Empis (Euempis) pilicornis Loew, 1867

Shamshev, I. V., 2022, New and little-known species of dance flies the subgenus Euempis Frey (Diptera: Empididae) from Morocco and Spain, Russian Entomological Journal 31 (4), pp. 426-431 : 428-430

Empis (Euempis) pilicornis Loew, 1867

Fig. 4 .

Empis pilicornis Loew, 1867: 8 . Type-locality: Spain, Andalusia.

TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. Holotype, ♂, labels data as in Fig. 4 ( ZMHB).

Loew described this species after a single male taken in “Hispania”. There is one male under the name E. pilicornis in the Loew Collection in Berlin .

DIAGNOSIS. Large, black species (body length about 9 mm); antennal scape elongate; palpus black; acrostichal and dorsocentral setae multiserial; hind tibia with 2 long anteroventral setae; halter brown; abdominal sternite 1 setose. Male: epandrial lamella subtriangular; phallus slender, concealed within epandrial lamellae.

RE-DESCRIPTION. Male ( Fig. 4 ). Body length 9.3 mm; wing length 9 mm. Eyes almost touching on frons leaving small triangular space below ocellar tubercle and large triangular space above antennae; ommatidia slightly larger on upper part; frons bare. Antennae missing (Loew notes that the scape is elongate, thick and covered with numerous, long, hair-like setae; the pedicel is rounded, with longer setae than in E. ciliata Fabricius ). Occiput covered with dense, long, black to brownish, thin setae. Face broad, greyish pruinose. Palpus long, black; with numerous long, black, thin setae. Labrum brownish to yellowish brown, nearly 1.5 times longer than head height.

Thorax black, with black setation; densely greyish pruinose; scutum almost uniformly greyish, very slightly darker along rows of acrostichal and dorsocentral setae in some view. Prothoracic sclerites with numerous long thin setae; additionally, postpronotal lobe with 1 somewhat stronger seta. Scutum with dorsocentral and acrostichal setae hair-like, moderately long (except several prescutellar dorsocentrals), multiserial; acrostichal setae dense, not forming rows, present on prescutellar depression; dorsocentral setae separated from acrostichals by narrow space but not separated from similar setae covering supra-alar face; 2 presutural supra-alars (anterior seta shorter and thinner), 2 postsutural supra-alars (posterior seta much longer), 1 very long postalar, scutellum probably with 2 stronger and longer setae (both missing), 2 shorter and thinner setae and several short setulae, 6 notopleurals. Laterotergite with long, numerous setae.

Legs blackish brown, greyish pruinose, denser on coxae and trochanters; with black setation. Coxae and trochanters with numerous simple setae. Fore femur with rows of numerous anteroventral and posteroventral thin setae (becoming longer toward base), several long setae anteriorly and posteriorly on apical part. Fore tibia with rows of 7–8 moderately long anterodorsal, 7–8 posterodorsal and 4 similar posteroventral setae (besides circlet of subapical setae), pubescent ventrally. Fore basitarsus slender, with 2 short anterodorsal and 2 short posteroventral setae on basal part; all fore tarsomeres with circlet of strong subapical setae. Mid femur with irregular rows of anteroventral and posteroventral intermixed stronger and thin setae becoming longer toward base, 2 strong setae closer to apex anteriorly, 1 subapical anterior and 1 subapical posterior setae. Mid tibia with 4 irregularly set anterodorsal, 4 posterodorsal, 4 anteroventral and 4 posteroventral setae (besides circlet of subapical setae). Mid basitarsus with 1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral setae on about middle; all mid tarsomeres with circlet of strong subapical setae. Hind femur slender, only about 1.5 times wide than hind tibia; covered with numerous long strong setae; with dense, long, thinner setae posteroventrally and posteriorly. Hind tibia rather slightly uniformly thickened, somewhat broader that fore and mid tibiae; with 5 long anterodorsal, 4 shorter posterodorsal, 1 dorsal near base and 2 long anteroventral setae on about apical half (besides circlet of subapical setae); 1 short fine seta in posteroapical comb. Hind basitarsus slender, with 1 short anteroventral and 3 posteroventral setae on about apical half. Pulvilli and claws large.

Wing (right wing missing) membrane slightly uniformly brownish, cell r1 darker; with typical venation for Euempis ; veins brownish yellow, costa brownish; R 2+3 forked just before meeting costa; pterostigma indistinct. Squama brown, black fringed. Halter brown.

Abdomen black, rather subshiny, faintly greyish pruinose; tergites 1–6 viewed posteriorly with pale posterior margin, bearing long posteromarginal setae laterally; sternite 1 setose, sternite 8 with several long posteromarginal setae.

Terminalia (not dissected) small, black; epandrial lamella subtriangular, with row of several black setae closer to lower margin; cercus small, subtriangular (lateral view), pointed, with minute setae.

Female. Unknown.

REMARKS. This little-known species of Euempis resembles very much widely distributed E. sericans Brullé, 1832 (recorded from Europe (except north), Georgia, Russia (North Caucasus), Turkey). Empis pilicornis can be readily distinguished from E. sericans primarily by subtriangular epandrial lamella (versus subrectangular in E. sericans [e.g., Chvála, 1994: 26, fig. 17)] as well as by brown spiracles and halteres (versus yellow in E. sericans ).

DISTRIBUTION. Palaearctic: Spain. The species remains known only after the holotype collected from Andalusia .

Acknowledgements. I am indebted to Thomas Pape (NHMD), Adrian Pont (OUMNH) and Joachim Ziegler (ZMHB) for the loan of specimens used in this study. This study was performed within the frames of the Russian State Research Project no. 122031100272-3 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Figures

Fig. 4. Empis (Euempis) pilicornis Loew, 1867, holotype male, lateral view. Рис. 4. Empis (Euempis) pilicornis Loew, 1867, голотип, самец, вид сбоку.