Libnotes Westwood, 1876

Podenas, Sigitas, Byun, Hye-Woo & Kim, Sam-Kyu, 2015, Limoniinae crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) new to Korea, Journal of Species Research 4 (2), pp. 61-96 : 80-81

Libnotes Westwood, 1876

Libnotes Westwood, 1876: 505 ; Edwards, 1928: 74; Savchenko and Krivolutskaya, 1976: 118; Savchenko, 1983: 110; 1985: 39, 1989: 323.

Limonia (Libnotes) Alexander, 1929: 242 , 245; Ishida, 1957: 125.

Type species ­ Libnotes thwaitesiana Westwood, 1876 ( Sri Lanka) .

Most species of Libnotes are big, with body size up to 15­17 mm, or very big, up to 23­24 mm, when compared with other Limoniidae crane flies. Body coloration varies from yellow to gray, dark brown or nearly black. Antennal flagellum 12­segmented, apical flagellomere big, usually nearly twice as long as preceding segment, often wider at base and distinctly narrowed at distal part. Wing comparatively long and narrow, reaching far beyond tip of abdomen. Stigma well defined, dark areas often surround cord and distal cross­veins. Some species have darkenings also along distal longitudinal veins, in some cases these darkenings are broken into many small spots or dashes. Wing venation: humeral vein at the level of arculus; Sc long, Sc 1 usually reaches far beyond branching point of Rs, only in some cases it ends approximately at branching point of radial sector; Sc 2 usually close to tip of Sc 1, just in some species it is distinctly before that, at approximately middle of Rs; R 1 often short and transverse, but in some species it is elongate; R 2 short and transverse, position of it varies, but in most cases it is close to tip of R 1; radial sector short, oblique, it starts approximately at middle of wing length; distal radial and medial cells long and narrow; distal branches of radial and medial veins distinctly arched, tips pointed towards posterior wing margin; distal cell long and narrow; basal deflection of CuA 1 beyond branching point of M; A 1 long and nearly straight; A 2 shortened, arched or slightly sinuous. Anal angle small or medium­wide. Males of some species have numerous small spines on frontal femorae and tarsi, which are missing in females. Inner gonostylus of male genitalia with unique lobe, that carries apically distinct pencil of long setae; ninth tergite simple, posterior margin rounded or straight; penis bifid at apex. Cercus of ovipositor with unique subapical teeth, hypovalvae with saw­shaped margin.

Larvae of Libnotes are metapneusnistic. Their body coloration light, surface covered with short pubescence, form terete and elongate. Abdominal segments with ventral and dorsal creeping welts formed by spinulae. Spiracular disc with four inconspicuous spiracular lobes, spiracular field with two ventral sclerites. Spiracle oblique, oblong or elliptical. Anal field surrounded by four long, white and fleshy anal papillae. Head capsule hemicephalic, prognatous, oval, with caudal end turned into acute spine. Labrum fused with broad clypeus. Hypostoma dentate (5­7 teeth) and deeply split posteriorly. Larvae are developing in wet rotten wood of deciduous and coniferous trees. They also could be found in tunnels of wood­boring beetles.

Pupa terete, gradually tapering from base of wing pads to slender cauda. Pronotal horns elongate, curved and flattened against thorax. Tips of wings reach posterior margin of second abdominal segment. Antennal sheath reach the wing base. Numerous spiracular openings are situated laterally. Abdominal segments 3­7 subdivided into two annuli. End of female abdomen cone­likely narrowed without additional hooks. Cauda of male abdomen rounded without additional hooks ( Wood, 1952; Krivosheina and Krivosheina, 2011).

A total of 286 species belong to the genus Libnotes is recorded worldwide. The largest diversity is observed in Oriental Region, 131 species and Australian Region, 110 species. Thirty nine species are known from Afrotropic and 16 from Palaearctic Region, except Nearctic and Neotropical Regions ( Oosterbroek, 2015). No fossil species of the genus Libnotes are known so far ( Evenhuis, 2014).