Sigara (Tropocorixa) hoggarica Poisson, 1929

(Fig. 2)

Sigara (Arctocorisa) hoggarica Poisson, 1929: 91–93, figs 6–8 (original description). Syntypes: ♂♂ ♀♀, Algeria: Mouyidir, Tiguelguemine (2 ♀♀), Tahoun Arak (1 ♀), and Hoggar, Aguelmane Imerrha (1 ♂ without abdomen, 1 ♀) (MNHN: coll. Bergevin, USNM: additional slides – viz JANSSON 1995: 54).

Corixa (Tropocorixa) choprai Hutchinson, 1940: 456–458, pl. XXIX: figs 385–396 (original description). Holotype: ♂, India: Himachal Pradesh, Simla Hills, Kandaghat (?NZSI). Synonymized by JANSSON (1995: 54).

Sigara brevixipha Brown, 1951: 259–261, figs 20a–j, 21a–d (original description). Holotype: ♂, Saudi Arabia: Hejaz, Ashaira, Sail Kabir (BMNH). Synonymized by LINNAVUORI (1964: 336).

Material examined. SOCOTRA: Dixam plateau, wadi Zerig (12°29′36ʺN 53°59′30ʺE, pool at road bridge, Juncus marsh, 655 m a.s.l., 13.–14.vi.2012, 3 ♂♂ 1 L5 1 L3, Socotra expedition 2012: J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský, J. Niedobová & L. Purchart lgt. (NMPC); Dixam plateau, wadi Zerig (12°29′36ʺN 53°59′30ʺE), 18.i.2014, 30 ♂♂ 13 ♀♀ 2 L, A. Carapezza lgt. (ACPI); Dixam plateau, wadi Zerig, beginning of track for Skand Mt. (12°29′15ʺN 53°59′20ʺE), 20.i.2014, 7 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, A. Carapezza lgt. (ACPI).

Identification. POISSON (1929) (description, figures); POISSON (1934a) (original description repeated, figures); POISSON (1936): 214–215 (diagnosis, figures); LINNAVUORI & HOSSEINI (2000) (key, diagnosis, figures); LINNAVUORI et al. (2011) (diagnosis, habitus photo).

Habitat. In Socotra, the species was collected in the medium elevation zone in a large pool with sparse littoral vegetation in a drying wadi (Fig. 53). Outside Socotra, it was collected in ponds, shallow pools with sandy bottom, rivers, rocky streams without vegetation, brook with gravelly bottom, rocky pools in a dried-out wadi, shallow irrigation dikes as well as in rice-field (BROWN 1951; HYNES 1955; LINNAVUORI 1964, 1971, 1981, 1986a, 1994b, 2009; LINNAVUORI & VAN HARTEN 1997; ALAHMED et al. 2009; LINNAVUORI et al. 2011). Also collected at light (LINNAVUORI 2009, LINNAVUORI et al. 2011). ALAHMED et al. (2009) reported S. hoggarica as an efficient predator of mosquito larvae.

Distribution. Afrotropical Region: Chad (DISPONS 1965), Ethiopia (HYNES 1955), Mauritania (VILLIERS 1951), Niger (POISSON 1950a, LINNAVUORI 1981), Sudan (LINNAVUORI 1971). Palaearctic Region: NorthAfrica:Algeria (POISSON 1929, 1948b), Canary Islands (BAENA & BÁEZ 1990, ROCACUSACHS et al. 2020), Egypt (PRIESNER & WAGNER 1961, as S. brevixipha; LINNAVUORI 1964), Libya (POISSON 1948b); Near East: Iraq (LINNAVUORI 1994b), Iran (LINNAVUORI 2004, 2009; GHAHARI et al. 2013), Israel (BAENA & BÁEZ 1990, JANSSON 1995, both without exact record), Oman (AUKEMA et al. 2013, without exact record), Saudi Arabia (BROWN 1951, 1953b, both as S. brevixipha; LINNAVUORI 1986a; ALAHMED et al. 2009), Socotra (this paper), United Arab Emirates (LINNAVUORI et al. 2011), Yemen (BROWN 1951, as S. brevixipha; LINNAVUORI 1989b; LINNAVUORI & VAN HARTEN 1997). Oriental Region: Pakistan: Balochistan (HUTCHINSON 1940, as S. choprai), India: Himachal Pradesh (HUTCHINSON 1940, as S. choprai). New to the Socotra Archipelago.

Notes. The record from Asian Turkey by NIESER & MOUBAYED (1985) is erroneous (cf. FENT et al. 2011).

POISSON (1936: 214) incorrectly treated S. (T.) lundbladiana Hutchinson, 1932 as a synonym of S. hoggarica (see JANSSON 1995: 54).