Lonchaea setifemora MacGowan, 2009

This species with its bare eyes, single stigmatical setae, dark squamal fringe and partly pale tarsomeres shows certain affinities to the “Lonchaea mallochi MacGowan & Rotheray, 2000  group” within the genus Lonchaea, a group which contains several central and northern European species. However the lack of a significant row of anterior genal setulae and the characters of the male terminalia, with long narrow cerci, unsegmented aedeagus and the ventrally projecting cerci covered in strong setae point more towards a relationship with Lonchaea tarsata Fallén, 1820.  This is a species which is found commonly within the Mediterranean zone as well as further north in Europe. In particular Lonchaea setifemora is closely related to a recently described species of the “L. tarsata group” from Israel (MacGowan and  Freidberg i) with which it shares all of the characters listed above and, in addition also has the presence of long setulae on the hind femora. It may well be that there are other related species with these characteristic femoral setae are still to be found in the Mediterranean area.