Simulium (Simulium) bezzii (Corti)

Crosskey, Roger W. & Crosskey, Margaret E., 2000, An investigation of the black ¯ y fauna of Andalusia, southern Spain (Diptera: Simuliidae), Journal of Natural History 34 (6), pp. 895-951 : 927

18. Simulium (Simulium) bezzii (Corti)

Spain references: Edwards (1933), Grenier and Theodorides (1953, Spain listed without locality), Grenier and Bertrand (1954), Carlsson (1969, as Tetisimulium bezzii and Odagmia sp. ), Beaucournu-Saguez (1975b), GonzaÂlez PenÄa (1985), GonzaÂlez PenÄa et al. (1986, as S. (Tetisimulium) bezzii ), GonzaÂlez PenÄa (1990, as S. (Tetisimulium) bezzii ), VincËon and Clergue-Gazeau (1993, as S. (Tetisimulium) bezzii ), GonzaÂlez (1997, as S. (Tetisimulium) bezzii ).

Andalusia records

Authors’ material. Site 69: 1 (l 1) (genitalia on slide). Site 127: 1 pupa.

Other specimens seen. Granada: 1m (1) , Granada, 700 m [ VG41 ], 14.vii.1960 (Vockeroth) ( CNC); 1, l 1m , Barranco de Miranda , 8 km SW of Orgiva, 300 m [VF57], 20.iv.1966 (Lyneborg and Langemark) ( ZMC) [las bezzii but m listed as `Odagmia sp.’ in Carlsson , 1969]; 1m , Barranco de Algarrobo , 12 km SW of Orgiva, 300 m [VF57], 25.iv.1966, 1m, Sierra de Contraviesa , 5 km SE of Orgiva , 500 m [VF67], 18.iv.1966, and 2m, Orgiva , RõÂo Guadalfeo, 300 m [VF68], 3 and 18.iv.1966 (all Lyneborg & Langemark) ( ZMC, except one m from Orgiva in BMNH) [all as `Odagmia sp.’ in Carlsson, 1969]. [Note. Carlsson’s labels on these four females read `Odagmia ornata ’ on two of the specimens and `Odagmia sp.’ on the other two, both misidenti®cations.]

Previous reports. CoÂrdoba: RõÂo Yeguas (UH95336 2) (refs GonzaÂlez PenÄa et al., 1986; GonzaÂlez PenÄa, 1990). Granada: Sierra Nevada, R. TreveÂlez, 1500 m [VF79] (ref. VincËon and Clergue-Gazeau, 1993). (Also Carlsson, 1969: see data for specimens seen.)

Remarks

Though widely distributed in mountain regions of southern Europe, Morocco and Algeria, and some Mediterranean islands ( Corsica, Crete, Rhodes, Sardinia) this species is uncommon in Andalusia and still unrecorded from Portugal. The adult females are easily distinguished from all other species in Andalusia by a characteristic pattern of three broad dark vittae on a paler greyish background. The pupa is recognized by combination of fenestrate cocoon (®gure 41) and the gill in which six ®laments arise in pairs from three extremely short or virtually absent common stalks (®gure 40). Simulium bezzii is type species of Tetisimulium Rubtsov , a nominal taxon until recently treated by most authors as a valid subgenus in Simulium s.l. However, apart from the slightly unusual patterning of the female scutum there are no satisfactory characters that warrant separate subgeneric rank for S. bezzii and its allies and, following Crosskey et al. (1996) and Crosskey and Howard (1997), we place the species in Simulium bezzii species-group of Simulium s. str.