Bibio clavipes Meigen, 1818

Skartveit, John, 2010, The larvae of European Bibioninae (Diptera, Bibionidae), Journal of Natural History 36 (4), pp. 449-485 : 454-458

Bibio clavipes Meigen, 1818 (®gures 5±11)

Larva described by Bollow (1954) and Krivosheina (1962).

Whitish. Total length of full-grown larvae 8±12 mm ( Bollow, 1954, not possible to measure in the specimens at hand).

Head. Blackish. Head capsule width of last instar 0.89±0.97 mm (n = 2). Labrum as in ®gure 5. Mandible with ®ve teeth (®gure 6), maxilla and prementum as in ®gure 7. Antennae with three or four sensillae. Stemmata absent in the specimens at hand.

Body. Whitish. Dorsal process row with processes arranged in three pairs, inner pair shorter than the outer pairs. One of the eight specimens examined has eight processes in the dorsal process row on ®rst abdominal segment but this is probably merely an aberration. Post-spiracular processes as long as two spiracle diameters, situated approximately two and a half spiracle diameter behind spiracle. Processes on ninth abdominal segment as long as 0.6 times length of segment, situated near hind edge. Cuticular scales rather small, closely packed. Prothorax (®gure 8) right behind head with transverse-oval scales, ca 12 m m wide, each with three to seven short spines, a band further back with 20±27 m m wide, unarmed scales. Metathorax (®gure 9) and ®rst abdominal segment, with roundish scales, indistictly outlined, 8±20 m m wide, each with three to ®ve spines. Fourth abdominal segment (®gure 10) scales 13±18 m m wide with two to ®ve spines. Dorsum of ninth abdominal segment (®gure 11) scales 27±33 m m wide, closely packed, with strongly undulating outline, each with a short, rounded peg. Venter of ninth abdominal segment scales 6±10 m m wide, each with a slender spine. Scales on all segments except prothorax and ninth abdominal of uniform appearance, not in alternating bands of smaller and larger scales. Spiracles protruding approximately one half spiracle diameter from cuticle.

Distribution. Practically all of Palaearctic Region.

Ecology. Eurytopical species. Deciduous forest, meadows, conifer forest. Fullgrown larvae should occur in July to August.

Material. Norway, RY, Finnùy , Sevheim, under sallow tree, 28 August 1995, J. Skartveit leg. 2 larvae ( ZMUB) . Norway, HOI, Kvam , Geitaknottane nature reserve, 28 July 1997, J. Skartveit leg. 4 larvae , 12 August 1997, J. Skartveit leg. 2 larvae ( ZMUB) .