Empis (Kritempis) algira Macquart, 1838

Daugeron, Christophe, 2009, Systematics of the Euro-Mediterranean Empis (Kritempis) (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae) *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 531-544 : 534-536

Empis (Kritempis) algira Macquart, 1838

( Fig. 1)

Empis algira Macquart, 1838: 159 (original description).

Diagnosis. Greyish to blackish species, with palpus yellowish, M 1 feebly sclerotized at wing margin, M 2 abbreviated, coxae greyish. Female fore femur with short anterior pennation.

Holotype identification. One male and one female are present in the Macquart collection ( MNHN); they are pinned above the label “n° 82, E. algira Macqt , Alger ”. However the species was described on the basis of one female ( Macquart 1838: 159); consequently the female specimen (with the additional label “126, 38”) is herewith identified as the holotype of the species. The male specimen (with the additional label “126, 98; n° 791, Empis algira ”) is considered a simple representative of the species.

Additional material. 1 ♂, “692; Empis geniculata , m.” (pinned above the label “n° 84, E. geniculata Macqt, M. Lucas , Algérie ”) (Macquart collection) ; 1 ♂, “ Muséum Paris , Rouiba, Dept d’Alger, J. Surcouf, 1923” ; 1 ♂, “Stora-Ph-ville, Algérie, A. Théry” ; 1 ♂ “ Philippeville , Algérie, A. Théry ” ; 1 ♀, “ Philippeville , Algérie, A. Thery; Muséum Paris, Algérie, Philippeville, A. Théry, 1903” ( MNHN) .

Re-description. Male. Head. Occiput dusty grey; occipital, postocular, ocellar setae black, rather strong, postgenal setae pale yellow. Face dusty grey to shiny black. Antenna blackish. Labrum more than 2x head height, palpus yellowish.

Thorax. Dusty grey. Antepronotum with strong black setae. Proepisternum, prosternum with fine, short pale yellow setae. Antepronotal lobes with 1 strong, long black basal seta. Scutum with 3 brownish stripes on acrostichals and dorsocentrals, scutal setae black. Acrostichals biserial, short, fine; dorsocentrals uni to biserial, short, fine except for 3-4 strong, long prescutellars. Other strong, long setae as follows: 1 presutural, 2 postsutural supraalars, 3 notopleurals. Laterotergite with fan of long pale yellow setae. Anterior, posterior spiracles yellowish.

Legs. Coxae dusty greyish with numerous pale yellow setae. Fore femur dark brown to yellowish apically; fore tibia yellowish to brownish apically, with antero- and posterodorsal rows of distinct short setae; fore tarsus blackish with tarsomeres 1–3 with distinct apical setae. Mid femur dark brown to yellowish apically; mid tibia yellowish to brownish at tips with anterodorsal row of strong, long setae, strong, long anteroventral setae apically; mid tarsus blackish with tarsomeres 1–3 with distinct ventral short setae. Hind femur yellowish; hind tibia yellowish with dorsal rows of distinct setae; hind tarsus as mid tarsus.

Wing (length about 6.4 mm). Clear. M 1 feebly sclerotized at tip, M 2 abbreviated. Halter yellow.

Abdomen dusty grey to brownish on tergites. First two tergites with distinct lateral pale yellow setae.

Hypopygium ( Fig. 1) with cercus bearing characteristic ventroapical hook; epandrial lamella with strong, long ventral setae; phallus characteristically undulated at middle.

EURO-MEDITERRANEAN EMPIS (KRITEMPIS) Zootaxa 2318 © 2009 Magnolia Press · 535

Female. Similar to male except for following characters: frons greyish-black. Scutal chaetotaxy shorter. Fore femur with short anterior pennation; mid tibia with posteroventral group of short spine-like setae at basal tip. Tergites 1–5 greyish black, subshiny.

Chorotype. W-Mediterranean. Empis algira is known from Algeria; it is also recorded from Sardinia in the Palaearctic catalogue ( Chvála & Wagner 1989: 258) and Fauna Europaea ( Chvála 2004); however I did not see any specimens from this area amongst the material recently collected by the CNBFVR staff in Sardinia, and the species is not recorded in the on-line checklist of the Italian fauna ( Raffone 2003).