Limnophila (Limnophila) politostriata Alexander, 1934

Podenas, Sigitas & Byun, Sun-Jae Park and Hye-Woo, 2022, Limnophila crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) of Korea, Journal of Species Research 11 (2), pp. 117-127 : 124-125

Limnophila (Limnophila) politostriata Alexander, 1934

Limnophila (Limnophila) politostriata Alexander, 1934a: 338 , 339; Savchenko, Krivolutskaya, 1976: 64; Savchenko, 1989: 93.

General. Body coloration bluish gray. Male body length 10.0- 11.4 mm, female 12.0- 13.7 mm, male wing length 10.5-11.2 mm, that of female 11.5-12.0 mm.

Head ( Fig. 3B ): Silvery-gray frontally, lead-gray posteriorly, narrowly brownish laterally at base, sparsely covered with short dark brown erect setae. Vertex with low wide tubercle spotted with dark brown at middle. Eyes widely separated in both sexes, distance between them at base of antennae approximately equals length of scape. Antenna 2.0 mm long in male, 1.7-2.1 mm in female, reaching to about middle of pronotum if bent backwards. Antennal scape long nearly cylindrical dark brown, sparsely dusted with brownish gray and bearing few short brown raised setae. Pedicel twice as short as scape, yellowish brown, widened distally. Flagellum yellowish brown to light brown, covered with short dense grayish pubescence, four basal flagellomeres dilated ventrally. Remaining flagellomeres elongate. Verticils dark brown, longest three times as long as respective segments. Apical segment large, approximately as long as preceding segment. Rostrum dark brown, densely covered with brownish gray pruinosity, few long setae at apex. Basal palpomere blackish, remainder of palpus and mouth parts dark brown.

Thorax: Cervical sclerites dark brown, covered with light gray pruinosity that is especially dense ventrally. Pronotum large, light gray because of dense pruinosity, with brownish postero-lateral angle. Mesonotal prescutum ( Fig. 3B ) brownish gray with four very distinct polished black longitudinal stripes. Median stripes reaching each other only at frontal margin of sclerite, remainder separated by narrow gray line. Tubercular pit black but hardly dis- tinguishable because it is merged with median stripe, pseudosutural fovea distinct with polished dark brown central part and black posterior margin. Scutal lobe light gray with large polished black central area which makes an extension of lateral prescutal stripe. Area between scutal lobes light gray to dark gray depending on specimen. Central area of scutellum light gray, frontal margin blackish, posterior brownish. Mediotergite light gray with polished dark brown posterior margin. Dorsopleural membrane yellowish brown, dusted with gray. Pleuron light gray, katepisternum setoseless, ventrally dark brown because of sparser pruinosity. Wing ( Fig. 3A ) iridescent in male but not in female, with abundant spots and large white areas: largest spots at arculus and at both ends of radial sector; cross-veins and distal parts of all longitudinal veins surrounded by darker; largest white areas separate largest dark spots, remainder of wing surface and along veins with abundant small spots. Stigma hidden by dark spot. Veins brown, yellowish at wing base. Venation: Sc long, nearly reaching branching point of Rs, sc-r beyond tip of Sc, at branching point of radial sector. Rs long, arched at base. Free end of R 1 1.5 times as long as R 2. R 2 indistinct. R 3 and R 4 diverging towards wing margin, cell r 3 with very short stem. Cross-vein r-m long and distinct, at base of discal cell. Discal cell twice as long as wide. Cell m 1 short, stem more than twice as long as cell itself. Cross-vein m-cu slightly before middle of discal cell. Anal vein long, slightly sinuous, apex reaching wing margin at the level of Rs base. Anal angle long and narrow, widely rounded. Length of male halter 1.6-1.9 mm, that of female 1.9-2.0 mm, stem brownish yellow with darker base, knob dark brown. Coxae brown, densely dusted with light gray. Trochanters brown, sparsely dusted with gray. Femur yellow with distinctly dark brown distal part. Tibia yellow with narrowly darkened apex. Tarsus dark brown with light brown base of basal tarsomere. Tibia of foreleg with single apical spur, tibiae of middle and hind pairs of legs with two apical spurs each. Male femur I: 5.8-6.6 mm long, II: 6.5-8.0 mm, III: 7.0 mm, tibia I: 7.2-7.3 mm, II: 7.3-9.0 mm, III: 7.7 mm, tarsus I: 8.5 mm, III: 5.7 mm. Female femur I: 5.2-6.5 mm long, II: 6.2-7.0 mm, III: 7.0- 7.5 mm, tibia I: 6.3-6.7 mm, II: 6.2-6.3 mm, III: 7.7-8.0 mm, tarsus I: 5.2-6.5 mm, II: 5.4-5.5 mm, III: 5.2-5.4 mm. Claw simple, without spines or teeth, dark brown.

Abdomen: Abdominal tergites sparsely setose, light gray with brown posterior margin. Tergite with pair of semipolished transverse sutures and similar narrow oblique stripes that turn shorter on posterior tergites. Sternites brown, yellowish at base of abdomen, densely covered with gray pruinosity. Male terminalia ( Fig. 3C ) brown, yellowish at base, blackish at apex. Ninth tergite distinctly wider than longer, posterior margin widely rounded, slightly raised medially. Gonocoxite elongate, nearly cylindrical, with distinct apical spine at base of outer gonostylus. Outer gonostylus setose, narrow at basal half, dilated distally, apex blunt and slightly darkened. Inner gonostylus wide, fleshy and setose, nearly parallel-sided, distal part raised upwards. Paramere long rod-shaped, with narrower distal part, strongly curved ventrally. Aedeagus long, tube-shaped, strongly arched, apex curved downwards. Tenth tergite of female abdomen ( Fig. 3D ) elongate, narrow, brown and covered with gray pruinosity. Ovipositor with cercus and hypovalva polished reddish brown, cercus long and arched, darker at base, yellow at tip, round-apexed. Hypovalva long and straight.

Elevation range in Korea. From 850 to nearly 1,200 m. Period of activity in Korea. From middle of June through early July. Habitat. Muddy margins of springs and small streams covered with shrubs and dense grassy vegetation. General distribution. Russian Far East. Examined material ( Fig. 4C ). metatype, 1 male (antenna, both hind legs and genitalia slide mounted) , North Korea, Seren. Mts. , alt. 3,800 ft. [1,158 m], 1938.06.14, A. Yankovsky ( USNM) ; 1 male, 2 females (pinned), North Korea, Seren Mts. , alt. 2,800 ft. [853 m], 1938.06.22, A. Yankovsky ( USNM) ; 2 males, 2 females (pinned), North Korea, Seren Mts. , alt. 3,000 ft. [914 m], 1938.06.25, A. Yankovsky ( USNM) ; 1 male (pinned), North Korea, Seren Mts. , alt. 3,000 ft. [914 m], 1938.07.02 -03, A. Yankovsky ( USNM) ; 1 male, 1 female (pinned), North Korea, Seren Mts. , alt. 3,700 ft. [1,128 m], 1938.07.05, A. Yankovsky ( USNM) . Also compared with: holotype, male (antenna, fore leg, gonocoxite with gonostyli slide mounted), [Rus- sia], E. Siberia, Ussuri [mouth of river Amur] Osernaja, June 24, 1915, W. Chernawin ( USNM) .

Figures

Fig. 3. Limnophila (Limnophila) politostriata Alexander, 1934. A. wing. B. thorax and head, dorsal view. C. male genitalia, dorsal view. D. ovipositor, lateral view. Scale bars 0.5 mm.

Fig. 4. Distribution maps of Korean Limnophila(Limnophila) crane flies.A. L. (L.) japonica. B. L. (L.) pictipennis. C. L.(L.) politostriata.