Leucopis glyphinivora Rondani, 1875

Ebejer, M. J., 2017, A conspectus of the silver-flies (Diptera: Chamaemyiidae) of the Middle East with descriptions of new species of Chamaemyia Meigen and Melanochthiphila Frey, from the Arabian Peninsula, Zootaxa 4319 (3), pp. 461-482 : 478-479

Leucopis glyphinivora Rondani, 1875

Saudi Arabia: 1♂ 4♀, Asir, Abha, Madinat Ameer Sultan , 18°17ʹN 42°37ʹE, 19.vi–9.vii.2013, Malaise trap, HAD ( NMWC) ; 2♂ 2♀, same data ( CERS-JU) ; 1♂, Jazan, Fifa, Altatweer Centre , 17°17ʹN 43°08ʹE, 16.xii.2015 – 6.i.2016, Malaise trap, HAD (CERS-JU). Yemen: 1♂, Ta’Izz, 3–24.i.1999, light trap, A. van Harten ( NMWC) . Iran: unpublished personal observations MJE and personal communication S. Gaimari (USA).

It is somewhat surprising to find so few specimens among the material available for study from Saudi Arabia, even though it was collected so far south, falling within the Afrotropical Region.

Taxonomic note: In a recent study ( Raspi & Benelli 2016), the type of Leucopis talaria Rondani, 1875 , a female, was compared to males and females of L. glyphinivora reared from Tuscany, Italy and shown to be very similar. Their figures of the male postabdomen of this series are very similar to Tanasijtshuk’s figures of male L. glyphinivora . However, female Leucopis are poorly studied and it remains difficult to separate reliably species on female characters. For this reason, I retain the name L. glyphinivora .

Distribution. widespread throughout most of the Palaearctic Region from Europe to China.