Limnophora paneliusi Emden, 1958

Michelsen, Verner, 2021, Macaronesian Muscidae (Diptera). II. The genus Limnophora Robineau-Desvoidy with description of a new Canarian endemic species, Zootaxa 4952 (1), pp. 101-127 : 113-114

Limnophora paneliusi Emden

( Figs 6D‒F , 7A‒F , 9A‒D , 13A )

Limnophora paneliusi Emden ; Emden 1958: 11 ( Cape Verde Is.); Couri & Pont 2017: 521 , figs 69‒72.

“ Limnophora obsignata (Rondani) ”; Báez 1981: 628 p.p., pl. 1 figs 4, 5, pl. 3 figs 1, 3 (Fuerteventura, La Gomera, La Palma?). Misidentification.

Material examined. Type material [ MZH]: CAPE VERDE ISLANDS: Brava: Faja Agua, paratypes 1♂ [dissect- ed], 1♀ 25.ii.1954 (H. Lindberg). Other material [ MZH, NHMD]: CANARY ISLANDS: FUERTEVENTURA: Chilegua, 2♂, 6♀ 10‒23.v.1951 (B. Pettersson). GRAN CANARIA: Bco. Virgin, Moya, 400m, 1♂ 20.vii.1984 (Olsen, Skule & Stadel); El Risco, 28°02´N 15°43´W, 150‒200m, 3♀ 7‒12.i.2014 ( V. Michelsen); Aldea, 27°58´N 15°43´W, 8km E, 250m, 1♂ 30.xi.2014 ( V. Michelsen); La Montaña, 27°55´N 15°33´W, 690‒710m, 1♂ 1‒6.ii.2018 ( V. Michelsen). TENERIFE: Adeje, Bco del Infierno, 1♀ 24.ii.1950 (H. Lindberg); Arico, 2♀ 16.i.2006 ( V. Mi- chelsen); Los Carrizales, 28°19´N 16°51´W, c. 645m, 1♀ 8.ii.2008 ( V. Michelsen). LA GOMERA: Las Toscas, 28°04´N 17°12´W, 720m, 5♀ 19.xi.2002 ( V. Michelsen); La Laja, 480‒600m, 3♀ 23.xi.2002 ( V. Michelsen); Alo- jera, 28°10´N 17°19´W, 100‒120m, 1♂ 5.ii.2008 ( V. Michelsen); Bco de Aguajilva , Lomito Fragoso, 28°07´N 17°10´W, 220‒250m, 4♂, 9♀ 19‒24.i.2019, 4♂, 7♀ 24‒29.i.2020 ( V. Michelsen) . MOROCCO: Tazenakht , 15km SW, 1♂, 1♀ 11.iv.1989 (Zool. Mus. Copenh. Exp.) .

Diagnosis. Medium sized, wing length 3.6‒5.3mm. Male: Arista ( Fig. 6E ) short-plumose, longest aristal branches 0.5‒0.75 times as long as width of postpedicel, but branch length decreases strongly beyond middle of arista. Frons ( Fig. 6D ) at narrowest point 2.0‒2.3 times as wide as ocellar tubercle, black frontal vitta at this point 2.0‒2.5 times as wide as adjacent silvery white fronto-orbital plates; fronto-orbital plate with 1‒2 short reclinate orbital setae immediately above 5‒7 inclinate frontal setae. Frons lying slightly behind moderately produced facial margin. Mesonotum ( Figs 7A, B ) whitish grey pruinose with contrasting brownish black “ Anthomyia - pattern” as follows: pair of large squarish marks in front of the suture, a very broad band immediately behind the suture and a broad band on basal two-thirds of scutellum. Dorsocentral setae 4 behind the suture; presutural acrostichal field with setulae only, in four irregular rows separated from adjacent dorsocentral setae by a bare stripe. Calypteres whitish, wing membrane light brown tinged; vein M 1 slightly curved forward in distal part. Mid femur with 2 subapical pd setae, on basal third with 3‒4 robust, erect pv setae; mid tibia with 2 pd setae above and below middle. Hind femur on distal part with 3‒6 robust av setae, without pv setae. Abdomen ( Fig. 7E ) with paired marks on tergite IV extended far down laterally. Sternite I bare. Sternite V and hypopygium as in Figs 9A‒C ; hypandrium with distinctive sickle shape of pregonites ( Fig. 9D , arrows). Female: Broad frons ( Fig. 6F ) light grey pruinose except for blackish frontal vitta and brownish apical part of frontal triangle. Fronto-orbital plate with 2 reclinate orbital setae and 4‒5 inclinate frontal setae; frontal triangle extended to lower one-fifth of frontal vitta. Dark pattern on mesonotum ( Fig. 7C ) less extensive compared to the male, postsutural black band distinctly indented medially and laterally at hind margin. Mid femur with basal pv setae setulose or absent. Paired dark marks on tergite IV ( Fig. 7F ) less extended laterally compared to the male ( Fig. 7E ). Ovipositor ( Fig. 13A ) similar to other examined species with a mesonotal “ Anthomyia - pattern”, but distinguished by the presence of several dorsal hind marginal setulae on tergite VIII. See Table 1 for more ovipositor characters.

Geographic variation. A male and female collected in a semi-desert site near Tazenakht ( Morocco) agree closely with the present species in external morphology and male terminalia, but the dark pattern on the mesonotum and abdomen is diminished in both sexes: Paired dark marks on tergites III and IV of the abdomen much smaller and obtusely triangular; postsutural black band on the female mesonotum ( Fig. 7D ) is further characterised by a deep hind marginal incision.

Taxonomic note. Báez (1981) recorded the present species from the Canary Islands under the name Limnophora obsignata as is evident from his illustrations of the male terminalia (pl. 3, figs 1, 3). He also examined an authentic European male of L. obsignata and illustrated its differently shaped cercal plate (pl. 3 fig. 2), but treated this as intraspecific variation.

Distribution. Cape Verde Is.: Santo Antão, São Nicolau, Santiago [São Tiago], Brava. Canary Is.: Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera. Morocco (deviating colour form).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Limnophora obsignatula sp. nov. (A‒C), L. paneliusi Emden (D‒F). Male head, dorso-lateral (A, D); male postpedicel and arista (B, E); female head, sub-dorsal (C, F). Different scales for A, C, D, F and B, E.

FIGURE 7. Limnophora paneliusi Emden (A‒F). Male, lateral (A) and dorsal (B); female, dorsal (C); female, dorsal, Moroccan colour form (D); male abdomen, dorso-lateral (E); female abdomen, dorso-lateral (F). Different scales for A‒D and E, F.

FIGURE 9. Limnophora paneliusi Emden (A‒D). Male. Sternite V (A); hypopygium, caudal (B) and lateral (C); hypandrium (D) with pregonites (arrows). Same scale.

FIGURE 13. Limnophora paneliusi (Emden) (A), L. riparia (Fallén) (B). Ovipositor, distal part, lateral. Arrow: dorsal hind marginal setulae on T VIII. Abbreviations: Acc scl = accessory sclerite; Ce = cercus; Ep = epiproct; Hy = hypoproct; St = sternite; T = tergite. Same scale.