Iteaphila caelebs (Becker) Sinclair & Shamshev, 2021

Sinclair, Bradley J. & Shamshev, Igor V., 2021, World revision of Iteaphila with unbranched radial vein (Diptera: Empidoidea: Iteaphilidae), Zootaxa 4968 (1), pp. 1-89 : 79-80

Iteaphila caelebs (Becker) comb. nov.

( Fig. 33 )

Anthepiscopus caelebs Becker, 1891: 283 . Type localities: “Bozen (Süd-Tirol)” [= Bolzano , Italy], “Admont (Obersteier)” ( Austria) [Rolle-Pass, Italy].

Type material examined. SYNTYPES. Rolle-Pass [46°17′47″N 11°47′13″E], 20/6 90 25588, SYNTYPUS [red] (1 ♀, ZMHB); Rolle-Pass, 20/6 90 25688 , SYNTYPUS [red] (7 ♀, ZMHB) .

Additional material together with syntype series. Mörsil [63°19′N 13°38′E], 18/6, 42714, Anthepiscopus caelebs Beck. [Becker’s handwriting] (2 ♀, mounted on one plate, ZMHB) .

Possible additional material. FINLAND. Kuusamo [65°58′N 029°11′E], R . Frey (1 ♀, MZH) . SLOVAKIA. Centralis, Mašianske skalky [48°50′20.04″N 20°2′20.76″E], 15.v.1979, V . Straka (1 ♀, OUMNH); Pol’ana Biological Rerserve , Hrončecký grúň reserve,?. vi.1999, 48°41′N 19°31′E, J. Roháček (1 ♀, CULSP); Zadná Pol’ana, National Nature Reserve, 1250 m, spruce wood, MT , 6.v.–3.vii.2006, 48°39′40″N 19°29′50″E, Ševčík & Roháček (3 ♀, CULSP) .

Recognition. Females of this species have pale legs and halteres. The absence of males makes identification of this species difficult, especially given the variation in leg colouration that occurs in females.

Redescription. Wing length 3.2 mm. Female. Head black in ground-colour, with brown to black setation, occiput subshining, finely greyish pollinose. Eyes dichoptic, with ommatidia equally small. Frons very broad, somewhat widened toward ocellar triangle. Ocellar triangle prominent, with 2 pairs of thin setae; anterior ocellars moderately long, proclinate and lateroclinate; posterior ocellars short. Postvertical and postocular setae moderately long; additionally, occiput covered with numerous short bristly hairs in lower part. Antenna brown; scape short, subequal to globular pedicel, both with short setullae; postpedicel rather broad at base, nearly 3.5 times longer than wide, smoothly tapered; stylus very short, sensillum-tipped; segment 9 tubular, nearly as long wide, apical sensillum about as long as segment 9. Proboscis long, projected oblique; labium about as long as head is high; palpus projected parallel to labrum, somewhat shorter than labrum.

Thorax black in ground-colour, with black setation; scutum viewed dorsally subshiny, finely brownish grey pollinose, with three darker, hardly prominent, narrow vittae down acrostichal and dorsocentral setae; viewed anteriorly more distinctly brown pollinose; mesopleuron uniformly greyish brown pollinose. Proepisternum with brownish yellow setulae in lower part and similar setulae in upper part. Postpronotal lobe with 1–2 long setae and few setulae. Mesonotal setae prominent; acr short, arranged in 2 close rows, lacking on prescutellar depression; dc uniserial (with some additional setulae in anterior part), offset from row anteriorly, subequal to acr in anterior part, 2–3 prescutellar pairs long; 1 presut spal (sometimes with additional setulae), 3–4 npl (often with 1–2 additional shorter setae), several psut spal of different lengths, 1 long pal, 4–5 pairs of sctl.

Legs, including coxae, yellow, apical tarsomeres brownish. Coxae and trochanters with ordinary hair-like setae. Fore and mid femora with short posteroventral setae somewhat longer subapically. Hind femur with moderately long anteroventral (in apical part) and dorsal setae. All tibiae with inconspicuous setation. Tarsomere 5 on all legs flattened; pulvilli broad, shorter than tarsal claw.

Wing almost hyaline, very finely infuscate along anterior margin; basal costal seta absent; pterostigma distinct brownish yellow, elliptical, overlapping apex of R 1; anal lobe very prominent, acute. Sc complete; R 2+3 straight in apical part; R 4+5 unbranched; cell dm broad, longer than basal cells, hardly produced apically; base of M 2 (crossvein) long, M branches widely separated; dm-m crossvein straight. Apex of cell cua recurved, CuA+CuP long, faint, ending just short of wing margin. Halter yellow.

Abdomen brownish yellow, subshiny, finely greyish pollinose; with short brownish setulae. Cercus brownish, long, slender.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Specimens from Finland, Italy and Slovakia have been studied ( Fig. 33 ).

Remarks. This species can not presently be confidently identified and/or defined without associated males. Additional collecting from the type locality (Rolle-Pass) is required to determine how many species are present in the region based on males. Iteaphila ribesii is also collected in the same type locality.A lectotype was not designated at this time due to the difficulties in associating males with females and also distinguishing different species among female specimens alone.

Engel (1941; 200) noted a male specimen of this species from Corsica. But his description clearly indicates that it is a specimen of Euthyneura Macquart , which was also confirmed by M. Chvála (i.e., 1 ♂, Korsika, 2.V, 5483, Euthyneura ! cf. albipennis Zett., det. M. Chvála, 1981). Shamshev (2016) treated A. caelebs as a junior synonym of A. oedalinus , although without justification. Although we retain provisionally I. caelebs as a separate species, records of this species from Scandinavia and Siberia most probably belong to I. oedalina . In the females of the latter species, the legs and halteres are very variable in colour.

The specimens from Pol’ana, Slovakia were identified as A. ribesii by Barták & Roháček (2009). Since no male specimens were available to us, this species identification could not be confirmed.

Figures

FIGURES 33–35. Distribution of Iteaphila with unbranched R 4+5. 33, I. falki sp. nov., I. caelebs (Becker); 34, I. ribesii (Becker), I. zontaki (Nowicki); 35, I. bartaki sp. nov.