Lonchaea setifemora
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.
Description : Male : Head : Eyes bare. Frons approximately half the width of an eye, relatively parallel sided on its central part, subshining black, frontal and interfrontal setulae reclinate, long and thick, meeting on central part of the frons. Orbital plate shining blue-black, bare apart from the orbital setae. Lunule dark, bearing approximately eight setulae. Face and parafacials subshining black. Genal setae long, more than half as long as the orbital setae, widely spread across the genae but the anterior two in a single row along the mouth edge. Scape, pedicel and antennal flagellomere entirelly black, antennal flagellomere twice as long as it is deep, extending ventrally down the face past the mouth margin. Arista pale along most of their length, bare. Palps with mainly pale setulae, apical setulae black.
Thorax : Thoracic disc shining brilliantly blue-black, covered with long setulae these approximately 80% of the length of the outer vertical setae. Notopleural depression bare apart from the normal two setae. Pleurae shining. Anepisternum with four strong setae posteriorly, the central two of these stronger than the upper and lower, central area of the sclerite covered in long setulae which are almost as long as the posterior setae, sclerite bare anteriorly, four anterior setae but these only slightly thicker from the other long setulae on the remainder of this sclerite. Katepisternum with one strong setae on the upper margin, no setulae posterior to it. One propleural and one stigmatical setae. Prothorax bare. Scutellum shining black on disc, on margin between lateral and apical setae with three setulae on one side and four on the other, two setulae between the apical setae. Squamae smoky with a black margin, squamal fringe black. Wings clear with yellow veins, intercostal space approximately 1.5 times as long as crossvein r-m. Wing length 4.0mm.
Legs : All legs with femora and tibiae black, basal tarsomere orange yellow, second tarsomere darker yellow, other tarsomeres dark. Hind femora with five strong setae situated anterodorsally on the apical half (Fig. 3), mid tibiae apically with a fringe of long setulae posteriorly.
Male terminalia (Figures 1 & 2): In lateral view epandrium 70% broader than it is long, ventral margin convex, bearing a group of long setulae posteroventrally. Cerci long and rather rectangular, one and a half times as long as the epandrium, and narrow, twice as long as they are broad with relatively long setulae along the ventral margin and at apex, some scattered setulae on the apical half. Surstyli extending ventrally from the shell of the epandrium near the anterior margin as a large rounded process, most of their ventral margins bearing long, thick setae, the most anterior three or four being the thickest. Aedeagus a relatively simple unsegmented structure, rather stout with a slight indentation on the dorsal margin near the middle of the apical section, at apex itself with a small membranous area ventrally