Biodiversity Data Journal : Taxonomic paper
PDF
Taxonomic paper
A new species and new records of Molophilus Curtis, 1833 (Diptera: Limoniidae) from the Western Palaearctic Region
expand article infoLevente-Péter Kolcsár, Edina Török‡,§, Lujza Keresztes
‡ Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
§ Romanian Academy Institute of Biology, Bucharest, Romania
Open Access

Abstract

Background

Molophilus Curtis, 1833 is the most species-rich Limoniidae genus with a total number of 1006 species and subspecies, from which 97 are recorded in the Western-Palaearctic region so far. However new species are still expected from less investigated regions, like the Balkans or the Eastern Europe.

New information

In the present article, we desrcibe a new limonid crane fly species, Molophilus balcanicus Kolcsár sp. n. from the Central Balkan area (Bulgaria). This new taxa is closely related to M. serpentiger Edwards, 1938 and M. variispinus Starý​, 1971 based on the external male genital structures, but differs from its siblings mostly in the structure of the inner and outer gonostylus. Additionally, a number of species are reported for the first time from various European countries, like M. variispinus Starý, 1971 and M. occultus de Meijere, 1918 from Romania; M. crassipygus de Meijere 1918, M. obsoletus Lackschewitz, 1940 and M. medius de Meijere, 1918 from Greece; M. flavus Goetghebuer, 1920 from Andorra; M. cinereifrons de Meijere, 1920 from Bulgaria and M. corniger Meijere, 1920 from Spain.

Keywords

Balkan mountain range, sibling species, distribution

Introduction

Molophilus Curtis, 1833 is the most species-rich genus in the Western-Palaearctic region, belonging to Limoniidae (Diptera). The species can be easily identified based on male robust hypopigium. The females are unknown or less studied. So far, there are more than 1000 species and subspecies are described worldwide with an Australasian-Oceanian distribution center (Oosterbroek 2015). At the present 97 species and subspecies are known to occur in the Western-Palaearctic region (Oosterbroek 2015, Starý 2011). In the present study we report 8 new faunistic data from different countries in Europe, and we describe a new species which is closely related to M. serpentiger Edwards, 1938 and M. variispinus Starý, 1971. Both of the two closely related species, M. serpentiger and M. variispinus share a unique feature within the genus Molophilus, the presence of an S-shaped outer gonostylus (Starý 1971b, Starý 1971a), which is highly similar in M. variispinus and M. serpentiger (mostly seen in ventral view) (Kramer 2013). In the frame of the current study we present the habitus, the male hypogium (ventral and lateral view) and the aedeagal complex, both in the case of M. serpentiger, M. variispinus and M. balcanicus Kolcsár sp. n.

Materials and methods

The material was collected by entomological net and UV light trap in Andorra, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Spain, beetwen 2010 and 2013. All the material listed here, are stored in 96% ethanol and deposited in the Diptera Collection of the Faculty of Biology and Geology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The holotype of the new species is deposited in the Museum of Zoology of the Babeș-Bolyai University (MZBBU), Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The specimens were examined with an Olympus SZ50 dissection microscope. Photos were taken using an Canon EOS 650D digital camera, attached to an Olympus SZ60 stereomicroscope, with a LM Digital SLR Adapter (Micro Tech Lab, Austria). Layer photos were finally combined with the software Combine ZP (Hadley 2011).

Taxon treatments

Molophilus (Molophilus) balcanicus Kolcsár, sp. n.

Material   Download as CSV 
Holotype:
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    balcanicus
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    Kolcsár
    ; country:
    Bulgaria
    ; stateProvince:
    Montana
    ; county:
    Berkovitza
    ; municipality:
    Barzia
    ; locality:
    Petrohan Pass
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1100-1200 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    43.134061
    ; decimalLongitude:
    23.149889
    ; samplingProtocol:
    butterfly net
    ; eventDate:
    06/10/2012
    ; habitat:
    small brook in beech forest
    ; individualCount:
    1
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    TI100 - LCMMB-BG-01
    ; recordedBy:
    L. Keresztes, E. Török, L.-P. Kolcsár
    ; institutionCode:
    Museum of Zoology, Babeș-Bolyai University (MZBBU)

Description

Head. Vertex black, with short black setae. Rostrum light brown with a few short dark setae. Palpus 4-segmented, brown. Antennae 16-segmented, yellowish, only the scape is dark brown. Pedicellus globular 1.5-1.8x wider than the flagellum segments. Flagellomeres are cylindrical to fusiform.

Thorax. Yellowish orange (Fig. 1a​). Frontal parts of the thorax are darker than the back parts, with an evenly transition from yellow to dark orange. The neck (cervix) has its lateral parts black (cervical sclerites). Prescutum and scutum orange, scutellum yellow, pleural part yellow - orange. The coxae and the trochanters are yellowish orange, with long pale setae. The femur, tibia and tarsomeres are absent in the examined material. Wings yellow, wing venation light brown, covered by a densely light brown macrotrichia, partly worn out in specimen examined by us. Haltereres are yellow.

Figure 1.

Molophilus balcanicus Kolcsár sp. n.

amale habitus  
bmale hypopygium, ventral (tergal) view  
cmale hypopygium, lateral view  
daedeagal complex, lateral view  

Abdomen. Dark orange - light brown, tergites mainly dark, anterior sternites lighter than caudal sternites. Both sternites and tergites are covered with long pale setae. Pleural membrane yellow. Hypopigium generally yellow (Fig. 1b, c). 9th tergite covered by long pale setae. The dorsal portion of the gonocoxite is short, rounded in lateral view, the caudal margine is straight, with a darkened inner wedge like projection at the ventral edge, which is striking dark pigmented at the end (ventral (tergal) view - Fig. 1b). Ventral lobe of gonocoxite shorter than dorsal portion and it is rounded at the tip. All parts of gonocoxit are covered by long yellowish setae. Both gonostyli are darkly pigmented. The inner gonostylus has its proximal part very thick, which ventrally narrows and is slightly curved. The outer gonostylus is thick, S-shaped inwards and it is ending in a hook like structure ventrally. The proximal part is stouter and lighter than distally, which widens before the hook like end (ventral view - Fig. 1b). Aedeagus is long, the end reaches the gonocoxite apex. The proximal part is thick which narrows to the distal end. In half of the length of the aedeagus is curved ventrally, after that it turns dorsally (Fig. 1d​​).

Female: unknown.

Larva: unknown.

Diagnosis

Small species with yellowish orange general colour, body lenght is 4-4.5 mm and wing length 5 mm (Fig. 1a​​). It is very close to Molophilus serpentiger and M. variispinus. Inner gonostylus thick, narrows to end. Outer gonostylus thick S-haped having a hook like end.

Etymology

Balcanicus (latin) = referring to the Balkan area, from where the species were collected. The name is to be deemed to be a latinized adjective in nominative singular.

Distribution

Bulgaria (Balkan mountain range).

Ecology

Only one specimen was collected in a beech forest, close to a small brook at 1100-1200 m. The valley of the brook was dominated by medium to large sized rocks, along with thick layer of accumulated leaf litter.

Taxon discussion

The new species is very close to Molophilus serpentiger and M. variispinus, but differs from both sibling species by the thick outer and inner gonostylus. Both of the two already known sibling species have thin outer gonostylus without hook like end (Figs 1c, 2c, 3c​​). M. balcanicus sp. n. is more close related to M. variispinus, than to M. serpentiger, on the base of the shape of the aedeagal complex (Figs 1d, 2d, 3d​).

Figure 2.

Molophilus variispinus Stary, 1971

amale habitus  
bmale hypopygium, ventral (tergal) view  
cmale hypopygium, ventral (tergal) view  
daedeagal complex, lateral view  
Figure 3.

Molophilus serpentiger Edwards, 1938

amale habitus  
bmale hypopygium, ventral (tergal) view  
cmale hypopygium, lateral view  
daedeagal complex, lateral view  

Molophilus (Molophilus) variispinus Starý, 1971

Materials   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    variispinus
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    Starý, 1971
    ; country:
    Romania
    ; stateProvince:
    Harghita
    ; municipality:
    Izvoare
    ; locality:
    Izvoare Valley
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1415 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    46.454143
    ; decimalLongitude:
    25.56545
    ; samplingProtocol:
    butterfly net
    ; eventDate:
    07/10/2013
    ; habitat:
    brook in spruce (Picea) forest
    ; individualCount:
    1
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMVa-RO-01
    ; recordedBy:
    L.-P. Kolcsár
  2. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    variispinus
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    Stary, 1971
    ; country:
    Romania
    ; stateProvince:
    Harghita
    ; municipality:
    Liban
    ; locality:
    Lacul Dracului bog
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1175 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    46.548137
    ; decimalLongitude:
    25.587024
    ; samplingProtocol:
    butterfly net
    ; eventDate:
    06/27/2013
    ; habitat:
    bog in spruce (Picea) forest
    ; individualCount:
    2
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMVa-RO-02
    ; recordedBy:
    L.-P. Kolcsár

Notes

First record to Romania. The habitus, the hypopigium and the aedeagal complex of the male are illustrated in ​​Fig. 2.

Molophilus (Molophilus) serpentiger Edwards, 1938

Material   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    serpentiger
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    Edwards, 1938
    ; country:
    Romania
    ; stateProvince:
    Maramures
    ; municipality:
    Borșa
    ; locality:
    Vișeu River
    ; verbatimElevation:
    980 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    47.62293
    ; decimalLongitude:
    24.809762
    ; samplingProtocol:
    butterfly net
    ; eventDate:
    05/17/2013
    ; habitat:
    small brook in spruce (Picea) forest
    ; individualCount:
    1
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMSe-RO-01
    ; recordedBy:
    L. Keresztes, L.-P. Kolcsár

Notes

The habitus, the hypopigium and the aedeagal complex of the male are illustrated in Fig. 3.

Molophilus (Molophilus) cinereifrons de Meijere, 1920

Material   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    cinereifrons
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    de Meijere, 1920
    ; country:
    Bulgaria
    ; stateProvince:
    Troyan
    ; municipality:
    Beli Osam
    ; locality:
    Troyan Pass
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1468 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    42.781119
    ; decimalLongitude:
    24.613081
    ; samplingProtocol:
    butterfly net
    ; eventDate:
    06/12/2012
    ; habitat:
    small spring
    ; individualCount:
    1
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMCi-BG-01
    ; recordedBy:
    E. Török, L. Keresztes, L.-P. Kolcsár

Notes

First record to Bulgaria.

Molophilus (Molophilus) corniger de Meijere, 1920

Material   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    corniger
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    de Meijere, 1920
    ; country:
    Spain
    ; stateProvince:
    La Rioja
    ; municipality:
    Ezcaray
    ; locality:
    Valdezcaray ski area
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1620 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    42.255772
    ; decimalLongitude:
    -2.97818
    ; samplingProtocol:
    butterfly net
    ; eventDate:
    07/24/2012
    ; habitat:
    small spring
    ; individualCount:
    2
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMCo-ES-01
    ; recordedBy:
    M. Bálint

Notes

First record to Spain.

Molophilus (Molophilus) crassipygus de Meijere, 1918

Material   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    ​crassipygus
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    de Meijere, 1918
    ; country:
    Greece
    ; municipality:
    Ioanina
    ; locality:
    Tymfi Mts.
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1750 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    39.942732
    ; decimalLongitude:
    20.838062
    ; samplingProtocol:
    UV light trap
    ; eventDate:
    08/05/2012
    ; individualCount:
    1
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMCr-GR-01
    ; recordedBy:
    L. Rákosy

Notes

First record to Greece.

Molophilus (Molophilus) flavus Goetghebuer, 1920

Material   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    flavus
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    Goetghebuer, 1920
    ; country:
    Andorra
    ; stateProvince:
    La Massana
    ; municipality:
    Pal
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1910 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    42.533972
    ; decimalLongitude:
    1.465611
    ; samplingProtocol:
    butterfly net
    ; eventDate:
    07/17/2012
    ; habitat:
    small brook
    ; individualCount:
    1
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMF-AND-01
    ; recordedBy:
    M. Bálint

Notes

First record to Andorra.

Molophilus (Molophilus) medius de Meijere, 1918

Material   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    medius
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    de Meijere, 1918
    ; country:
    Greece
    ; municipality:
    Ioanina
    ; locality:
    Tymfi Mts.
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1750 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    39.942732
    ; decimalLongitude:
    20.838062
    ; samplingProtocol:
    UV light trap
    ; eventDate:
    08/05/2012
    ; individualCount:
    16
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMM-BG-01
    ; recordedBy:
    L. Rákosy

Notes

First record to Greece.

Molophilus (Molophilus) obsoletus Lackschewitz, 1940

Material   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    obsoletus
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    Lackschewitz, 1940
    ; country:
    Greece
    ; municipality:
    Ioanina
    ; locality:
    Tymfi Mts.
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1750 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    39.942732
    ; decimalLongitude:
    20.838062
    ; samplingProtocol:
    UV light trap
    ; eventDate:
    08/05/2012
    ; individualCount:
    3
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMOb-GR-01
    ; recordedBy:
    L. Rákosy

Notes

First record to Greece.

Molophilus (Molophilus) occultus de Meijere, 1918

Material   Download as CSV 
  1. genus:
    Molophilus
    ; subgenus:
    Molophilus
    ; specificEpithet:
    occultus
    ; scientificNameAuthorship:
    de Meijere, 1918
    ; country:
    Romania
    ; stateProvince:
    Maramures
    ; municipality:
    Borșa
    ; locality:
    Cascada Cailor
    ; verbatimElevation:
    1350 m
    ; verbatimCoordinateSystem:
    decimal degrees
    ; verbatimSRS:
    WGS84
    ; decimalLatitude:
    47.586801
    ; decimalLongitude:
    24.668921
    ; samplingProtocol:
    butterfly net
    ; eventDate:
    06/26/2010
    ; habitat:
    spruce ​(Picea) forest
    ; individualCount:
    1
    ; sex:
    male
    ; catalogNumber:
    LCMMO-RO-01
    ; recordedBy:
    L. Keresztes

Notes

First record to Romania.

Acknowledgements

The authors thanks to Miklós Bálint and László Rákosy for collecting the specimens, and to Róbert Veres and Tibor Oláh for spellcheking. The work was financed partly by Collegium Talentum and partly by IDEI grant no. PN-2-ID-PCE-2012-4-0595 of the Romanian Government.

References

login to comment