Limnophora aculeipes aculeipes Stein, 1913

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A. & Deeming, John C., 2020, The Muscidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, descriptions of two new species, new records and updated list of species, Zootaxa 4869 (1), pp. 1-54 : 34

Limnophora aculeipes aculeipes Stein, 1913 ( Fig. 50 )

Limnophora aculeipes Stein, 1913: 521 .

Specimens examined. 1m, Asir, Abha, Hay Al-Nusub (Abha farm centre), 1–25.v.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) ; 1m, Asir, Abha, Madenate Al-Ameer Sultan, Hay Al-Sad , 25.ii.–25.v.2002, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( NMWC), det. Dr A. C. Pont.

Distribution. This species was previously recorded from Saudi Arabia by Pont (1991); Dawah & Abdullah (2009); El-Hawagry et al. (2017). It was described from Ethiopia.

Biological remarks. The larvae of some species of Limnophora are aquatic, inhabiting running water. They prey mainly on oligochaetes and small insect larvae (e.g. psychodids, ceratopogonids etc.). Some species however, breed in dung or rotting fruit or decaying plant or animal matter (e.g. Limnophora quaterna Loew ) ( Gregor et al. 2002). They hatch in the second or third instar ( Pont 1991).

Figures

FIGURE. 46–50. Muscidae species habitus: 46) Dimorphia cognata Robineau Desvoidy 1830, male; 47) Graphomya maculata (Scopoli, 1763), Male; 48) Graphomya maculata (Scopoli, 1763), ssp. leucomelas (Wiedemann, 1824), Male; 49) Myospila lenticeps (Thomson, 1869), Male; 50) Limnophora aculeipes aculeipes Stein, 1913, Male.