Mycetophila sepulta Laffoon, 1957

Juergenstein, Siiri, Kurina, Olavi & Poldmaa, Kadri, 2015, The Mycetophilaruficollis Meigen (Diptera, Mycetophilidae) group in Europe: elucidating species delimitation with COI and ITS 2 sequence data, ZooKeys 508, pp. 15-51 : 29-30

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Mycetophilidae

Mycetophila sepulta Laffoon, 1957 Figs 11, 25, 26, 43, 44

Material.

UNITED KINGDOM. 1♂, Berks, California, Country Park, 1.xi.2001, sweeping, P. J. Chandler leg. (PCPC, pinned, terminalia slide mounted in Euparal); 1♂, Oxon, Spartum Fen, 15.x.1999, sweeping, P. J. Chandler leg. (PCPC, pinned, terminalia slide mounted in Euparal).

Male terminalia.

Posterior margin of gonocoxite with clear convexity ventromedially, and with abrupt and blunt projections laterally. Posterior impression considerably narrow at base but well widening posteriorly. Anterior impression with anteriorly evenly divergent narrow arms. Ventral branch of gonostylus with posterior process narrow, asymmetrical and high, with minute warts; spine 1 very slender and sharply pointed; spine 2 somewhat wider than spine 1, but also pointed and of same length; spines 3 and 4 smaller, pointed and rather close to each other. Dorsal branch of gonostylus slightly tapering, somewhat constricted at the medial bristle; lateral margin without or with very shallow concavity; distal posterior process and proximal posterior process almost of same height, apically rounded, separated by a rather wide notch. Distal posterior process with apical seta, proximal posterior process subapically with 3 setae. Posterior margin proximally from medial bristle with 4-5 gradually diminishing bristles followed by 2-3 setae; internal surface with a stronger seta next to the medial bristle. Basal angle slightly rounded, basal margin with few setae. Ejaculatory apodeme with heart-shaped base and with very narrow or barely visible rim. Aedeagus apically concave. Aedeagal guides rather wide, apically widened, not extending beyond aedeagus distally, lateral impressions wide. Aedeagal apodemes laterally angular.

Intraspecific variation.

In comparison with figures by Laštovka and Kidd (1975: fig. 30), the studied specimens have the distal posterior process of the dorsal branch of the gonostylus higher and the notch between the processes more clearly outlined. Laffoon (1957) mentioned Mycetophila sepulta to be closely allied to Mycetophila ichneumonea , Mycetophila ruficollis and Mycetophila parvimaculata Van Duzee, 1928.

Hosts and distribution.

The species, described from North America, has rather scattered distribution in Western Europe, extending to Sweden ( Chandler 2013, Kjærandsen 2012). In North America, it has a wide distribution from Alaska to California and Texas ( Laffoon 1957). The only rearing record is that by Laštovka and Kidd (1975) from Hypholoma elongatum .