Simulium (Wilhelmia) paraequinum Puri, 1933

Crosskey, R. W., 2002, A taxonomic account of the black y fauna of Iraq and Iran, including keys for species identi cation (Diptera: Simuliidae), Journal of Natural History 36 (15), pp. 1841-1886 : 1874

15. Simulium (Wilhelmia) paraequinum Puri

Iran references. Crosskey (1967, identi ed from Iran).

Iraq references. Abul-hab (1983, rst record), Crosskey and Howard (1997, world inventory entry).

Material seen

Iran: 4, Chalus (5 Chalous), Caspian Sea coast (36ss40¾/51ss25¾), May 1951 (Giaquinto) [one specimen with erroneous P. Freeman determination label as equinum ] . Iraq: 1, 1, 4 pupae, Kurdistan, Arbil (5 Irbil) Province, Khalifan (36ss14¾/ 44ss44¾), 28 August 1976 (Abul-hab) . 4 pupae, Kurdistan, Sulaymaniya h Province , Ahmadawa (5 Amad Awah ) (35ss18¾/46ss05¾), 29 May 1977 (Abul-hab) . 26 pupae [remnants, genitalia checked], Kurdistan , Sulaymaniyah Province [no other locality], 1 July 1976 (Abul-hab). 2, 2 (wild-caught), Kurdistan, Sulaymaniyah Province, Sarchinar (5 Serchinar) (35ss35¾/45ss25¾), 12 July 1977 (Kassal) . 1 pupa (pharate), Diyala Province, Khanakin, Qoratu (5 Kuretu ) (34ss36¾/45ss29¾), 20 December 1976 (Kassal) .

Remarks

Described from Campbellpore District in northern Pakistan (then in India), this species is now known to range west from Pakistan through the Middle East and the Transcaucasus to the Balkans and northeastern Italy. It has recently been recorded from the Greek island of Lésbos ( Crosskey and Malicky, 2001). The early stages cannot be reliably separated from those of S. (W.) pseudequinum , with which it occurs sympatrically in some parts of its range; pupae of both species have a characteristic wrinkled constriction at the base of the gill tubes (gure 34). Female adults can be distinguished by the diVerent size and shape of the spermatheca (cf. gures 37 and 40) and male adults by characters of the genitalia and scutum (see key).

Puri (1933) described S. (W.) paraequinum from a large unstated number of males and females reared from pupae collected on 11 November 1930 in a stream at Wah near Hasanabdal in the Punjab (33ss50¾/72ss44¾). Most of the material is in the National Institute of Communicable Diseases , Delhi, but there are 10 males and 26 females, some with their pupal exuviae, in BMNH. ( These have been considered paratypes but as Puri referred to ‘Types’ the original material in Delhi and BMNH appears technically to be syntypic.)