Hebecnema umbratica (Meigen)

Michelsen, Verner, 2019, Macaronesian Muscidae (Diptera). I. The genus Hebecnema Schnabl with description of a new Canarian endemic species and a review of the European fauna, Zootaxa 4706 (2), pp. 332-348 : 338-339

Hebecnema umbratica (Meigen)

( Figs 4 A‒D, 8A, B)

Material examined. [ NHMD]: Large sample of males and females from: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France ( Corsica), Greece, Hungary, Italy (Sicily), Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Also from: India (Kashmir), Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.

Diagnosis. Parafacials whitish pruinose in anterodorsal view. Thorax and abdomen greyish pruinose; female mesonotum with four distinct dark stripes in posterior view; male abdomen grey pruinose with a narrow median dark stripe on tergites III‒V, sometimes only on tergite III; female abdomen grey pruinose with dark reflections and a blurred median dark stripe. Male wing and calypteres with brown clouding of varying intensity. Halter yellow. Legs wholly brownish black. Male eye with pile moderately dense and long; female eye with very short, not always very distinct pile. Male head in profile with parafacial fully visible behind the eye in profile view. Distance between presutural rows of fine acrostichal setae slightly larger than their distance to adjacent rows of dorsocentral setae; setulae between acrostichal rows arranged in two or three irregular rows. Vein C bare on dorsal surface. Hind tibia with 1‒2 av setae. Male sternite V, surstylus and cerci ( Figs 4 A‒D) closely similar to those parts in H. fumosa ( Figs 3 A‒D). Ovipositor ( Figs 8A, B ).

Remarks. The present species belongs to the Hebecnema umbratica species group. It is evidently most closely related to H. fumosa as judged from the practically identical male terminalia. It is on average smaller, with a wing length rarely reaching 5.3 mm. The white shine on the parafacials and uniformly brownish black legs separate both sexes from H. fumosa .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Hebecnema fumosa (Meigen). Male terminalia. A, B. Sternite V in ventral and lateral views. C, D. Cerci, surstyli and epandrium in posterior and lateral views.

FIGURE 4. Hebecnema umbratica (Meigen). Male terminalia. A, B. Sternite V in ventral and lateral views. C, D. Cerci, surstyli and epandrium in posterior and lateral views.

FIGURE 8. Hebecnema spp. Ovipositor, left half only, except for sternites VI and VII. A, B. H. umbratica (Meigen). C. H. anthracinella sp. nov. Abbreviations: Ce = cercus; Ep = epiproct; Hy = hypoproct; St = sternite; T = tergite.