Palaearcic distribution as H. meteorica .

Personally I believe that these forms represent intraspecific variability of the widespread and common, cattle secretophagous H. meteorica . However, in order to avoid possible disagreements between Muscidae experts, I still consider here H. meteorica , H. cinerea and H. cilifemorata as valid species. I hope that molecular data will clarify the situation.