Lonchaea germanica
Affinities
With the combination of bare eyes, the partially multiple row of subvibrissal bristles, the multiple stigmatical bristles and the well haired scutellar disc with hairs anterior to the lateral bristles this species has close affinities with the L.patens Collin,1953 group within the genus Lonchaea. The presence of hairs on the orbital plate and multiple stigmaticals are characters shared by both L.vagans Kovalev,1978 and L.patens Collin. In L.germanica however the number of stigmaticals is much greater than in L.vagans (usually about 4) and in L.patens (usually about 7). The male genitalia are also distinct from these other species, In L.patens and L.vagans the cerci are large, being almost the same size as the epandrium whereas in L.germanica the cerci are relatively small. The aedeagus in L.patens and L.vagans is two segmented the apical section being at least as long as the basal section but rather slender and only slightly sinuous. In L.germanica the apical section of the aedeagus is broad based and distinctly sinuous.
Holotype male. Head : Eyes bare, sub vibrissal hairs extending anteriorly along mouth edge in a row of about 10 hairs, this row mainly single but in a few paces the hairs in two rows. Palps well haired, one strong bristle at the tip and with long hairs along outside edge, these hairs longer than the width of the palp. Frons densely covered in long black hairs, these mostly about three quarters the length of the orbital bristle. Orbital plates with one hair above orbital bristle, this hair long, more than half as long as orbital bristle. Ocellar bristles as long as orbital and vertical bristles with about six long strong hairs on the ocellar triangle. Lunule with six hairs. Antennal flagomere about one and a half times as long as deep, not reaching the mouth edge, parallel sided with a rounded tip, entirely black. Arista slightly longer than antennal flagellomere, thickened at base with very short hairing. Thorax : Thoracic dorsum covered in long dark hairs, these all as long as the orbital bristle. Scutellar disc covered in long hair, most of them as long as the lateral scutellar bristles and extending over all the scutellar disc. On the edge of the scutellum there are hairs anterior to the lateral bristles. Apical bristles crossed at tip. Notopleural depression with one or two hairs in the upper part. One propleural and about 12 stigmatical bristles, these all equally long and strong, as long as the propleural. Anepisternum covered in long hairs with four stronger bristles on the posterior margin, no strong bristles apart on anterior margin. Katepisternum with numerous long hairs anteriorly and dorsally, several hairs behind the single strong bristle. Anepimeron bare.. Squammae dusky with darkened edge, squammal hairs dark, all of a similar length. Wings with intercostal section long, three times the length of the crossvein ta.
Legs all black apart from the metatarsus which is yellow, a fringe of golden hairs ventrally on metatarsus second and third tarsal segment of front leg and on metatarsus second and third tarsal segment of hind leg.
Male genitalia : Fig. 2; 3,4. Epandrium slightly higher than broad, cut away rather sharply at posterio - dorsal angle, rather sparsely haired, these hairs being mainly confined to the posterio - ventral corner. Surstyli projecting beyond epandrium posterio-ventrally, the edge of the surstyli scalloped on ventral face, posteriorly with a rather blunt, rounded apex. Cerci rather small, emerging from posterio dorsal angle of the epandrium, without any obvious hairing and almost completely lacking sclerotisation. Aedeagus two segmented, the basal portion with a broad basal part, the apical section sinuous but also rather broad basally.