The Sciarid Fauna of the British Isles (Diptera: Sciaridae), Including Descriptions of Six New Species
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Blackwell Science, LtdOxford, UKZOJZoological Journal of the Linnean Society0024-4082The Lin- nean Society of London, 2006? 2006 146? 1147 Original Article BRITISH SCIARID FAUNAF. MENZEL ET AL. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 146, 1–147. With 20 figures The sciarid fauna of the British Isles (Diptera: Sciaridae), including descriptions of six new species FRANK MENZEL1, JANE E. SMITH2* and PETER J. CHANDLER3 1Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschafts- und Landnutzungsforschung (ZALF) e.V., Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany 2Warwick HRI, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF, UK 3606B Berryfield Lane, Melksham, Wilts. SN12 6EL, UK Received November 2004; accepted for publication March 2005 The results of a revision of the Sciaridae (Diptera: Nematocera) from the British Isles are presented, carried out as a preliminary to the preparation of a new Handbook for the identification of the British and Irish fauna of this family. A total fauna of 263 species is confirmed, including many species new to the British Isles: 111 new to Great Britain and 32 new to Ireland. Epidapus (Pseudoaptanogyna) echinatum Mohrig & Kozánek, 1992, hitherto known only from North Korea, is newly recorded from Europe. Six species are described as new to science: Bradysia austera Menzel & Heller sp. nov., Bradysia ismayi Menzel sp. nov., Bradysia nigrispina Menzel sp. nov., Corynoptera fla- vosignata Menzel & Heller sp. nov., Corynoptera uncata Menzel & Smith sp. nov. and Epidapus subgra- cilis Menzel & Mohrig sp. nov. The following new synonymies are proposed: Leptosciarella nigrosetosa (Freeman, 1990) = Leptosciarella truncatula Mohrig & Menzel, 1997; Sciara nursei Freeman, 1983 = Sciara ulrichi Menzel & Mohrig, 1998. Many misidentifications in the previous literature are corrected. Details of the collection data and location of specimens examined are provided under each species. The localities from which Sciaridae were collected in the British Isles are documented by modern county and grid references and the habitat indicated where known, to assist in assessing the ecological requirements of each species. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 146, 1–147. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: Europe – faunistics – Nematocera – Palaearctic – systematics – taxonomy. INTRODUCTION (formerly known as Mycetophiloidea) and were treated by many earlier authors as a subfamily of the The Sciaridae are mostly small, dark-coloured gnats Mycetophilidae. For this reason the English name fun- with a slender body, long legs and unmarked wings gus gnats, which was formerly applied to the whole with a characteristic venation. They have until group, has also been associated with them and has led recently remained one of the least well-known families to some confusion in the application of this name in of Diptera in the British fauna. This is perhaps sur- the literature. More recently, they have been termed prising given that the family includes a number of black fungus gnats or dark winged fungus gnats. The agricultural and horticultural pests. A firm taxonomic first of these terms is perhaps more appropriate as base is essential for the study of these pests. But their most species are predominantly black in colour, while study has not been popular among British dipterists, only some of the larger and more obvious species are both because of the perceived difficulty of identifica- particularly dark winged. The German name Trauer- tion and because of the rather uniform appearance of mücken (= mourning midges) also refers to their most members of the family. dark coloration and perhaps contrasts better with The Sciaridae are related to the Mycetophilidae and Pilzmücken (= fungus midges), the term used for other other families included in the superfamily Sciaroidea families of Sciaroidea. In addition, although some Sciaridae do develop in fungus fruiting bodies, this is by no means as frequent a life history as in the Myc- *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] etophilidae, in which it is the dominant life history. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 146, 1–147 1 2 F. MENZEL ET AL. Some Mycetophilidae are also mainly black but other regarded as a subfamily of Mycetophilidae and had types of coloration are more common in the family. this status in much of the earlier literature. The first Before the present study began, there was little idea systematic treatment was by Walker (1856), who of the size of the British fauna of Sciaridae owing to keyed 26 species placed in three genera. This was the relative neglect of the family by British dipterists. mainly followed in the first checklist of British Diptera Any estimate of the size of a fauna always has a direct (Verrall, 1888), which listed 27 species of Sciarinae in relationship with the number of specimens available four genera with few differences. A further early sys- for study by successive workers, which is itself a con- tematic account was by Theobald (1892), who included sequence of the number of active collectors and the only 14 species in four genera, but remarked that geographical coverage they achieved. K. G. V. Smith there were a large number of species of the genus Sci- (1974), describing the ways in which changes in ara found in England. His remark that Winnertz knowledge of the British Diptera fauna have taken (1867) had described 175 species in his monograph of place, commented that when a neglected family is the European species showed that he understood the studied a great change in the British list is to be scale involved. In his revised checklist Verrall (1901) expected. He particularly applied this to the leaf-min- listed 33 species in five genera, again under Sciarinae, ing Agromyzidae, of which knowledge had exploded in commenting on the Mycetophilidae as a whole that the 1950s and 1960s. ‘this family, though much improved, is still in a most For a little over 20 years there has been a Royal unfinished condition’ (p. 5). Verrall (1912) reinforced Entomological Society Handbook to the British species this when adding Trichosia morio (as Sciara longiven- of Sciaridae (Freeman, 1983b). The publication of such tris) to the British list, when he wrote ‘it is rather a a handbook can give the impression that a group is farce to add a single species of Sciara to our lists, when well known and this is reinforced when non-specialists at least 150 more species of this genus should occur in tend to conclude that their specimens belong to a spe- England’ (p. 20). cies included in the key. This assumption is, of course, There were no significant advances in knowledge often correct because the species most likely to be col- into the early part of the 20th century. Edwards lected are the common species that are well character- (1913b), in his earlier work on Mycetophilidae, did not ized and have long been known to be British. But it cover Sciaridae and possibly at that time preferred to has clearly led to many misidentifications in subse- regard them as a separate family as indicated in quent literature, as has been shown by the examina- Edwards (1922). However, they were again treated as tion of specimens in the present study. a subfamily by Edwards (1925a) when he provided the However, there was a 50% increase in the number of only systematic account of the entire group that has known British species in the 15 years from the publi- yet appeared in the British literature. He did then cation of the handbook to that of the latest checklist of acknowledge that they were far less well known than British Diptera (Chandler, 1998). This clearly demon- other groups of fungus gnats and recognized 45 spe- strated that knowledge of the British fauna was still cies in eight genera, most species still being retained at an early stage and the relative ease of finding fur- in the genus Sciara. One genus and species, Pnyxia ther species in new collections demonstrated that use scabiei (Hopkins), was then included by him in the of the existing handbook could not be a reliable means tribe Leiini. When he later (Edwards, 1941) provided of identifying British sciarids. Consequently, the an update on the British fauna he omitted the Scia- project to prepare a revised handbook was launched. ridae, stating that he was preparing a separate more Because of the large number of additional species detailed revision. Sadly this 1941 paper appeared that were found in British collections, including sev- posthumously due to Edwards’ premature death in eral new to science, it was considered that the present 1940, so his planned work on Sciaridae was never account of the material examined was a necessary pre- completed. liminary step to the preparation of a new handbook. Edwards was actively planning this sciarid revision With the addition of 111 species in the present paper in the 1930s and material was being gathered at the the fauna of the family in the British Isles is now con- Natural History Museum with this in mind. Ralph firmed to be 263, with 261 species found in Britain and Coe was Edwards’ assistant at that time and the 100 species in Ireland. extensive material collected by him in Scotland was presumably obtained for this purpose. Coe compiled the section on Sciaridae in the subsequent checklist HISTORY OF SCIARID STUDIES IN THE (Kloet & Hincks, 1945) and referred to the arrange- BRITISH ISLES ment following the known views of F. W. Edwards. An account of past work on the British fauna is nec- This checklist indicated a great increase in knowledge essary to put the present state of knowledge in per- over previously published work as it included 89 spe- spective. As mentioned, the Sciaridae were sometimes cies placed in only three genera, but with 12 subgen- © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 146, 1–147 BRITISH SCIARID FAUNA 3 era of Sciara recognized.