Lampromyia Macquart, 1835

Ebejer, Martin J. & Gatt, Paul, 2021, A checklist of the Diptera (Insecta) of the Maltese Islands, Zootaxa 5018 (1), pp. 1-75 : 19-22

Lampromyia Macquart, 1835

bellasiciliae Kehlmaier, 2014

Vermileo Macquart, 1834

vermileo (Linnaeus, 1758) 1

immaculatus Carles-Tolrá & Cuesta-Segura, 2020 syn.n.

1. This may be a species complex that is currently being revised (Christian Kehlmaier, pers. comm.), and the species from Malta is included in this revision. Vermileo immaculatus Carles-Tolrá & Cuesta-Segura, 2020 was recently described from Malta and compared with a large series of V. balearicus Wheeler, 1930 , itself very similar to V. vermileo . The authors ( Carles-Tolrá & Cuesta-Segura 2020: 268) categorically stated that they could find no structural difference between the three species but noted only differences in colour pattern:

“a detailed study of the male genitalia of the three species compared has revealed that there are not differences among them, not even on the internal parts (dorsal bridge and other associated structures enclos-

ing the aedeagus). According to Stuckenberg (1965: Fig. 10), V. vermileo has the synsternite completely sclerotised, but all the males studied for this paper have a distinct desclerotised zone on the synsternite, like V. balearicus and V. immaculatus sp. n. (Figs. 22-23). Furthermore, the gonostyli drawn by Stuckenberg (1965: Fig. 9) seemed distinctly different from those of V. balearicus and V. immaculatus sp. n. (Figs. 24- 25), but this was due to differences in view angles, while in reality they are identical. Likewise, the number and size of spikes (Figs. 30-31) on the associated structures to the aedeagus are also very variable and even lack in some cases. All in all, no distinct and constant genital differences have been found among these three species in any sex. Consequently, the three species are only distinguishable by external morphological characters, mostly those of the abdominal pattern on tergites and sternites”.

A difference in colour pattern, especially to this small degree and without supporting differences in anatomi-

cal structures, in our opinion, does not constitute a valid taxonomic character. The authors provided no further evidence (e.g., molecular sequences) to support their view that these are three separate species, but nonetheless proceeded to describe the species from Malta as new. For this reason, we cannot accept V. immaculatus as a valid species for the time being. In our opinion, based on current evidence Vermileo balearicus syn.n. and V.

immaculatus syn.n., are to be considered synonyms of V. vermileo .

ASILOIDEA

ASILIDAE

Literature: Cilia (1973); Ebejer (1995c).

Asilinae

Antiphrisson Loew, 1849

trifarius (Loew, 1849)

Cerdistus Loew, 1849

erythruroides Theodor , 19801

Tolmerus Loew, 1849

pyragra (Zeller, 1840)

Laphriinae

Pogonosoma Rondani, 1856

maroccanum (Fabricius, 1794)

Laphystiinae

Laphystia Loew, 1847

erberi (Schiner, 1865)

Leptogasterinae

Leptogaster Westwood, 1849

cylindrica pedunculata Loew, 1847

Stenopogoninae

Habropogon Loew, 1847

balachowskyi Weinberg & Tsacas, 1973

striatus (Fabricius, 1794) , misidentification Ebejer (1995c)

Stichopogon Loew, 1847

elegantulus Wiedemann, 1820

1. This identification is doubtful. The Maltese taxon (a species or subspecies) belongs to a group of species that includes erythrurus (Meigen, 1820) and erythruroides . In 2000, one of the authors (MJE) had the opportunity to examine topotypic material of C. erythruroides from Israel and noted some differences between these specimens and the material from Malta. The Maltese material could be either of the two mentioned, a subspecies of one of them or a third species. However, there is only one species in Malta and more study is required.

BOMBYLIIDAE

Literature: Bezzi & de Stefani-Perez (1897); Ebejer (1988b, 1995c); Evenhuis & Greathead (1999, 2003); Greathead (1991); Greathead (2003); Schembri et al. (1991); Zetterstedt (1849).

Anthracinae Anthrax Scopoli, 1763 dentatus (Becker, 1906)

trifasciatus Meigen, 1820 , synonymised (in part) by Greathead (2003) 1 johanni Zaitzev, 1979

fuscipennis Ricardo in Forbes, 1903, synonymised (in part) by Greathead (2003) 1 trifasciatus Meigen, 1820 virgo Egger, 1859 Exhyalanthrax Becker, 1916 afer (Fabricius, 1794) muscarius (Pallas, 1818) Exoprosopa Macquart, 1840 grandis (Wiedemann, 1820) jacchus (Fabricius, 1805) Heteralonia Rondani, 1863 megerlei (Meigen, 1820) Petrorossia Bezzi, 1908 hespera (Rossi, 1790) Spogostylum Macquart, 1840 isis Meigen, 1820 tripunctatum (Wiedemann, 1820) Thyridanthrax Osten Sacken, 1886 elegans (Wiedemann, 1820) polyphemus (Wiedemann, 1820) Villa Lioy, 1864 cana (Meigen, 1804)

quinquefasciata (Wiedemann in Meigen, 1820), synonymised by Evenhuis & Greathead (1999) hottentotta (Linnaeus, 1758) paniscus (Rossi, 1790) 2 Bombyliinae Bombylella Greathead, 1995 atra (Scopoli, 1763) 2 Bombylius Linnaeus, 1758 analis (Olivier, 1789) canescens Mikan, 1796 citrinus Loew, 1855 floccosus Loew, 18572 fulvescens Wiedemann, 1820 major Linnaeus , 17582 medius Linnaeus, 1758 posticus Fabricius, 1805 Phthiriinae Phthiria Meigen, 1803 umbripennis Loew, 1846 Toxophorinae Geron Meigen, 1820 halteralis Wiedemann, 1820 macquarti Greathead, 1999 Usiinae Usia Latreille, 1802 forcipata Brullé, 1833 similis Paramonov , 19502 versicolor (Fabricius, 1794)

1. Greathead (2003) revised the taxonomy of this species complex and clarified the identification difficulties alluded to by Ebejer (1988b).

2. These species are listed in Evenhuis & Greathead (1999), but the source of the information is unclear. We found no literature records and have seen no specimens from Malta.

MYTHICOMYIIDAE

Literature: Bezzi & de Stefani-Perez (1897); Ebejer (1995c); Evenhuis (2002); Zaitsev (1989).