Limonia macrostigma ( Schummel, 1829 )

Podenas, Sigitas & Podeniene, Virginija, 2017, Limonia crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) of Korea, Zootaxa 4231 (1), pp. 1-37 : 16-20

Limonia macrostigma ( Schummel, 1829)

( Figs. 24–36 )

Limonia venerabilis Alexander, 1938: 134 ;

Limonia macrostigma Savchenko, 1985: 167 ; 1989: 333.

Examined material: Holotype of Limonia venerabilis , male (genitalia, wing and leg slide mounted), N. Corea, Ompo, 600’, VI–23, ’37 [1937], A. Yankovsky; metatype of L. venerabilis , male (genitalia, wing and leg slide mounted), No . Korea, Seren Mts. , 3000’, VI–22, ’38 [1938], A. Yankovsky ; 6 males, 1 female (pinned and slidemounted), North Korea, Seren Mts. , altitudes from 2000 to 3500 ft., from June 12 to July 3, 1938, Yankovsky ( USNM).

Savchenko (1985) proposed, that L. venerabilis Alexander, 1938 could be a synonym of L. macrostigma . Based on that, L. macrostigma was listed for the North Korea ( Savchenko, 1989; Oosterbroek, 2016).

Adult ( Fig. 24 ). General body coloration brown. Male body length 6.7–7.4 mm, that of female 8.5 mm, wing length of male 8.9–10.3 mm, that of female 10.7 mm. Wing extends distinctly beyond tip of abdomen in both sexes.

Head. Brownish gray. Male antenna 1.75–1.85 mm long, that of female 1.95 mm, 14-segmented. Antenna dark brown. Scape elongate, nearly cylindrical, pedicel short, oval. Basal flagellomeres oval, distal flagellomeres elongate, nearly cylindrical. Verticils twice as long as respective segments. Rostrum and palpus dark brown.

Thorax. Cervical sclerite dark brown. Pronotum dark brown dorsally, somewhat lighter laterally. Mesonotal prescutum yellowish-reddish brown, with three wide dark brown longitudinal stripes and widely dark brown fronto-lateral margins. Median stripe sometimes posteriorly with narrow yellowish vitta. Some specimens with stripes reaching one another, thus nearly whole sclerite completely dark brown. Scutal lobe dark brown with pale median margin. Scutellum sometimes yellowish. Mediotergite dark brown. Pleuron generally dark brown, margins of sclerites yellowish. Wing ( Fig. 25 ) brownish with distinct brown stigma and without any dark markings. Veins brown. Venation: Sc1 short, reaching to about one third of Rs, Sc2 slightly beyond tip of Sc1. Rs long, slightly arcuate. Basal deflection of CuA1 before branching point of M. Halter 1.6–1.9 mm long in male, 1.7 mm in female, dark brown with pale yellow base. Frontal coxa dark brown with reddish brown distal part, second and third pairs yellow, patterned with brown. Trochanters yellow. Femur brownish yellow with yellowish base and wide dark brown subapical ring. Tibia yellowish brown. Tarsus dark brown. Male femur I: 5.1–5.3 mm long, II: 6.2–6.6 mm, III: 6.2–6.9 mm; tibia I: 6.8–6.9 mm, II: 6.0– 6.7 mm, III: 6.5–7.3 mm; tarsus I: 6.4–6.9 mm, II: 4.9–6.6 mm, III: 5.4–6.5 mm long.

Abdomen. Dark brown. Distal margins of tergites brownish yellow. Proximal sternites brownish-yellow in male, female sternites usually entirely yellow. Male genitalia ( Fig. 26 ) light brown. Ninth tergum with shallow emargination at posterior margin. Gonocoxite with large setose ventromesal lobe. Gonostylus elongate, setose, widened at base, distal part turns narrower towards apex, slightly arcuate. Paramere wide at base, distal part long and slender with blackened apex. Penis comparatively long, reaching distinctly beyond distal margin of gonocoxite. Ovipositor ( Fig. 27 ) brownish yellow with dark brown subbasal spots. Cercus narrow and slightly arched, blunt-apexed.

Larva. Length 17–19 mm. Abdominal segments II–VII with dorsal and ventral creeping welts, first abdominal segment with ventral creeping welt only. Creeping welts with brown spines, arranged into longitudinal rows. First thoracic and abdominal segments II–VIII wider than longer. Second and third thoracic and first abdominal segments very short.

Head capsule. Oval in shape, depressed dorsoventrally and slightly reduced, dorsal suture reaches only one third of head capsule lenght ( Figs. 28, 29 ). Labrum elongate-oval with numerous sensory structures: long seta in the middle of anterior part, small papilla and long seta next to it; sensory circle area with three sensory papilae inside it and two separate sensory pits located nearby posterio-lateral side of labrum ( Fig. 30 ). Clypeus distinctly divided from labrum, consisting of sclerotised narrow postclypeus and membranous wide preclypeus (preclypeus with anterio-lateral projection). A long seta located nearby anterio-lateral side of clypeus. Frons separated from clypeus and fused with internolateralia, wide, T-shaped. Three sensory pits and long seta near the base of antenna. Five sensory pits below the base of antenna. Caudal end of head capsule tridentate. Basal segment of antenna cylindrical, more than three times as long as wide, with few very short sensory structures apically. Apical segment short, button-shaped. Sensory pit located at one third of basal segment‘s length. Mandible conus-shaped, with three large similar in shape and size apical teeth ( Fig. 31 ), three smaller triangular teeth on ventral side and small blunt tooth on dorsal side. Maxilla well developed ( Fig. 29 ); stipes and galea large and similar in size. Stipes: apical part with short setae; button shaped apical papilla with sensory structures on the apex. Galea: basal part sclerotised; sensory papilla on inner margin of ventral sclerite; apical part covered with short setae, large sensory papilla (with small sensory structures inside) on apical part. Cardo large, wedge shaped; large pore located near inner margin and two setae (one short and one long) near outer margin of sclerite. Hypopharynx and prementum dentated. Hypostoma bears 9 teeth, middle tooth most prominent ( Fig. 32 ).

Anal division. Spiracular lobes reduced. Spiracular field trapezoidal and fringed with short firm setae ( Fig. 33 ), it bears two pairs of sclerites (dorsal and ventral). Dorsal sclerite elongated, extending to and encircling spiracle, heavily sclerotised. Three setae located on dorsal margin of spiracular field. Ventral sclerite large, triangularly shaped, heavily sclerotised. It bears two short setae apically. Spiracle oblong and placed obliquely. Anal field consists of two pairs of white, blunt anal papillae.

Pupa. Male 9.1–9.8 mm, female 10.8–11.9 mm long. Abdomen yellowish brown. Head, thorax, wings, legs and terminal segment darker than the rest of the body. Head with cephalic crest absent. Surface smooth. Antennal sheaths short, only slightly extending beyond base of wing. Thorax: pronotal horns flattened, horn twice as long as wide ( Fig. 34 ). Dorsum of thorax smooth. Abdomen: segments III–VII with dorsal and ventral creeping welts. Surface of abdominal segments smooth. Male terminalia with short anterior and posterios spines, dorsum of terminal segment with additional large finger-shaped outgroove ( Fig. 35 ). Female terminalia elongate, sheaths of cerci longer than valves ( Fig. 36 ). Cercus bears small apical spine. Dorsum of terminal segment with additional large finger-shaped outgroove.

Elevation range in Korea. Adults were collected at altitudes from 600 m to more than 900 m.

Period of activity. Adults are active and on the wing from the middle of June through the middle of July.

Habitat. It is most abundant in moist habitats, especially forested areas, near water bodies, but could be found also in wet meadows and swamps. Larvae and pupae develop in leaf litter and rotten wood.

General distribution. Widely distributed in the whole Palearctic and Oriental Regions.

Discussion. No differences between L. macrostigma ( Schummel, 1829) and the holotype of L. venerabilis ( Alexander, 1938) were found. Thus L. venerabilis is confirmed as a junior synonym of L. macrostigma , as it was suggested by Savchenko (1985), but synonymy was not certain at that time, because Savchenko was unable to study the type of L. venerabilis .

Figures

FIGURES 24 – 27. Limonia macrostigma. 24: male, general view; 25: wing; 26: male genitalia, dorsal view; 27: ovipositor, lateral view.

FIGURES 28 – 36. Limonia macrostigma. 28: head capsule of last instar larva, general view, dorsal aspect; 29: head capsule of last instar larva, general view, ventral aspect; 30: clypeus and labrum, dorsal view; 31: left mandible, dorsal view; 32: hypostoma, ventral view; 33: spiracular field; 34: pronotal horn of pupa, lateral view; 35: male pupa terminalia, lateral view; 33: female pupa terminalia, lateral view. 28 – 33 after Lindner, 1959; 34 – 36 after Brindle, 1967.