Linnaeomyia pratensis, Jaschhof & Jaschhof, 2019

Jaschhof, Mathias & Jaschhof, Catrin, 2019, New Dicerurini from Europe, mostly Sweden (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae, Porricondylinae), Zootaxa 4559 (2), pp. 245-264 : 251

Linnaeomyia pratensis sp. nov.

Figs 6–8

Diagnosis. Male genitalia provide an abundance of characters to distinguish L. pratensis from L. hortensis . The most obvious distinction is that the gonocoxae of L. pratensis have a ventral emargination ( Fig. 6 ), whereas those of L. hortensis are not emarginated ventrally ( Jaschhof & Jaschhof 2015: fig. 2). Females and larvae of this new species are unknown.

Other male characters. Non-genitalic characters distinguishing L. pratensis from L. hortensis are not apparent (see Jaschhof & Jaschhof 2015). The claws of L. pratensis are small, slightly curved and equipped with a single tooth basally, the empodia are vestigial (the acropods of L. hortensis are missing). Genitalia. The ninth tergite, which appears to be merged with the gonocoxae, has lateral setae and medial microtrichia, which are larger and denser towards the posterior edge. Of the gonocoxae ( Fig. 6 ), the ventral emargination is deeply V-shaped; the ventral bridge has an asetose area basally, whose inverted V-shape is mirror-symmetric to the emargination’s outline; the medial bridges hold both a pair of glabrous processes (↓ 2) and a microtrichose protuberance (↓ 3); and the dorsal apodemes have long, thin anterior processes. The main lobe of the gonostylus ( Fig. 6 ) is strongly convex basally and more flattened towards the densely microtrichose apex (↓ 4); the outline of the smaller, dorsal lobe is hard to assess in slide-mounts but approximates a flat triangle with microtrichia (↓ 5); and the deep depression between the lobes has 1–2 long bristles. The tegmen is peculiar for having a linguiform, sclerotized outgrowth dorsobasally ( Fig. 8 , ↓ 6) and two, apparently sclerotized knobs apically interconnected by a thin membrane.

Etymology. The species name, pratensis , is a Latin adjective meaning meadow-dwelling.

Type material. Holotype. Male, Czech Republic, Moravia and Silesia, Podyjí National Park , Čížovský rybník, meadow, 27 May–7 June 2001, Malaise trap, M. Barták & Š. Kubík (in NMPC). Paratypes. 1 male, same data as the holotype (in NMPC) ; 1 male, same data but 7–26 June 2001 (in SDEI) ; 1 male, same data but 26 June– 24 July 2001 (in NMPC) .

Remarks on the type locality. Sikora et al. (2017) referred to Podyjí National Park as a habitat for thermophilous species from other bibionomorph families, whose core distribution is the Mediterranean region. Parts of Podyjí are influenced by a continental (Pannonian) climate, whose major characteristics—dry, hot summers and moderately cold winters—apply to Öland (the distribution of L. hortensis ) as well. This leads us to assume that Linnaeomyia is a principally Mediterranean faunal element, with a few species managing to thrive in climatically favored areas farther north. The Mediterranean region is a blank area for Dicerurini and other Porricondylinae , so this assumption cannot be tested at this stage.

Figures

FIGURES 5–11. Linnaeomyia hortensis, male, holotype. 5: Gonocoxa, dorsal. Linnaeomyia pratensis, holotype, male. 6: Genitalia, ventral. 7: Fourth flagellomere, lateral. 8: Tegmen, ventral. Gardenforsia oelandica, male, holotype. 9: Genitalia, ventral. 10: Foredistitarsus, ventrolateral. 11: Fourth flagellomere, dorsolateral. Scales for 5–9, 11, 0.05 mm, for 10, 0.025 mm. Arrows refer to characters described in the diagnosis.