Rhagovelia (Rhagovelia) infernalis socotrensis Brown, 1956

(Figs 40–42)

Rhagovelia infernalis socotrensis Brown, 1956: 140–142, figs 1c, 2c ( original description). Holotype: ♀ (apterous), Yemen:Socotra, stream at Hadiboh (BMNH).

Published records. TASCHENBERG (1883, as ‘ Velia sp. ?’): Socotra (no exact locality); BROWN (1956): stream at Hadibo [= Hadiboh]; WRANIK (1999, 2000, 2003): Socotra (no exact locality).

Material examined. SOCOTRA: Diksam [= Dixam, ca. 500–1000 m a.s.l.], xi.1997, 1 L, W.Wranik lgt. (WWRG → NMPC); Dixam plateau, Firmihin, small brook under Firmihin (12°28′36ʺN 54°01′06ʺE), 490 m a.s.l., 14.–15.vi.2012, 3 ♂♂ 5 ♀♀ (ap) 1 L, Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. (NMPC); Dirhashas [= Di Hashus, ca. 950–990 m a.s.l.], ix.1998, 1 ♂ 3 ♀♀ (ma) 6 ♂♂ 9 ♀♀ (ap) 3 L, W. Wranik lgt., R. Linnavuori det., P. Kment revid. (WWRG → NMPC); Firmihin, [ca. 390–760 m a.s.l.], iii.1999, 1 ♂ (ma) 3 L, W. Wranik lgt. (WWRG → NMPC); Hagher Mts., wadi Madar (12°33′12ʺN 54°00′24ʺE), brook in montane shrubland, 1170 m a.s.l., 18.vi.2012, 6 ♂♂ 9 ♀♀ (ap), Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. (NMPC, MMBC, NHMW); Halla area, Arher (12°33′00ʺN 54°27′36ʺE), freshwater spring in sand dune, 5 m a.s.l., 9.–10.vi.2012, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (ap), Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. (NMPC); Homhil, [ca. 300–600 m a.s.l.], ix.1998, 4 ♀♀ (ap) 1 L, W. Wranik lgt. (WWRG → NMPC); Homhil protected area,Ain Tsahrin spring (12°34′12″N 54°18′30″E), 435 m a.s.l., 11.vi.2012, 10 ♂♂ 9 ♀♀ (ap) 7 L, Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. (NMPC, MMBC, NHMW); Homhil Wadi, 600 m a.s.l., 5.vi.2008, 1 ♂ (ma) 39 ♂♂ 59 ♀♀ (ap), A. Carapezza lgt. (ACPI, BPBM); Wadi Ayhaft (12°36′30″N 53°58′54″E), 200 m a.s.l., 7.–8.xi.2010, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (ma) 1 ♂ 3 ♀♀ (ap), J. Hájek lgt. (NMPC, NHMW); Wadi Daneghan [= Dineghen, 5–900 m a.s.l.], 2 ♀♀ (ap), W. Wranik lgt. (WWRG → NMPC); Wadi Dirhor, [300–570 m a.s.l.], 8.vi.2008, 4 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀ (ma) 23 ♂♂ 21 ♀♀ (ap), A. Carapezza lgt. (ACPI, BPBM); Wadi Kilisan, [365 m a.s.l.], ix.1998, 2 ♀♀ (ap) 4 L, W. Wranik lgt. (WWRG → NMPC).

Identification. LUNDBLAD (1936) (key, redescription of Rh. i. infernalis, description of Rh. i. africana, figures), BROWN (1956) (description, figures); WRANIK (1999, 2000) (habitus photo of larva); WRANIK (2000, 2003) (habitus photo of adult).

Habitat. Collected on surface of a spring and several small brooks (e.g. Fig. 50) in coastal to montane zone (5−1170 m a.s.l.). LINNAVUORI (1971) collected Rh. infernalis africana in South Sudan in mountain and rain-forest cold brooks. In contrast, HYNES (1955) found Rh. i. africana in Kenya and Somalia only at altitudes below 200 m where it occurred on both permanent and temporary rivers.

Distribution. Palaearctic Region: Socotra (BROWN 1956). The nominotypical subspecies R. infernalis infernalis (Butler, 1876) was described from Rodrigues (BUTLER 1876, as Velia infernalis; LUNDBLAD 1936) and subsequently recorded from Reunion (POISSON 1957b), Mauritius (MAMET 1957, as Rh. infernalis; SALLIER DUPIN 1976), and the Comoros (POISSON 1957d, 1959a, with note on variation). Rhagovelia infernalis andranombyi Poisson, 1952 was described from Madagascar (POISSON 1952a). Rhagovelia infernalis africana Lundblad, 1936 is widely distributed in continental Subsaharan Africa: Burkina Faso (SALLIER DUPIN 1979), Central African Republic (SALLIER DUPIN 1979), Chad (SALLIER DUPIN 1979), Democratic Republic of the Congo (POISSON 1942, 1954b, 1963, 1968a; POISSON & SALLIER DUPIN 1969), Ethiopia (MANCINI 1961), Guinea (BERTRAND 1962), Ivory Coast (BERTRAND 1962, POISSON 1968b, SALLIER DUPIN 1979), Kenya (HYNES 1955, LUNDBLAD 1936, POISSON 1963), Niger (SALLIER DUPIN 1979), Nigeria (SALLIER DUPIN 1979), Republic of the Congo (BERTRAND 1962), Rwanda (POISSON 1955b), Somalia (HYNES 1955), South Africa (POISSON 1957a), South Sudan (LINNAVUORI 1971), Swaziland (POISSON 1963), Uganda (POISSON 1963), Tanzania (POISSON 1960 a, 1963; SALLIER DUPIN 1976), Togo (SALLIER DUPIN 1979), and Zimbabwe (POISSON 1963) as well as in the Palaearctic Region: Israel (NIESER 1995), Cyprus and possibly also in Greece (Rhodes Isl.) (FENT et al. 2011).

SALLIER DUPIN (1976) recorded Rh. i. infernalis and Rh. i. africana from the same locality – Kinola, Mts. Uluguru, Tanzania, and listed the distribution of both subspecies as follows: Rh. i. infernalis from Rodrigues, Mauritius, South Africa (Cape, Transvaal), Zaïre [= Democratic Republic of the Congo], Guinea, and Ivory Coast, and Rh. i. africana from Swaziland, Rhodesia [= Zambia and Zimbabwe], Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda (SALLIER DUPIN 1976). The records of SALLIER DUPIN (1976) require a critical revision.