The Herniosina story continues in the Mediterranean: H.calabra sp. nov. from Calabria and H.erymantha Roháček, new female from the Peloponnese (Diptera, Sphaeroceridae).

Jindřich Roháček

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1061.72235

Abstract

A study of recently acquired material of Herniosina Roháček, 1983 (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae: Limosininae) in the Mediterranean subregion revealed a new species, H.calabrasp. nov. (Italy: Calabria: Serre Calabresi Mts) and the first females of H.erymantha Roháček, 2016 (Greece: southern Peloponnese: Taygetos Mts). Herniosinacalabrasp. nov. (both sexes) and the female of H.erymantha are described and illustrated in detail including structures of terminalia, their relationships are discussed and new information on their biology (habitat association) is given. An update of a key to all know species of Herniosina species is presented.

Highlights

The genus Herniosina Roháček, 1983 (Sphaeroceridae: Limosininae) has recently been reviewed by Roháček (2016), including all known species
Herniosina was originally described during the re-classification of the previous genus Limosina Macquart, 1835 by Roháček (1982, 1983) for two European species, H. bequaerti (Villeneuve, 1917) and H. horrida (Roháček, 1978)
These collecting efforts resulted in two series of Herniosina specimens, one from southern Peloponnese (Taygetos Mts) and the other from Calabria (Serre Calabresi Mts)

Summary

Introduction

The genus Herniosina Roháček, 1983 (Sphaeroceridae: Limosininae) has recently been reviewed by Roháček (2016), including all known species. Discovery of new Herniosina species in the eastern Mediterranean (Roháček 2016) indicated that there could be undescribed species in other parts of the area, and, our subsequent collecting trips to the Mediterranean have been focused on the acquisition of further material of this largely terricolous and/or subterranean genus. These collecting efforts resulted in two series of Herniosina specimens, one from southern Peloponnese (Taygetos Mts) and the other from Calabria (Serre Calabresi Mts). Herniosina species can be most recognised by a combination of (largely apomorphic) features in the male abdomen and terminalia (postabdomen strongly down-curved, S1+2 more or less bulging, S5 strongly reduced, cerci modified to peculiar projections, both distiphallus and phallophore projecting posteroventrally) and the (largely plesiomorphic) structures of the female postabdomen (narrow and telescopic, sclerites of 6th and 7th segments and 8th tergum well developed, no internal sclerites, cerci usually long and slender), with reduced S8 and S10

Material and methods

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Discussion