Hydrellia latipalpis Cresson, 1943

Dawah, Hassan A., Ahmad, Syed K., Abdullah, Mohammed A. & Zatwarnicki, Tadeusz, 2019, An overview of the Ephydridae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 4711 (3), pp. 401-445 : 416

Hydrellia latipalpis Cresson, 1943

( Fig. 15–16 )

Hydrellia latipalpis Cresson, 1943a: 4 : Zatwarnicki 1988: 602–603 [revision]; Deeming 2002: 54 [ Oman]; Dawah & Abdullah 2006: 387–388; El-Hawagry et al 2017: 1516 [ Saudi Arabia]; Mathis et al. 2017: 688–689 [ United Arab Emirates]. Hydrellia binotata Canzoneri and Meneghini 1969: 126 ; Deeming 2002: 54 [synonymy].

Specimens examined. 1 ♀, Asir, Karatha, Al-Ethrebany Fruit Farm , 7–28. viii. 2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) : 3 ♂, Jazan, Farasan island, Aziz Yousef Village , 29. x. 2014, sweeping on grasses, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) ; 1 ♂, Jazan, Abu Aresh, Al-Mahdag Village , 4. iii. 2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) ; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Asir, Wadi Hali , sweeping on grasses, 9. i. 2003, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) ; 1 ♀, Asir, Maraba , 1–17. vi. 2003, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah & M.A. Abdullah, Maraba, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS; NMWC) ; 2 ♂, same data but 1–30. v. 2004 ( CERS) .

Other Saudi Arabian records: Asir Region: Maraba: 60 km S of Abha; Wadi Hali ( Dawah & Abdullah 2006); Garf Raydah Nature Reserve ( El-Hawagry et al. 2017).

Distribution. This species was previously recorded from Saudi Arabia by Dawah & Abdullah (2006) and El- Hawagry et al. (2017). It was described from Colombo, Sri Lanka (female) and Nepal (male). The species was further recorded from the following areas: Afrotropical Region: Cape Verde Islands, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritius, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen; Oriental Region: Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Remarks. Cresson (1943a: 4) described H. latipalpis from a single female from Colombo, Sri Lanka while Zatwarnicki (1988: 602) described the male of H. latipalpis from Nepal. Recently Deeming (2002) found that the male genitalia of H. latipalpis is identical to that of Hydrellia binotata , which was described by Canzoneri & Meneghini (1969: 126) from Democratic Republic of Congo and he placed H. binotata as a junior synonym of H. latipalpis . All known species of Hydrellia have larvae that are phytophagous. Most mine in leaves and stems of aquatic plants but some attack terrestrial plants, especially Poaceae (e.g. rice).

Figures

FIGURES 14–15. Habitus, lateral view. 14. Hydrellia griseola (Fallén, 1813), female. 15. Hydrellia latipalpis Cresson, 1943 (Images: James Turner, NMWC).

FIGURES 16–17. Habitus, lateral view. 16. Hydrellia latipalpis Cresson, 1943, female. 17. Notiphila ignobilis Loew, 1862 (Images: James Turner, NMWC).