Bibio sardocyrneus, Haenni, 2009

Haenni, Jean-Paul, 2009, The Bibionidae (Diptera) of Sardinia, with description of two new species *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 427-439 : 430-432

3. Bibio sardocyrneus sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3, 5–8)

Type locality. Italy, Sardinia (Medio Campidano prov.), Villacidro, Rio Cannisoni , 375 m, UTM 32 S 0468713 4362692 .

Type material. Holotype ♂, labelled: “I – Sardegna (Medio Campidano) / Villacidro, Rio Cannisoni , 375 m / UTM 32 S 0468713 4362692 / 24.III.2006 retino [= net] / D. Whitmore, M. Bardiani, D. Birtele, P. Cornacchia legit / Progetto Sardegna – CNBF [print]”, “ Centro Nazionale per lo Studio e / Conservazione della /Biodiversità / forestale –Verona / Corpo Forestale dello Stato / Progetto Sardegna ” [print], “ Bibio sardocyrneus sp. nov. ♂ / HOLOTYPE / J.-P. Haenni 2007” [handwritten, red label], in good condition, dry pinned ( CNBFVR).

Paratypes: same data as holotype, 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, D. Birtele ( CNBFVR) ; Villacidro (Medio Campidano prov.), Montimannu, vivaio forestale [= forest nursery], 24.III.2006, r [retino = net], 1 ♀, D. Birtele legit ( MHNN) ; Villacidro (Medio Campidano prov.), 296 m: 20.III.2006, r [retino = net], 1 ♂, D. Birtele leg. ( CNBFVR) .

Other material. France, Corsica: Corse-du-Sud , Ajaccio [without date, but 19 th century], 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Huguenin leg. ( ETHZ); Filitosa, 67 m, 10.IV.1999, 2 ♂♂, J.-P. Haenni leg. ( MHNN) .

Diagnosis. This new species is very close to B. marci , but presents in both genders distinct morphological features which allow a safe identification. In males the posterior femur is more clavate, with narrow basal part longer, reaching slightly beyond middle of femur ( Fig. 3); hind tarsus inflated ( Figs 3, 6), decreasing in thickness from 1 st to 5 th tarsomere, instead of simple, not inflated, parallel-sided, as in B. marci (see Figs. 4, 9). In the female, the wing membrane is lighter, more greyish-white than brownish, hind veins not contrasting, hyaline or nearly so ( Fig. 2).

Description. Male. Body 8–10 mm long. Black, with long and dense black pilosity in general appearance ( Fig. 1), with tibiae and tarsi lighter, brownish. Head. Black, with long black wavy pilosity, especially on occiput, eyes with long stiff pilosity. Ocellar tubercle prominent. Antennae black, flagellum 7-segmented. Palpi black, practically as long as antennae. Thorax. Mesonotum black, finely shagreened, weakly shining, postpronotal streak obscurely rufous (more so in Corsican specimens). Black pilosity, long and nearly wavy on dorsum and pleurae. Wing ( Fig. 1). Length, 6.5– 8 mm, dirty whitish, with costal and most of radial cell brownish, pterostigma slightly darker brown, anterior veins brown-black, posterior veins translucent. Basal part of Rs more than twice as long as R-M cross-vein. Halteres black, with black stem. Coxae and femora black, with long, somewhat wavy, black pilosity, less so on hind femur. Anterior and mid tibiae castaneousbrown, hind tibia darker, brownish black. Tibiae and tarsi with shorter dark pilosity. Tarsi castaneous-brown, becoming darker towards tip, the individual tarsomeres more or less darkened at apex. Hind femur ( Fig. 3) brownish black, clavate, widening at or shortly after middle. Fore tibia with strong posterior projection ( Fig. 5). Posterior tibia ( Fig. 3) widening towards apex, first hind tarsomere ( Figs 3, 6) inflated, shorter and broader than in B. marci , second tarsomere narrower and shorter than first, but distinctly inflated, third also somewhat inflated. Abdomen black, with long, somewhat wavy black pilosity. Hypopygium ( Figs 7–8). Epandrium basally fused with base of gonocoxites, with U-shaped posterior emargination hardly reaching its half length ( Fig. 7), gonostyles strongly curved ( Fig. 7), cercus flattened, apically broadly rounded and pilose, aedeagal complex elongate, narrowly shovel-shaped, posterior emargination of sternite 9 complex, shallow ( Fig. 8).

Female. 10–12 mm. Black with black pilosity in general appearance. Head. Frons granulate and hairy between the eyes. Palpi black, practically as long as antennae. Thorax black with black pilosity, notum feably shining, finely shagreened as in male. Wing ( Fig. 2). 8–9 mm. Costal cell and most of radial cell brown, pterostigma darker brown, strongly contrasting, rest of wing membrane greyish-white tinged, lighter than in B. marci , with posterior veins not contrasting. Legs black and black pilose. Abdomen black with black pilosity.

Etymology. The name sardocyrneus refers to the geographical distribution of the new species. It is a composed latinized adjective, contraction of sardous (from Sardinia) and cyrneus (from Cyrnos, Corsica in Greek).

Chorotype. A probable Sardo-Corsican endemic.

Ecology. The few known specimens have been caught in wooded habitats in Sardinia and in agricultural semi-wooded habitats in Corsica. In Sardinia most specimens were collected near Rio Cannisoni, a small river that runs almost dry during the summer months; surrounding vegetation consists mainly of open holm oak woodlands, interspersed with bushes of Cistus spp. and Erica spp.

Notes. Sardinian and Corsican specimens of the new species have been compared with specimens of B. marci and both taxa have been found to differ consistently. The shape and length of the first hind tarsomere of B. marci , which is not at all inflated and somewhat elongated ( Figs 4, 9) is a remarkably constant character in this species: I have seen hundreds of specimens from Europe ( Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czech republic, Italy, Portugal, Greece, including Crete), North Africa ( Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco) and Central Asia ( Uzbekistan) and none present an inflated first hind tarsomere resembling that of B. sardocyrneus sp. nov.