Description of a New Species of Platypalpus (Diptera: Hybotidae) of the Candicans - Cursitans Subgroup from the Peloponnese, Greece

ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA 29 (2020): 17–26 Received 27 October 2019 Accepted 28 May 2020 Available online 17 June 2020

Description of a new species of Platypalpus (Diptera: Hybotidae) of the candicans - cursitans subgroup from the Peloponnese, Greece

P. GROOTAERT1 AND S. ALEXIOU2,* 1Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstreet 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium 2Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e.V., Prof.-von-Klitzing-Str. 7, D-49610 Quakenbrück, Germany

ABSTRACT Platypalpus cylleneus sp. n. belonging to the subgroup of Platypalpus candicans and cursitans is described from Mt Killini in the Peloponnese, Greece. A review and a key to the members of the subgroup, P. candicans (Fallén, 1815), P. cursitans (Fabricius, 1775), P. cylleneus sp. nov. and P. nigrimanus Strobl, 1880, is provided.

KEY WORDS: Greece, new species, Peloponnese, Platypalpus, Tachydromiinae, taxonomy.

Introduction characterized by the yellow basal antennal segments, the dusted sternopleura and the The genus Platypalpus Macquart is a mega- apical section of vein M evenly but diverse genus with more than 250 species distinctly bowed before reaching the wing known from Europe and although several tip. revisions of the European species were done in the last century (Collin, 1961; Chvála, Materials and Methods 1975, 1989; Grootaert & Chvála, 1992) still new species are found in Europe (Barták & A three-day survey of Mt. Killini, focused Kubík, 2015, 2016) and in the Middle East on Diptera, was done in the middle of April (Barták & Kubík, 2018; Kustov et al., 2014, 2019. The mountain was searched on the 2015). north side and at medium altitudes ranging The Platypalpus fauna in Greece has from 900 to 1200m (at spring time it is not hardly been sampled and very few species unusual for the Mediterranean mountains to have been reported. The Fauna Europaea still hold snow, especially above the tree- website lists only eight species (Chvála, line, thus the climatological conditions at 2013). Since the Peloponnese is known for higher altitudes are not ideal for flying its remarkable and endemic fauna insects at that moment). Diptera specimens (Sfenthourakis & Legakis 2001) it is not a were collected with the use of a hand net surprise to find a new species for science. and yellow pan traps filled with water and Here we describe a new species collected liquid soap. on Mt. Killini at the NE of Peloponnese. The The three Platypalpus specimens were new species belongs to the P. pallidiventris collected from the same yellow pan trap and – cursitans group sensu Grootaert & Chvála placed in tubes containing 70% ethanol. (1992) and to a subgroup containing P. After sorting they were mounted on cursitans, P. candicans and P. nigrimanus, entomological pins. The dusting on the

*Corresponding author: [email protected] GROOTAERT AND ALEXIOU: Description of a new species of the genus Platypalpus 18 thorax and the abdomen is well visible mythology. The mountain sometimes is caused by densely set microtrichia. However referred to as Ziria, (a Slavic word for due to having been wet, it is not possible to acorn). see if this dusting had a grey hue like i.e. in P. candicans. Material examined. After maceration in 10% hot KOH, the male terminalia were washed in tap water, Holotype male. Greece, Peloponnese, brought to 70% ethanol, eventually in Prefecture of Korinthia, Mt. Killini, 200m glycerine and mounted in a neutral gel to from the village of Kato Trikala, 900m a.s.l., allow orientation of the terminalia on the 17.IV.2019, in coll. RBINS. slide. Drawings were made with a camera lucida. Paratypes. Data as for holotype, 2♂ (1 Abbreviations: cSA (collection Sotiris ZMUA, 1 cSA). Alexiou), RBINS (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences), ZMUA (Zoological Male. Body: 2.9 – 3.4 mm; wing length: 3.5 Museum of the University of Athens). – 3.7 mm.

Results Head: Black in ground-colour. Frons grey dusted, twice as wide as front ocellus. Face Class Insecta Linnaeus,1758 silvery grey dusted including clypeus. Jowls Order Diptera Linnaeus,1758 wide, dusted. Ocellar bristles black, as long Superfamily Empidoidea Latreille, 1804 as verticals. A pair of long black vertical Family Hybotidae Meigen, 1820 bristles as long as third antennal segment, Subfamily Tachydromiinae Meigen, 1822 rather close together. Upper postocular Genus Platypalpus Macquart, 1827 bristles black, lower postoculars white and multiserial. Antenna with basal 2 segments Platypalpus cylleneus sp. nov. yellow. Third antennal segment entirely Figs 1 – 2. black, nearly 2 x as long as wide. Arista 1.5 – 2 x as long as third segment. Palpus clear Diagnosis. A medium-sized species (2.9 – yellow, large, triangular, sharply pointed, 3.4 mm) with a pair of vertical bristles and a with at least 4 long pale bristles as long as dusted sternopleura. Basal antennal palpus is long. segments yellow, third segment entirely black. Vertical bristles and thoracic bristles Thorax: All bristles black. A long humeral, black. Fore tibia spindle-shaped swollen. 2 long notopleurals with a few shorter Mid femur more than 2 x as wide as fore bristles; acrostichal bristles long, biserial, femur. Fore femur with 3 back anterior the rows close together, diverging only in bristles in apical third, short posteroventral the posterior half, not adpressed to the bristles hardly half as long as femur is wide. mesonotum. Dorsocentrals biserial, a little Mid tibia with a stout spur just a little longer longer than acrostichals, the rows ending in than tibia is wide. Eight scutellar bristles. 2 longer prescutellars; 2 pairs of long Abdomen black with all tergites grey dusted scutellar bristles with 2 pairs of shorter at base, sternites entirely grey dusted. bristles, half as long as the long ones (4 Etymology. The new species is named after bristles at each side). the mountain it was collected, Kyllini Legs: Yellow including all coxae; all (Cyllene), the birthplace of god Hermes. The tarsi weakly annulated pale brownish. Fore name of the mountain derives from a coxa with long pale bristles. Fore femur homonymous nymph of the Greek thickened with a row of long yellow ventral www.entsoc.gr © 2020 Hellenic Entomological Society 19 ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA 29 (2020): 17–26

FIG. 1. Platypalpus cylleneus sp. nov. Holotype male. Habitus. Abbreviations: ft: fore tibia; mt: mid tibia; vt: vertical bristles. Scale 1 mm.

bristles, half as long as femur is wide. Fore of short black dorsal bristles. Mid femur tibia spindle-shaped dilated with a number very thickened, almost 2 x as wide as fore www.entsoc.gr © 2020 Hellenic Entomological Society GROOTAERT AND ALEXIOU: Description of a new species of the genus Platypalpus 20 femur. Four black anterior bristles in apical and semi-natural shrub (macchie). The third, about half as long as femur is wide specimens were collected in a trap placed and a few black anteroventrals in apical half. next to a stand of macchie shrubs, mainly A double row of black ventral spines, the Quercus coccifera and Cercis siliquastrum. spines in the posterior row a little longer than in the anterior row. A row of 8 black Comments. Platypalpus cylleneus sp. nov. posteroventral bristles about 1/3 as long as is closely related to P. candicans though femur is wide. Mid tibia with a strong spur there are some distinct differences. First of about as long as tibia is wide and rather all there is the difference in colouration of triangular in lateral view (Fig. 1). Hind the bristling: the vertical bristles, the upper femur half as wide as mid femur with a postocular bristles, the anterior, ventral row of short dusky yellow bristles. anteroventral and posteroventral bristles on Wing: Hyaline with a brownish tinge. the mid femur and the bristles on the Veins brownish black. Vein R4+5 almost mesonotum are all black in the new species, straight. Apical section of vein M strongly while yellow in P. candicans. The wing but evenly bowed up to the tip of the wing. veins are brownish black while yellowish in Cross veins separated. Vein closing anal cell P. candicans. Striking are the multiple S-shaped. scutellar bristles, up to 8 in total while only 4 in P. candicans and the other related Abdomen, terminalia (Fig. 2): Cerci species. The cerci of the male are concealed enclosed in epandrium. Apex of right cercus in the epandrium with the tip of the left somewhat truncate (Fig. 2B, E) while apex cercus a little lower in position than the right of left cercus is pointed. Left cercus nearly cercus (Fig. 2E). The apex of the latter is as long as right cercus. Right epandrial truncate while the left cercus is pointed. In lamella with multiple rows of short bristles P. candicans the cerci seem longer and on right side (Fig. 2 A, F). Some weak surpassing the epandrium (Chvála, 1975) striations on the cuticle. Right surstylus with and both cerci are equally long and the a strong protuberance at base (Fig. 2 A). apices of right and left cercus are both Left epandrial lamella in lateral view with pointed. The shape of the left epandrial rounded apex (Fig. 2 C). Short bristles on lamella seems to be more truncate than in apical margin while very long pale bristles the new species. In the new species, the right on left margin (Fig. 2D). epandrial lamella has some weak striations on the cuticle, but not roughed as in P. Female. Unknown. cursitans (Collin, 1961: Fig. 60). The differences with the other related Distribution. Known only from the type species P. cursitans and P. nigrimanus are locality. listed in the following key.

Habitat. The type locality is a north-facing Key to the species of the candicans – mountain slope immediately below the cursitans subgroup coniferous forest zone of the mountain. The (modified from Grootaert & Chvála, 1992) location lies at the outskirts of Kato Trikala settlement, a famous winter destination that 138. Vein M strongly and evenly bowed serves as a resort of a ski center, placed even towards apex. Third antennal segment higher up in the mountain. The vegetation of blackish ………………………………..139 the area is thus now largely anthropogenic: - Vein M not so strongly and evenly bowed, strongly affected by fires and a mosaic of but curved up and ending at tip of wing cultivations, mainly vineyards and orchards close to the tip of vein R4+5. Third antennal www.entsoc.gr © 2020 Hellenic Entomological Society 21 ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA 29 (2020): 17–26 segment brownish, often yellowish at base, Platypalpus candicans Wéber, 1975: 42, fig. broader. Tarsi with brownish annulations. 31A, wing. Jowls very narrow, black. Abdomen greyish Platypalpus candicans Chvála, 1989: 365 dusted at sides ……….. cursitans (extended diagnosis). (Fabricius) Platypalpus candicans Grootaert & Chvála, 1992: 163 (diagnosis). 139. Eight scutellar bristles. Vertical bristles and all thoracic bristles black. Spur on mid Diagnosis. A medium-sized to large species tibia strong, triangular in lateral view, as (2.8 – 4.5 mm) with 1 pair of long, pale long as tibia is wide ……... cylleneus sp. vertical bristles, dusted sternopleura, very nov. narrow frons and vein M evenly and - Only 2 pairs of scutellar bristles. Vertical strongly bowed. Frons very narrow, as wide bristles and thoracic bristles yellowish. Spur as front ocellus. Third antennal segment on mid tibia slender, longer than tibia is narrower than in P. cursitans and entirely wide………………..……………….… 139b black, even at base. Palpus in male large, sharply pointed; smaller and less pointed in 139b. Frons very narrow, not broader than female. Thorax grey dusted with all bristles front ocellus. Tarsi pale or indistinctly and hairs pale yellowish. Acrostichals annulated. Mesonotum light grey dusted. biserial, diverging. Dorsocentrals uniserial Face silvery-grey. Jowls wider, dull grey. rather short except for prescutellars. Two Palpus pale yellow. Abdomen extensively pairs of scutellar bristles. shining, often yellowish at base and on Legs yellow with pale tarsi with venter……….………….. candicans (Fallén) inconspicuous light brownish annulations. - Frons broader. Tarsi extensively black except All hairs and bristles yellowish. Fore tibia in for base. Mesonotum and face golden-yellowish male very spindle-shaped thickened. Mid dusted. Jowls indistinct, narrowly polished femur in male at least 2 x as wide as fore black. Palpus dark golden-yellow. Abdomen femur, with short pale antero- and mostly greyish dusted ……..nigrimanus posteroventral bristles. Mid tibia with a long Strobl sharply pointed apical spur. Abdomen polished brownish to black, but often the Platypalpus candicans (Fallén, 1815) basal 2 tergites and apical 2 tergites yellowish brown. Sternites generally Tachydromia candicans Fallén, 1815: 10 yellowish brown. (female). Tachydromia ventralis Meigen, 1822: 85. Comments. Females are common while Platypalpus varius Walker, 1951:126. males are very rare. Collin (1961) did not Tachydromia oedicnema Strobl, 1898: 211. observe males in the UK. Chvála (1975) Tachydromia candicans var. flaviventris reported males from Austria, Strobl, 1898: 211. Czechoslovakia and Italy only and Tachydromia candicans Fallén: Collin, illustrated the male terminalia from a male 1961: 163 (re-description). P. oedicnema Strobl that was considered as Platypalpus candicans (Fallén, 1815): a junior synonym of P. candicans. These Chvála, 1975: 200 (description of male, fig. terminalia are different from the new species 159: male palpus; 163: male antenna; 238: described here in that the cerci in P. female mid femur and tibia; 489 – 491: male candicans are longer, with right and left terminalia (paralectotype of P. oedicnema cercus equally long, both pointed and not Strobl): 741: wing. concealed in the epandrium, but protruding.

The shape of the left epandrial lamella is light grey dusted, all hairs and bristles also different. yellowish. Acrostichals narrowly biserial, dorsocentrals uniserial, short, except for a Distribution. Widely distributed throughout pair of long prescutellars. Legs yellow with Europe and North Africa (Chvála, 1975), but brownish annulated tarsi. Mid femur not rare in northern Scandinavia. It is known so much stouter than fore femur. Posteroventral far from Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Britain bristles pale. Mid tibia with a long sharply I., Central European Russia, Croatia, Czech pointed apical spur. Abdomen polished Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, black, but all terga rather broadly grey Finland, French mainland, Germany, dusted at sides. Hungary, Ireland, Italian mainland, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malta, North Distribution. Platypalpus cursitans is a Africa, Northwest European Russia, species with a wide European distribution Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, and known so far from Austria, Belgium, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spanish mainland, Britain I., Central European Russia, Croatia, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Danish mainland, Estonia, Ukraine and former-Yugoslavia. The actual Finland, French mainland, Germany, distribution is illustrated on the Fauna Hungary, Ireland, Italian mainland, Latvia, Europaea website and as can be seen, P. Lithuania, Malta, North European Russia, cursitans is not yet reported from Greece. Northwest European Russia, Norwegian mainland, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Platypalpus cursitans (Fabricius, 1775) Switzerland and The Netherlands. The actual distribution is illustrated on the Fauna Musca cursitans Fabricius, 1775: 782. Europaea website and as can be seen, P. Tachydromia bicolor Meigen, 1804: 237. cursitans is not yet reported from Greece. Tachydromia cursitans var. denominata Frey, 1907: 409. Platypalpus nigrimanus Strobl, 1880 Tachydromia cursitans Fabricius: Collin, 1961: 160; fig. 60: male terminalia. Platypalpus nigrimanus Strobl, 1880: 8. Platypalpus cursitans Fabricius: Chvála, Platypalpus nigrimanus Wéber, 1975: 42, 1975: 202: fig. 158: male palpus; 164: male fig. 31 B – D: male terminalia (B: right antenna; 239: male mid femur and tibia; 492 epandrial lamella and cerci; C: cerci; D: left – 494: male terminalia; 742: wing. epandrial lamella). Platypalpus cursitans Grootaert & Chvála, Platypalpus nigrimanus Chvála, 1989: 366. 1992: 163: diagnosis. Extended diagnosis.

Diagnosis. A medium-sized to large species Diagnosis. A medium-sized (2.6 – 3.8 mm) (3 – 4.6 mm) with 1 pair of pale vertical golden grey dusted species. Vein M is bristles, dusted sternopleura and faintly evenly bowed as in P. cursitans. Vertical brown annulated tarsi. Frons broader than in bristles rather short, closely set, dusky P. candicans, about as wide as second yellow. Third antennal segment black, at antennal segment. Jowls narrow below the least 2.5 x as long as wide. Arista slightly eyes, shiny black. Basal antennal segments longer. All hairs and bristles on thorax yellow, third antennal segment rather dusky yellow to light brownish and short. Acrostichals biserial, diverging and broader, nearly 2 x as long as wide, adpressed to the mesonotum. Dorsocentrals brownish with base narrowly yellowish. uniserial, also short except for the longer Palpus large, pale yellow, pointed though prescutellars. Legs entirely yellow except not sharply like in P. candicans. Thorax for mid tibia and all tarsi brown or nearly www.entsoc.gr © 2020 Hellenic Entomological Society 23 ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA 29 (2020): 17–26 black. Fore femur slender, mid femur separated. Abdomen polished black but all thickened, more than 2 x as wide as fore tergites grey dusted at base, leaving only femur. Mid femur with a few short pale broad polished median triangles. Venter posteroventral bristles. Mid tibia with a long entirely dusted grey. Left epandrial lamella pointed apical spur. Wing hyaline with with narrowed apex. yellowish veins, cross veins narrowly

FIG. 2. Platypalpus cylleneus sp. nov. Paratype male terminalia. A. Right epandrial lamella; B. Epandrium; C. Left epandrial lamella with left cercus on the front; D. left epandrial lamella with inset: a papilla-like protuberance on the inside of the lamella; E. Cerci dorsal view; F Tip of right epandrial lamella with right surstylus. Abbreviations: eja: ejaculatory apodeme; hyp: hypandrium; lc: left cercus; rc: right cercus; rs: right surstylus. Scales 0.1 mm. www.entsoc.gr © 2020 Hellenic Entomological Society GROOTAERT AND ALEXIOU: Description of a new species of the genus Platypalpus 24

Material examined. Slovakia centr. 1 male, position of the country at the European 24.5.1971, leg. V. Straka (on pin, det. M. border with western Asia and northern Chvála in coll. RBINS). Africa (Arndt et al. 2011). More than that, the fauna of Greece is characterized by a Comments. We confirm the structure of the high level of endemism, a phenomenon male terminalia as illustrated by Wéber enhanced by long isolation of populations (1975). and subsequent speciation events (Legakis 2009). In general, regarding endemism, the Distribution. Platypalpus nigrimanus is a mountains of Peloponnese are considered as species with a central European distribution hotspots (Sfenthourakis & Legakis 2001). and known so far from Austria, Czech Acknowledging the fact that dipterans Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, are probably largely undercollected in Switzerland and Ukraine. The actual Greece, the description of a new dipteran distribution is illustrated on the Fauna species presented in this study, should be considered as the first result of a broader Europaea website and as can be seen, P. effort undertaken to detect and describe nigrimanus is not reported from Greece dipteran species so far unknown to science, though expected in mountainous areas. as well as determining in more precise manner the distribution of already known Discussion species.

In the present paper we added a new species Acknowledgements to the European Platypalpus candicans - cursitans subgroup. However, there are four We thank Ms Camille Locatelli for making species, hitherto only known from the the stacked photograph as well as Dr Wouter Caucasus and hence supposed to be endemic Dekoninck and Mr Pol Limbourg for in that region that share some of the providing access to the collections. Finally, characters of this subgroup. Three species: Dr Igor Shamshev helped us with some Platypalpus caucasicus Kovalev, 1967, P. literature. kintrishiensis (Kustov et al. 2015) and P. subcaucasicus (Kustov et al. 2015) have three notopleurals bristles and thus differ References from the European subgroup that have only two notopleurals. Only P. odintosovi Arndt, E., P. Schnitter, Sfenthourakis, S. and (Kustov et al. 2014) has two notopleurals D.W.Wrase (eds). 2011. Ground Beetles and resembles most P. cursitans as is (Carabidae of Greece). Pensoft Series discussed above. Faunistica No 100. Pensoft Publishers. The invertebrate fauna of Greece has Sofia. only sporadically been investigated and Barták, M. and Š. Kubík. 2015. Three new numbers around 27,000 species while species of European Platypalpus several more thousands are still waiting to (Diptera, Hybotidae). ZooKeys 470: be detected. Compared to the size of the 145–155. country, this number is very large (Legakis Barták, M. and Š. Kubík. 2016. New species 2009). and new synonyms in European It is well established that Greece holds a Platypalpus (Diptera: Hybotidae). rich biodiversity, due to the complex Zootaxa 4217: 142–154. biogeographical history and intense Barták, M. and Š. Kubík. 2018. Hybotidae topography, as well as the geographic (Diptera) from Turkey, with descriptions www.entsoc.gr © 2020 Hellenic Entomological Society 25 ENTOMOLOGIA HELLENICA 29 (2020): 17–26

of seven new species. Zootaxa 4410: Legakis, A. 2009. In Marangou & Legakis 453–482. (eds): Red Data Book of Threatened Collin, J.E. 1961. Empididae. In: British Animals of Greece. Hellenic Zoological Flies. Volume VI. University Press, Society. Athens, 528pp. [in Greek]. Cambridge 782 pp. Kustov, S., I. Shamshev and P. Grootaert. Chvála, M. 1975. The Tachydromiinae 2014. Six new species of the Platypalpus (Dipt. Empididae) of Fennoscandia and pallidiventris-cursitans goup (Diptera: Denmark Part I. Fauna Entomol. Scand. Hybotidae) from the Caucasus. Zootaxa 3: 1–336. 3779: 529–539. Chvála, M. 1989. Monograph of northern Kustov, S., I. Shamshev and P. Grootaert. and central European species of 2015. New data on the genus Platypalpus Macq. (Diptera, Hybotidae), Platypalpus (Diptera: Hybotidae) from with data on the occurrence in the Caucasus with description of seven Czechoslovakia. Acta Universitatis new species. Zootaxa 3973: 451–473. Carolinae Biologica 32: 209–376. Sfenthourakis, S. & A. Legakis. 2001. Chvála, M. 2013 Fauna Europaea: Hotspots of endemic terrestrial Platypalpus. In: &. Beuk, Dr Paul Pape, invertebrates in southern Greece. Dr Thomas (2013) Fauna Europaea: Biodivers. Conserv. 10: 1387–1417. Diptera. Fauna Europaea version Strobl, G. 1880. Dipterologische Funde um 2017.06, https://fauna-eu.org [Accessed Seitenstetten. Ein Beitrag zur Fauna on 14 October 2019]. Nieder-Österreichs. Gymn. Progr. Grootaert, P. and M. Chvála. 1992. Seitenstetten 14: 1–65. Monograph of the genus Platypalpus Wéber, M. 1975. 28. Csalad: Empididae- (Diptera: Empidoidea, Hybotidae) of the Tancoslegyek. In Fauna Hungariae 121, Mediterranean region and the Canary XIV, Dipt.I (13): 1-220 pp. Budapest. Islands. Acta Universitatis Carolinae- Biologica 36: 3–226.

Περιγραφή ενός νέου είδους Platypalpus (Diptera: Hybotidae) της υποοµάδας των candicans - cursitans από την Πελοπόννησο

P. GROOTAERT1 ΚΑΙ S. ALEXIOU2,* 1Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautierstreet 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium 2Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e.V., Prof.-von-Klitzing-Str. 7, D-49610 Quakenbrück, Germany

ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ

Στην παρούσα µελέτη περιγράφεται ένα νέο είδος το Platypalpus cylleneus sp. n., µέλος της υποοµάδας Platypalpus candicans και cursitans. Το είδος αυτό εντοπίσθηκε στο όρος Κυλλήνη της Πελοποννήσου. Επίσης, παρέχεται επισκόπηση και κλείδα προσδιορισµού όλων των µελών της υποοµάδας, δηλαδή των ειδών P. candicans (Fallén, 1815), P. cursitans (Fabricius, 1775), P. cylleneus sp. nov. και P. nigrimanus Strobl, 1880.