Bicellaria mera Collin

Barták, Miroslav & Kubík, Štěpán, 2013, Species of Bicellaria Macquart (Diptera: Hybotidae) of Europe, with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 3647 (2), pp. 251-278 : 263

Bicellaria mera Collin

( Figs 21–22 )

Bicellaria mera Collin, 1961: 258 .

Type material examined. SYNTYPES: Great Britain: 1Ƥ, Upware Cambs, 12.vii.1875; 2Ƥ, Wicken, Cambs, 21.viii.1905; 13, same locality, 21.vi.1905 —all G.H. Verrall—(BMNH).

Additional material examined (103, 2Ƥ). Czech Republic: 63, 2Ƥ, Čelákovice, lowland wood, 50°10'N, 14°49'E, 180 m, 10.ix.1991 (CULSP). Great Britain: 13, Wood Walton, Fen, Hunts, 16–18.vi.1923, F.W. Edwards (BMNH). Slovak Republic: 13, Šamorín, near river, 6–10.vi.1977 (“ B. spuria ” det. Chvála); 13, Štůrovo, 2 km N, damp meadow, 47°49'N, 18°56'E, 110 m, 24.vii.1989; 13, Jurský Šur, deciduous wood, 48°15'N, 17°16'E, 130 m, 24.viii.1989 —all Barták—(CULSP).

Diagnosis. Bicellaria mera is very similar to B. spuria . Both species may be identified in the male sex according to the hypandrial processes which are foot-like bent near apex in B. mera but straight and narrow in B. spuria ( Fig. 22 ). This character is sometimes poorly visible and requires dissection. Identification of females is difficult because two candidate characters from Collin’s description we tried to specify based on limited materials at hand (hind tibia at its broadest point usually narrower than 0.09 mm in B. mera but usually broader than 0.09 mm in B. spuria ; narrow apical part of third antennal segment mostly about as long as the first segment of stylus in B. mera , but twice as long in B. spuria ) proved to be variable. The only female character which appears constant is given in the key.

Distribution. Temperate Central and Western Europe. Published record [omitted by Chvála (2012) and Yang (2007)]: Romania (Parvu 2005), record from Italy (Raffone 2006) is doubtful.

Remarks. Described (alongside illustration of genitalia and hind leg) on the basis of unknown number of specimens taken in Wicken, Chippenham, Fens (Cambs) ( England). Chvála (1983) redescribed this species and provided illustrations of the face, antenna, hind leg, and genitalia.

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 24. Hypandrium (ventral view) and phallus with postgonites (lateral view). 17 – 18. Bicellaria kocoureki sp. nov. 19 – 20. Bicellaria longisetosa Chvála. 21 – 22. Bicellaria mera Collin. 23 – 24. Bicellaria nigra (Meigen). Scale bars = 0.10 mm.