Lonchaea longitarsis
With the combination of bare eyes, multiserial anterior genal setulae, a single stigmatical
seta, dark calypter fringe, and yellow tarsomeres, this species shows closest affinities
to Lonchaea tarsata Fallén, a widespread European and Mediterranean species
which also has the epandrium swollen ventrally. The male of L. longitarsis is easily
distinguished from that of L. tarsata by both the features on the legs and the characteristic
genitalia. It is almost unique amongst described species of Lonchaeidae in having an
elongate basal tarsomere of the foreleg. The females of both species are more difficult to
separate, with the main distinguishing character being that in general females of L. tarsata
are longer-haired than those of L. longitarsis. This is particularly noticeable on the
frons, where in L. tarsata the interfrontal setulae are relatively numerous and long, and
curve towards the mid-line of the frons, where the apices cross over with those from the
opposite side; whereas in L. longitarsis the interfrontal setulae are sparse and short, not
crossing over medially. In the female terminalia the cerci of the two species are rather
similar in chaetotaxy but in general L. longitarsis has longer setulae on the cerci, particularly
the dorsobasal pair, which in L. longitarsis are longer than the length of the cerci;
whereas in L. tarsata these are usually just slightly less than the length of the cerci.
Description Male Head. Eye bare. Frons wide, parallel-sided, slightly protruding on its ventral half, approximately 0.8 times as wide as eye, subshining black and covered in fine microsculpture, with scattered interfrontal setulae approximately half as long as rather short orbital setae. Orbital plate bare, broad, and shining black. Lunule with about ten setulae, black in ground color. Parafacial shining black with slight silvering on ventral half. Face subshining black. Anterior genal setulae in multiple rows. Antennal flagellomere black, about twice as long as deep, just reaching mouth edge; arista brownish basally, practically bare. Thorax. Disc subshining, covered in setulae approximately half as long as orbital setae. Notopleural depression bare. Thorax laterally rather densely microtrichose. Anepisternum with two long, thick setae anteriorly and three posteriorly, all of these setae only just discernable from long dense setulae on this sclerite. Katepisternum with one long, thick seta, no setulae below or posterior to it. One propleural and one stigmatical setae. Scutellum with 1–3 (usually 2) marginal setulae between apical and lateral setae and 2 such setulae between apical setae. These marginal setulae all long, almost half as long as setae. Calypteres grayish with dark margin and fringe. Legs (Figs. 16–17). Black, on all legs basal tarsomere clear yellow, second tarsomere somewhat darkened, more so on foreleg, other tarsomeres dark. Foreleg with basal tarsomere remarkably long and narrow, longer than tibia and longer than combined length of all other tarsomeres, bearing some small dark spicules on its anterior surface. Other basal tarsomeres also elongated but not so much as on foreleg. Hindtibia with small ventral swelling one third of way from base to apex, this covered in short, dense setulae. Hindtibia somewhat thickened and curved on apical two thirds. Hindfemur anteriorly with 4–5 very long thick setae on apical third. Wing. Clear with yellowish veins. Wing length 4.0 mm. Pterostigma twice as long as crossvein R-M. Abdomen. Male terminalia (Figs. 18–20). In lateral view epandrium wider than high, on ventral half swollen and bulbous, without any obvious anterior process, bearing setulae along posteroventral margin and in vertical line just dorsal to these. Cerci massive and in most cases obviously extending beyond tip of abdomen, almost twice as high as epandrium and twice as high as wide, roughly rectangular in shape but slightlyemarginated on ventral face, bearing dense setulae on apical quarter and with relatively long setulae along ventral margin. Surstylus not visibly extending beyond epandrium. In ventral view swelling of epandrium more obvious; surstylus rather massive and chitinised, bearing row of short setulae along most of ventral margin; cerci on ventral margin with setulae on basal third longer and more closely spaced than on remainder of margin. Phallus two-segmented, basal portion almost C-shaped, apical portion only half as long as basal, S-shape. female Frons as wide as eye; all setulae shorter than in male; basal tarsomere of foreleg not greatly elongated; without any ornamentation on legs. female terminalia (Figs. 21–22). Cerci with three pairs of setulae dorsally: basal pair longest, as long as length of segment, and two short pairs at apex; two pairs of setulae ventrally, apical pair as long as segment