Afrolimnophila erhanae, Starý & Kolcsár, 2021

Starý, Jaroslav & Kolcsár, Levente-Péter, 2021, A new Afrolimnophila Alexander from Europe (Diptera: Limoniidae), Zootaxa 5072 (1), pp. 95-100 : 96-99

Afrolimnophila erhanae sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 , 5–7 , 11, 12 )

Diagnosis. Small species within Limnophilinae. Body colouration in general greyish brown, with darker areas, especially on pleuron. Wing venation with supernumerary m-cu. Wing pattern consisting of dark spots and seams on/along all branching points of veins and their tips, except of R 5. Male terminalia with outer gonostylus rather broad, parallel-sided, tapered abruptly into pointed tip shortly before apex. Wing length 4.5–7.1 mm.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♂ ( SMOC), GREECE: NW PELOPONNESE: Kiparissi, 0.4 km E, marsh nr. Parapiros river , 38° 00’ N 21° 46‘ E (350 m), 27.v.2015 (J. Starý leg.), labelled “GREECE 27.v.2015 / NW Peloponnese, Kiparissi / 0.4 km E, marsh nr. Parapiros river, / 38°00’ N 21° 46’ E / J.Starý (350 m)” [printed white label] // “ HOLOTYPE / Afrolimnophila / erhanae sp. nov. ♂ / J. Starý & L.-P. Kolcsár 2021 [printed red label]. The specimen is dried, pinned, with all three left legs missing, otherwise well preserved. Apex of abdomen cut off, terminalia dissected and placed in a sealed plastic tube with glycerine, pinned with the specimen. PARATYPES: GREECE: THESSALIA: Agiocampos , 2 km SW, 8.vi.1994, 1 ♂ (J. Martinovský leg.) . EPIRUS: Parga, Olive groves, 39°17’ N 20°25’ E, 7-13.v.1972, 1 ♂ [ BM 1972-440 ] (A.E. Stubbs leg.) ( BMNH) . NW PELONNESE: Vithoulkas (nr. Petrochori ), 0.6- 1 km W, brook, 38° 04’ N 21° 33’ E (200-250 m), 25.v.2015, 1 ♂ ( CKLP) ; Kiparissi, 0.4 km E, marsh nr. Parapiros river , 38° 00’ N 21° 46’ E (350 m), 27.v.2015, 2 ♂ (all J. Starý leg.) . ITALY: CUNEO: Saluzzo, Cascinasse, loc. Fosso Risagna (270 m), 23.ix.2005 1 ♂ (G.B. Delmastro & M. Evangelista leg.) ; Fossano, loc. Castella della Nebia, Tor. Veglia (280 m), 5.ix.2005, 1 ♂ (G.B. Delmastro leg.) . TORINO: Quassolo, lungo la strada per fraz. Preja (400 m), 16.viii.2004, 3 ♂ (G.B. Delmastro leg.) . CALABRIA: Filogaso, 2.9 km NE, Spring areas, brook, 38° 42‘ 00‘‘ N 16° 15‘ 01‘‘ E (100 m), 21.v.2018, 2 ♂, 26.v.2018, 2 ♂, 1 ♀ (J. Starý leg.) ( JSO, SMOC, CKLP).

Comparative material examined: Afrolimnophila minima ( Savchenko, 1971) : GEORGIA: Javakheti Range , env. Village Toki, Aspind rayon (district), 8.viii.1970, ♂ leg. Savchenko (syntopic with paratypes) ( JSO) .

Description.

Male. Head. Greyish brown on frons and vertex ( Fig. 1 ). Antenna comparatively short, extending slightly beyond anterior margin of prescutum ( Fig. 2 ). Scape greyish brown, cylindrical, about three times as long as pedicel. The latter dark brown, spherical. First flagellomere oval, obscure yellow, darkened distally. Other flagellomeres oval to long-oval, brown, gradually diminishing towards apex of antenna. Verticils slightly longer than respective flagellomeres ( Figs 1, 2 ).

Thorax. Prescutum and scutum greyish brown, with four indistinct, more brownish stripes, median stripes rather long, lateral stripes reduced. Scutal lobe distinctly darkened in middle. Scutellum and mediotergite greyish brown. Pleuron greyish brown, patterned with dark brown, especially on anepisternum and anepimeron ( Fig. 2 ). Wing membrane slightly tinged with grey. Wing venation usual for Limnophilinae ( Fig. 3 ), with supernumerary cross-vein between M and Cu positioned before origin of Rs and tip of A 2. R 3 more than three times as long as R 2+3+4. M 1+2 longer than M 1. Wing pattern consisting of dark spots and seams on/along all branching points of veins and cross-veins and other (sub)vertical vein elements, and attainments of longitudinal veins to wing margin, except of R 5 ( Fig. 3 , small arrow). Additional spot at anterior wing margin between base of wing and origin of Rs ( Fig. 3 , small arrow). Legs with coxae and trochanters darkened ( Fig. 2 ), femora and tibiae generally yellow, tipped with dark brown, tarsi somewhat darkened. Halteres obscure yellow throughout ( Fig. 2 ).

Abdomen. Dark brown. Male terminalia of general structure as in other West Palaearctic species ( Savchenko 1971). Posterior margin of tergite 9 with slightly shallow median emargination and slightly developed lateral projections ( Fig. 5 ). Gonocoxite rather long and slender ( Figs 5–7 ). Outer gonostylus arched, darkly pigmented, rather broad and mostly parallel-sided, tapered abruptly into pointed tip shortly before apex. Inner gonostylus fleshy, with narrow, rounded apex ( Figs 5, 6 ). Aedeagal complex with aedeagus rather long, strongly bent ventrally at about two-thirds of its length ( Fig. 12 ). Paramere long, generally paddle-shaped, slightly enlarged before apex (in dorsal view), reaching about 3/4 of aedeagus, rounded at tip ( Fig. 11 ). Apodeme of vesical fan-shaped, sometimes with shallow emargination at posterior margin (posterior in respect to vesica, see small arrow in Fig. 11 ), or with margin straight.

Female resembling male in general appearance. Female terminalia with cercus slender, very long, only very slightly upturned. Hypogynial valve extending to about half length of cercus.

Discussion.

The new species most resembles A. minima in both the general appearance and the structure of the male terminalia and it was also mistaken for the latter ( Mendl 1979, Ujvárosi 2007). A. erhanae sp. nov. differs from A. minima especially by larger size, the presence of the supernumerary m-cu ( Figs 3–4 ), the spot between the base of the wing and the origin of Rs, and absence of spot at the end of R 5 (see arrows in Figs 3, 4 ). Differences in the structure of the male terminalia are less distinct, but no less significant taxonomically. In the new species, the posterior margin of tergite 9 bears a shallow median emargination with slightly developed lateral processes ( Fig. 5 ), whereas, in A. minima , no such lateral processes are discernible, and the margin appears more or less straight ( Fig. 8 ). The outer gonostylus is comparatively stouter in the new species, almost parallel-sided, tapered abruptly into a pointed tip shortly before apex ( Figs 5, 6 ), whereas, in A. minima , it is generally slender, gradually tapering into a pointed tip ( Figs 8, 9 ). Other differences may be found in the structure of the aedeagal complex, in which the apodeme of the vesical appears to show species-specific details, being fan-shaped, in the new species, sometimes with a shallow emargination at the posterior margin ( Fig. 11 ), whereas it is distinctly two-lobed in A. minima ( Fig. 13 ).

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Eleonora Erhan-Dincă (Bucureşti, Romania) who was the first to recognize it as a new taxon. A noun in genitive singular.

Distribution. Greece, Italy and Romania.

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Afrolimnophila erhanae sp. nov. 1. head dorsal view; 2. anterior parts of body, lateral view. Paratype: Italy, Calabria, Filogaso (CKLP).

FIGURES 3–4. 3. Afrolimnophila erhanae sp. nov. Paratype: Italy, Calabria, Filogaso (CKLP); 4. Afrolimnophila minima (Savchenko, 1971). Abbreviation: s m-cu–supernumerary m-cu.

FIGURES 5–10. Male terminalia. 5–7 Afrolimnophila erhanae sp. nov. Paratype: Italy, Calabria, Filogaso (CKLP): 5. dorsal view, 6. ventral view, 7. lateral view; 8–10. Afrolimnophila minima (Savchenko, 1971): 8. dorsal view, 9. ventral view, 10. lateral view. Abbreviations: ig–inner gonostylus, gc–gonocoxite, og–outer gonostylus, tg9–tergite 9.

FIGURES 11–14. Aedeagus complex: 11–12. Afrolimnophila erhanae sp. nov. Paratype: Italy, Calabria, Filogaso (CKLP): 11. dorsal view, 12. lateral view; 13–14. Afrolimnophila minima (Savchenko, 1971): 13. dorsal view, 14. lateral view.Abbreviations: ae–aedeagus, av–apodeme of vesical, pa–paramere.