Bibio janus L. Heyden, 1870

Skartveit, John & Wedmann, Sonja, 2021, A Revision of fossil Bibionidae (Insecta: Diptera) from the Oligocene of Germany, Zootaxa 4909 (1), pp. 1-77 : 47

Bibio janus L. Heyden, 1870

Bibio Janus L. Heyden 1870: 257–258.

Bibio Ƌ sp. 1 Statz, 1943:52.

Holotype (male) Coll. Heymann (Bonn?) Not seen

Additional material? 1 ex. in Heimatmuseum zu Siegburg ( Meunier 1915). Not seen.

Description gleaned from Statz (1943) and from photo in Meunier (1915):

Female unknown.

Male:

Total length 9.8–13.1 mm (N=2)

Head: Blackish-brown. Antennae about as long as head.

Thorax: Blackish-brown.

Legs: Femora and tibiae yellowish-brown, tarsi pale brown. Fore tibia and tarsus with some strong, brownish setae.

Wing: Hyaline, veins light brown. Pterostigma light reddish brown. Costa with numerous pale brown setulae. Basal Rs twice as long as R-M.

Abdomen: Blackish-brown (Statz) or probably light-coloured (Heyden).

Terminalia: Epandrium with wide, U-shaped mesal cleft, lobes relatively short and rounded.

Discussion:

The specimen described by Meunier (1915, Pl. XXIV, Fig. 2) is obviously not the same as the type specimen described by Heyden (1870, Pl. XLV, Fig. 25). Apparently, the specimen studied by Statz (1943) is the same as Meunier’s specimen, though the measurements given are rather different. Since neither of these specimens could be found, it is very difficult to identify the species, and the name should be regarded as nomen dubium pending rediscovery of the type material.