Simulium (Nevermannia) ruficorne, Macquart, 1838

Belqat, Boutaïna, Adler, Peter H., Cherairia, Mouna & Boudghane-Bendiouis, Chafika Chaoui, 2018, Inventory of the Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) of North Africa, Zootaxa 4442 (2), pp. 201-220 : 209-210

Simulium (Nevermannia) ruficorne species group

Bailly-Choumara & Beaucournu-Saguez (1981: 53–54): records (as groupe ruficorne sp. A).

Simulium (Nevermannia) angustitarse (Lundström, 1911)

Morocco: Rif: Belqat et al. (2011: 50): inventoried with faunistic and bibliographical details.

Algeria: Djurdjura Mountains: Lounaci et al. (2000b: 127, 133): occurrence, abundance, bionomics. Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis et al. (2012: 306): listed. Haouchine & Lounaci (2012: 143, 149): occurrence, abundance, bionomics. Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis (2016: 41–45): distribution.

Simulium (Nevermannia) ibleum (Rivosecchi, 1966)

? ‘B’ Bailly-Choumara & Beaucournu-Saguez, 1978 ( Simulium sp.) [Morocco]

[ latipes : misidentification, Zavattari, 1930, 1934, not Meigen]

Morocco: Rif, High Atlas: Belqat et al. (2011: 50): inventoried with faunistic and bibliographical details.

Algeria: Tlemcen Mountains: Gagneur & Clergue-Gazeau (1988: 276–283): first record for Algeria, biogeography, ecology. Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis et al. (2012: 306): listed. Western Algeria: Clergue-Gazeau et al. (1991: 54–55): listed but locality unspecified. Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis (2016: 41–45): distribution.

Tunisia: Clergue-Gazeau & Boumaiza (1986: 604–605, 607, 609–610, 612, 616–617, 620–621, 626–627, 634–635): dichotomous key, illustrations. Gagneur & Clergue-Gazeau (1988: 283): listed but locality unspecified. Clergue-Gazeau et al. (1991: 54): listed but locality unspecified. Adler & Crosskey (2018: 64): inventoried. Medjerda Basin, Northwestern Tunisia: Boumaiza & Clergue-Gazeau (1986: 32–34, 36): first record for Tunisia, distribution map, ecology at breeding sites.

Libya: Northern Cyrenaica: Crosskey & Ashford (1981: 650): first record for Libya, previous taxonomic confusion by Zavattari (1930, 1934) clarified. Adler & Crosskey (2018: 64): inventoried.

Simulium (Nevermannia) lundstromi (Enderlein, 1921)

= latigonium (Rubtsov, 1956) [Russia]

Morocco: Rif, High Atlas: Belqat et al. (2011: 50): inventoried with faunistic and bibliographical details.

Algeria: Djurdjura Mountains: Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis et al. (2012: 306): mistakenly listed as present (no record of this species exists for Djurdjura Mountains). Tlemcen Mountains: Gagneur & Clergue-Gazeau (1988: 276-283): first record for North Africa, biogeography and ecology (as S. (N.) latigonium ). Gagneur & Chaoui-Boudghane (1991: 81): abundance, relation with hyporheic environment (as S. (N.) latigonium ). Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis et al. (2012: 306–307): listed. Giudicelli et al. (2000: 66): listed (as S. (N.) latigonium ).

Western Algeria: Clergue-Gazeau et al. (1991: 54, 56): listed but locality unspecified (as S. (N.) latigonium ). Seybouse Basin: Cherairia et al. (2014: 169–171): first record for northeastern Algeria, ecology at breeding sites, seasonal occurrence. Cherairia (2015: 122–126, 186): diagnosis, ecology at breeding sites, seasonality, distribution map, photographs of larvae. Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis (2016: 41–45): distribution.

Simulium (Nevermannia) ruficorne Macquart, 1838

beckeri Roubaud, 1906 [Algeria]

[lineatum: misidentification, Bezzi, 1921 (part), not Meigen]

Morocco: Crosskey et al. (2002: 420): distribution map. Rif, Haouz Plain, High Atlas, Anti Atlas: Belqat et al. (2011: 51): inventoried with faunistic and bibliographical details.

Algeria: Séguy (1925: 37): listed but locality unspecified. Crosskey et al. (2002: 420): distribution map.

Biskra Area: Roubaud (1906: 519-520): described as new species (as S. beckeri ). Edwards (1923: 650–551, 653): taxonomy, pupa illustrated (as S. beckeri ). Parrot (1949: 274–274): recorded (as S. beckeri ). Grenier (1953: 148): listed. Tassili n’Ajjer Mountains: Grenier & Clastrier (1960: 329–330): recorded as Saharan simuliid, description of breeding sites. Belazzoug & Tabet-Derraz (1980: 107): recorded (as S. beckeri ). Hoggar Mountains: Clastrier & Grenier (1961: 106, 107): descriptions of collecting habitats. Eastern Algeria: Clergue-Gazeau et al. (1991: 54): listed. Djurdjura Mountains: Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis et al. (2012: 306): mistakenly listed as present (no record of this species exists for Djurdjura Mountains). Haouchine & Lounaci (2012: 151): bionomics. Tlemcen Mountains: Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis et al. (2012: 306–307): first record for mountains. Chaoui Boudghane- Bendiouis et al. (2014: 1017–1021): physical characterization of habitat, spatial distribution, microhabitat and microdistribution. Chaoui Boudghane-Bendiouis (2016: 23–26, 41–45, 98–144): diagnosis, figures, distribution, biogeographic considerations, population structure. Seybouse Basin: Cherairia et al. (2014: 169–171): morphoforms ‘A’ and ‘B’ briefly described (pupae), ecology at breeding sites, seasonal occurrence. Cherairia (2015: 127–135, 186): diagnosis, ecology at breeding sites, seasonal occurrence, distribution map, photographs of specimens. Oued El Haï Basin: Arigue et al. (2016: 2842–2847): occurrence, abundance, physical characterization of habitat.

Tunisia: Séguy (1925: 37): recorded as severe nuisance and biting pest (possibly a misidentification) (as S. beckeri ). Clergue-Gazeau & Boumaiza (1986: 604–605, 607, 609–610, 612, 616–623, 636–637): dichotomous key, illustrations. Gagneur & Clergue-Gazeau (1988: 283): listed but locality unspecified. Clergue-Gazeau et al. (1991: 54): listed but locality unspecified. Crosskey et al. (2002: 420): distribution map. Adler & Crosskey (2018: 64): inventoried. Southern Area: Boumaiza & Clergue-Gazeau (1986: 32–34, 36): first record for Tunisia, distribution, ecology at breeding sites.

Libya: Northern Cyrenaica: Crosskey & Ashford (1981: 648, 650): first record for Libya, previous taxonomic confusion by Bezzi (1921) clarified. Crosskey et al. (2002: 420): distribution map. Adler & Crosskey (2018: 64): inventoried.

Egypt: Sinai Peninsula: Crosskey (1967: 4, 5, 23): recorded from Firran Oasis, pupal gill illustrated. Crosskey & Büttiker (1982: 411, 420, 421): listed but locality unspecified, morphoforms ‘H’ and ‘J’ recognized to accommodate Egyptian pupal gill configurations. Crosskey et al. (2002: 420): distribution map. New Site ( Fig. 1 ): Faiyum, protected area of the valley of Wadi El-Rayan, streamlet Wadi El-Rayan, 298′52″N 3023′33″E, 20 m below sea level, 9 April 2015, 25 larvae (10 fixed in 1:3 acetic ethanol) and 6 pupae.

Comment: The streamlet in Faiyum with S. ruficorne , which flowed downhill on a sandy substrate, was almost dry ( Fig. 1 ). The wet section harbored larvae and pupae of S. ruficorne , mostly on stones. The water was warm (25°C) and alkaline (pH 8.14), with average salinity (1.6%), low conductivity (3.2 µS/cm), and submerged aquatic vegetation. Of 10 larvae fixed in 1:3 acetic ethanol, the chromosomes of two male larvae were analyzed. We found that the chromosomes were similar to those of larvae from the Canary Islands ( Bedo 1989) and Algeria ( Cherairia et al. 2014), despite the isolation of the Egyptian population and its distance from Algeria. Specifically, IIL-3, IIIL-1, and IIIL-2 were homozygous inverted, IIL-1 was heterozygous in both larvae, and the 83B band was thickened in one of four homologues.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Collecting site for S. ruficorne in Egypt, Faiyum, streamlet Wadi El-Rayan.