Helius (Helius) gracillimus Alexander, 1938

Podenas, Sigitas & Byun, Hye-Woo, 2014, New Limoniinae crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) of Korea, Journal of Species Research 3 (2), pp. 167-182 : 176-178

Helius (Helius) gracillimus Alexander, 1938

Alexander, 1938: 143; Savchenko, 1983: 64.

General coloration brownish yellow. @ody length of male 6.5 to 8.1 mm, female 7.0- 9.3 mm. Wing length of male 7.2 to 8.2 mm, female 7.1-9.5 mm.

Head opaque light gray, posterior margin turning into reddish brown. Anterior vertex narrow, covered with sparse erect brown setae. Length of male antennae 2.53- 3.60 mm, that of female 1.1-3.1 mm. Scape slightly widen- ed distally, dark brown. Pedicel oval, yellowish brown. Flagellum 12-segmented, dark brown. Flagellomeres elongate, nearly cylindrical ( Fig. 4 @). @asal flagellomere a trifle brightened at base. Apical flagellomere elongate, slightly shorter than penultimate in female, but very short and narrow in male. Verticils long, brown, just slightly exceeding length of respective segments. Comparatively long, erect whitish pubescence, covering segments is uniformly dense on all sides of flagellum in male, but in female it is denser on ventral side than on dorsal. Rostrum brown to dark brown, covered with long semi-erect brown setae, 0.45-0.60 mm long in male and 0.45-0.75 mm long in female. Palpus dark brown to black. Mouth parts yellowish.

Thorax generally brownish yellow. Pronotum obscure yellow. Mesonotal prescutum polished, brownish yellow. Median prescutal stripe very narrow frontally, getting much wider posteriorly, brown. Lateral stripes indistinct. Posterior sclerites of notum brown, margin closest to wing base yellowish. Scutellum brown to dark brown, darker medially, somewhat lighter laterally. Mediotergite brown, with indistinct narrow median line. Pleura uniformly brownish yellow. Wing ( Fig. 4A ) strongly iridescent, translucent. Stigma big and distinct, brown and clearly oval. Cell sc yellowish. @rownish spot at branching point or Rs extends along cord, but getting weaker towards posterior margin of wing. Small rounded spot at base of Rs, wing margin at R 2 + 3 tip slightly darkened. Area between vein Cu and false vein yellowish. Wing pattern distinct in females, but in males it could be as intense as in females but it could be very weak, nearly indistinct. Venation: Sc 1 reaching wing margin slightly before branching point of Rs, Sc 2 close to Sc 1 tip. Rs angulated and short spurred at base in some specimens, arched and without spur in other. Separate vein R 2 missing. @oth branches of Rs diverging distally. Discal cell elongate, about 2.5 times as long as wide. @asal deflection of CuA 1 distinctly beyond branching point of M, about at one-fourth of discal cell length. @oth anal veins long and very slightly sinuous. Anal angle medium-sized, comparatively narrow. Length of male haltere 1.10-1.25 mm, that of female 1.05-1.45 mm. Stem of haltere yellowish at base, turning blackish distally, knob blackened. Coxae brownish yellow. Trochanters yellow, with dark brown subapical spot on ventral surface. Femur obscure yellow with narrowly darkened distal end. Tibiae obscure yellow with narrowly darkened distal end. Tarsi brown passing into dark brown distally. Male femur I: 6.2-6.8 mm long, II: 6.7-7.5 mm, III: 6.3-7.5 mm; tibiae I: 8.2- 9.2 mm, II: 7.2-8.0 mm, III: 7.2-7.9 mm; tarsus I: 7.0- 8.5 mm, II: 6.4-7.4 mm, III: 5.9-6.6 mm long. Female femur I: 5.5-7.6 mm long, II: 5.6-7.5 mm, III: 6.1-7.8 mm; tibiae I: 6.0- 9.3 mm, II: 5.8-7.9 mm, III: 6.3-9.1 mm; tarsus I: 5.4-8.3 mm, II: 5.2-6.7 mm, III: 5.2-7.4 mm long. Claw simple, without additional spines.

Male abdominal tergites dark brown, yellowish laterally. Caudal and lateral margins narrowly gray. Tergites covered with semi-erect scarce, yellowish setae. Frontal margin of first abdominal sternite yellow. @asal sternites brownish yellow with somewhat darkened posterior margins, distal sternites brown to dark brown. Female abdominal tergites dark brown with yellow lateral spots, which are more intense towards caudal end. Sternites yellow, just slightly darkened towards caudal end. Male genitalia ( Fig. 4C ) same color as distal segments of abdomen. Ninth tergite simple, posterior margin slightly sinuous. Gonocoxite elongate distinctly widened at mesal face. Emargination densely covered by setae. Outer gonostylus long and slender, slightly arched, blackened distally. Inner gonostylus distinctly longer than outer, fleshy, wider basally, turning narrower distally, tip blunt and narrow. Gonostylus covered with erect setae, that are distinctly longer on frontal margin. Penis long and narrow. Distal end slightly widened, trifid. Tip of penis itself is longest, lateral lobes slightly darkened. Interbase long, knife-shaped. Ovipositor ( Fig. 4D ) brown. Cercus very long and narrow with slightly up-turned apex. Hypovalvae long, not reaching tip of cercus. Central part of hypovalvae clearly yellow, dorsal and ventral margins brown.

Elevation range in Korea. Specimens are known to occur at altitudes from 100 m to nearly 2 km.

Period of activity. Adults are flying from late June to end of October in Korea.

Habitat. Species was collected by the author in dense, broad leaved forest on mountain slope with small pools of stagnant water, remnants of dryed stream. Savchenko (1983) also found that species in marshy meadows in the Far East of Russia.

General distribution. Species was known from Far East of Russia (Primorye) ( Savchenko, 1983) and North Korea ( Alexander, 1938).

Examined materials ( Fig. 7D ): Paratypes: 2gg on same pin and 2 on another pin, Seren Mts., N. Corea, 3500’, X-3.1937, Yankovsky ; 2@@, (wing, leg, antennae and genitalia of one male on slide), Seren Mts. , Corea, 3-3500’, X-9.1937, Yankovsky ; 2 on same pin, (one of them allotype) and 2, 1 specimen with unclear sex on another pin, Seren Mts. , Corea, 1800’, X-13.1937, Yankovsky ; 2 on same pin and 2 on another pin, Seren Mts. , N. Corea, 2-3000’, X-15.1937, Yankovsky ; 2 on same pin, 2 on another pin and 2 on another pin, (wing, antenna and fore leg of one female on slide), Seren Mts. , N. Corea, 3000’, X-16.1937, Yankovsky ; 2, 1 specimen with unclear sex, on same pin and 2 on another pin, Ompo , Corea, 1600’, X-27. 1937, Yankovsky. Non-type material identified by S. Podenas: 2@@, Seren Mts. , Corea, 5500’, X-3.1937, Yankovsky ; 2, 1 specimen with unclear sex, on same pin, Seren , Corea, 4000’ and 1@ at 6000’, X-9.1937, Yankovsky ; 2 on same pin and 2, 1 specimen with unclear sex, on another pin, Seren , Corea, 2100’, X-19.1937, Yankovsky ; 1@, North Korea, Ompo , 350 ft., 7.IX.1938, Yankovsky; 1 (pinned), Korea #18, Central Nat’l Forest , 18 mi. NE Seoul, 350-500’, 6 July 1954, George W. @yers; 1 (pinned), Korea #20, 2 mi. S. Pup’yong-ni, 16 mi. NE Seoul, 300-450’, 11 July 1954, George W. @yers; 1 (in ethanol), S. Korea, Yongsanri, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, Mt. @alwangsan, N37.4513889, E128.8683333, 2008. 07.19, coll. J.D. Yeo, M.J. Jeon & K.G. Kim , malaise trap; 1 (in ethanol), S. Korea, Odaesan National Park , N37.73920, E128.59398, altitude 794 m, 2012.06.22, coll. S. Podenas.

Figures

Fig. 4. Helius (Helius) gracillimus. A. wing. @. male antenna. C. male genitalia, dorsal view. D. ovipositor, lateral view.

Fig. 7. Distribution maps of Korean Limoniinae crane flies. A. Achyrolimonia neonebulosa. @. Dicranoptycha diacantha. C. Dicranoptycha prolongata. D. Helius (Helius) gracillimus. E. Helius (H.) obliteratus. F. Helius (H.) polionotus.