Simulium (Simulium) ornatum Meigen, 1818

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 : 930-931

20. Simulium (Simulium) ornatum Meigen (complex)

Spain references: Grenier and Bertrand (1954: 453), Carlsson (1969, in part), Beaucournu- Saguez (1975a, 1975b), GonzaÂlez PenÄa (1985), GonzaÂlez PenÄa (1990), VincËon and Clergue-Gazeau (1993), GonzaÂlez (1997).

Andalusia records

Authors’ material. Site 1: 5 pupae, 56 larvae. Site 17: 36 pupae, 36 larvae. Site 21: 1 (l 1). Site 25: 1 (l1), 2 pupae, 2 larvae. Site 27: 17 larvae. Site 60: 1m (1), 6 larvae (7.iv.1994). Site 91: 2 (l 1), 1m (1), 5 pupae, 34 larvae. Site 92: 10 larvae. Site 102: 1 (l 1), 26 pupae, 61 larvae. Site 115: 1 (l 1), 11 pupae, 5 larvae. Site 133: 1m (1), 1 pupa.

FIGS 30±37. Discriminating and overlappingly variable characters in species of the Simulium (Simulium) ornatum species-group occurring in Andalusia. (30±33) S. (S.) intermedium : (30, 31) pupal gills with typically very short lowermost common stalk (specimens from Sites 83 and 7, respectively); (32) pupal gill with long lowermost common stalk (specimen from Site 83, same as gill shown in ®gure 30); (33) lventral plate in pro®le. (34±37) S. (S.) ornatum complex: (34, 35) pupal gills with typically long lowermost common stalk (specimens from Sites 115 and 117, respectively); (36) pupal gill with very short lowermost common stalk (specimen from Site 56); (37) lventral plate in pro®le. Abbreviations: bp, beak-like process; dc, dentate crest.

Other specimens seen. Granada: 1, l Torreneuva, E of Motril, 0±50 m [VF56], 17.iv.1966, 1m, Orgiva, RõÂo Guadalfeo, 300 m [VF68], 2.iv.1966, 1m, Sierra de Contraviesa , 5 km SE of Orgiva, 500 m [VF67], 18.iv.1966, 1m, Barranco de Miranda, 8 km SW of Orgiva, 300 m [VF57], 16.iv.1966, 1m, Barranco de Algarrobo, 12 km SW of Orgiva, 25.iv.1966 (all Lyneborg and Langemark) (ZMC) [ ornata in Carlsson, 1969, but Algarrobo specimen has Carlsson’s label as `Odagmia nitidifrons ’, misidenti®cation].

Previous reports. Granada: Pinos-Genil, cement channel near El Blanqueo [VG51] (ref. Beaucournu-Saguez, 1975a); Sierra Nevada, RõÂo Monachil [VG60] and Sierra de Sagra , a‚uent of RõÂo Bravatas [WH40] and RõÂo Raigadas [WH30] (ref. VincËon and Clergue-Gazeau, 1993). JaeÂn: channel 19 km S of JaeÂn [VG47] (ref. Beaucournu-Saguez, 1975a); Sierra de Almaden, RõÂo Fuenmayor [VG57] (ref. VincËon and Clergue-Gazeau, 1993). (Also Carlsson, 1969: see data for specimens seen.)

Remarks

Characters by which S. ornatum s.l. is diOEerentiated morphologically from S. intermedium are given above under that species. The primary one is the pale grey pollinose frons of the female which contrasts with the dark shiny frons of the female of intermedium , but we have identi®ed ornatum -group material as ornatum s.l. when we have no reared females provided the characters of reared males and pupae leave little doubt that identi®cation as ornatum complex is correct. Cytologically S. ornatum is a complex of cytoforms which may or may not represent distinct species and which have yet to be linked to hard-parts morphological diOEerences, assuming these exist. Chromosomal studies have yet to be made on Iberian populations but it is highly probable that two or more sibling species of the complex exist in Spain. Our material exhibits variability in gill-branch con®guration suggestive of at least two species, though we have found no evidence for this on the basis of the genitalia from reared and pharate males. Examples of three conspicuously diOEerent pupal gills can be seen in ®gures 34±36, based on specimens from diOEerent parts of Andalusia: RõÂo Turillo, JaeÂn Province, WG0275 (®gure 34), Arroyo de la Hoya de Ahojiz, near Algericas, CaÂdiz Province, TF6810 (®gure 35), and RõÂo Laroles, Alpujarras, Granada Province, VF9991 (®gure 36). Pupae with gills having widely splayed ®laments on almost equally long common stalks, exactly like the gill shown in ®gure 38 have also been collected from the upper RõÂo Guadalmena near Villapalacios in Albacete Province (Castile-La Mancha Region), and there seems no doubt that these specimens at least are conspeci®c with those from the Turillo river.

Sympatry of S. ornatum s.l. and S. intermedium is uncommon in the Iberian peninsula. In our Andalusian material ornatum was present in only 8% of sampling sites (11 out of 137) compared to intermedium at 55% of sites and only at four sites were both species present simultaneously. Findings from Santos GraÂcio’s (1985) surveys in Portugal were very similar, namely S. intermedium present at 57% and S. ornatum at 13.5% of the sampled sites.