Sphaeromias pictus (Meigen, 1818)

Ceratopogon pictus Meigen, 1818: 80 (♀, Germany).

Ceratopogon punctatus Meigen, 1830: 264 (♀, probably Germany).

Ceratopogon elegans Winnertz, 1852: 58 (♀, Poland).

Xylocrypta miricornis Kieffer, 1919: 77 (♂, Hungary).

Sphaeromias pictus – Goetghebuer 1934: 59 (combination; = C. elegans).

Diagnosis

Body brown, scutellum slightly paler. Legs brown, mid and hind legs darkest; fore tibia with distinct pale band at apex (poorly developed on mid tibia); tarsomeres 1–4 yellow, with more or less brown tips, tarsomeres 5 brown; fore femur slightly swollen, with 8–9 ventral spines, mid femur slender, with 5–6 spines, hind femur with 8–10 spines; tarsomeres 5 with 6 massive ventral batonnets; female claws equal, long, curved, with basal inner teeth. Female with 2 sub-equal, rounded seminal capsules with short necks, and distinct seminal duct.

Material examined

ISRAEL: 1 ♀, Golan Aniam, 18 May 1983, A. Freidberg leg. (TAU); 2 ♀♀, Hula, 1 Jul. 1993, A. Freidberg leg. (TAU); 1 ♀, Berekhat Ya’ar, 14 May 2003, A. Freidberg leg. (TAU); 2 ♀♀, same collection data except 23 May 2003 (TAU); 1 ♀, En HaHoresh, 21 May 2005, A. Freidberg leg. (TAU).

Distribution

Belarus, Belgium, Great Britain, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia (central, northwest and southern regions), Slovakia, Ukraine (Remm 1988; Szadziewski et al. 2013). We provide the first records for the Middle East, from Israel.