Aphaniosoma proximum Ebejer, 1998

Ebejer, Martin J., 2023, The genus Aphaniosoma Becker, 1903 (Diptera: Chyromyidae) in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, with descriptions of new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 872, pp. 1-161 : 130

Aphaniosoma proximum Ebejer, 1998

Remarks

This species has much in common with A. notatum and A. scutellare . Being variable in colour pattern adds to the difficulty of identification of species in this complex. The pregenital sternite of A. proximum usually has 2 projecting lobes. The barely noticeable posterior lobes arising from the postero-lateral corners of the sternite just beyond those that project ventrally and arise from the lateral border of the sternite. Basally, the sternite is divided into two more or less rectangular sclerotized parts ( Ebejer 1998: 220, fig. 64). In A. scutellare , the posterior projections are not much shorter than those proximal to them and the basal part of the sclerite is complete and irregularly hexagonal ( Ebejer 1998: 222, figs 69–70). In both species the sternite is much smaller than that in A. gallagheri , which has a deep U-shaped apical incision and much longer antero-ventrally directed projections from the lateral margins at its caudal end ( Ebejer 2009: 401, fig. 46a–b).

Distribution

Italy (Sardinia and Sicily), Malta, Morocco, Romania, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates ( Ebejer 1998, 2005, 2016; Ebejer & Bartak 2019).