PHAEOMYIINAE sensu Steyskal, 1965

Vala, Jean-Claude & Williams, Christopher D., 2015, Sciomyzidae Fallén, 1820 (Diptera) collected in the Mercantour National Park, France, Zoosystema 37 (4), pp. 611-619 : 612-613

Subfamily PHAEOMYIINAE sensu Steyskal, 1965 Genus Pelidnoptera Rondani, 1856

Pelidnoptera nigripennis ( Fabricius, 1794) ( Fig. 2 )

Musca nigripennis Fabricius, 1794: 346 .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 8♂, 2 ♀, M09- BOR1400 -T1-M1 ; 1♀, M09- SES1400 T1-M2 ; 2 ♀, M09- BOR1400 T2-M2 ; 7 ♂, M09- BOR2000 -T2-M1 ; 7 ♂, 2 ♀, M09- BOR2000 -T3-M1 ; 1 ♂, M09- BOR2000 -T4-M1 .

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FROM MERCANTOUR PARK. — Auron, “Adret Rambert,” 1 ♂, 20.VI.2008, Christian Cocquempot leg., according to a recent identification by Michel Martinez (June 2015).

DISTRIBUTION. — European (rare elsewhere): from Scandinavia (but not found in Denmark) and Estonia to Portugal, Spain, Romania, and Croatia. Also in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

COMMENTS

This species is rarely collected. It occupies mainly dry forest habitats, borders of pine forests, edge of scrub oak forests and scrublands. Its presence was noted at altitude ( Vala 1989), as is confirmed below. The larvae are internal parasitoids of the terrestrial millipede diplopod Ommatoiulus moreleti (Lucas, 1860) , which has a lifespan of about two years. Female flies glue their eggs directly onto hosts that are at least 12 months old, and the first-instar larvae penetrate the host through an intersegment membrane. They are inactive during the first 1-2 months, but begin to completely consume the tissues of the diplopod by autumn. Then, they pupariate in situ (one per host), and overwinter until the emergence of the adults, beginning in the following May. Adult flight period is short, from May to July, but can extend to the end of August at higher altitudes, as we report here at Saint-Martin-Vésubie and Valdeblore (both at 2000 m altitude). Thus, the species is really univoltine. Details on the biology were first provided by Baker (1985), as Eginia sp. ( Muscidae Latreille, 1802 ). Pont (1985) added a partial description of the cephalopharyngeal skeleton of the first- and third-instar larvae and the puparium, as Eginia ocypterata (Meigen, 1826) . Bailey (1989) published the complete biology, and from the laboratory rearing of this author, Vala et al. (1990) described all the immature stages and the life-cycle of the species.

The 30 specimens examined here were collected during a short period, from 9.VI to 13.VIII.2009, and mainly at the Boréon sites, with 12 specimens at 1400 m and 17 at 2000 m. One specimen was collected at the Sestrière site in a natural pasture. Usually, this species has been reported from the capture of single or a few individuals. Therefore, the number reported here seems quite exceptional.

Fig. 1. — Map showing locations of the sampling sites.

Figures

FIG. 2.— Pelidnoptera nigripennis (Fabricius,1794),male habitus,characteristic posterior part of the bifurcate surstyli has been manually extended.Scale bar:0.5 cm.