Empis (Kritempis) macquarti Becker 1907

Empis (Kritempis) macquarti Becker, 1907

(Fig. 2)

Empis macquarti Becker, 1907: 127, new name for E. geniculata Macquart, 1849 nec Empis geniculata Zetterstedt, 1842 (see below).

Empis geniculata Macquart, 1849: 443.

Diagnosis. Scape with long setae; palpus projected with many strong, long ventral setae. Dorsocentrals rather strong, long. Wing with median veins complete. Male tergites 5-6 enlarged.

Lectotype designation. This species was described by Macquart (1849) with the name Empis geniculata, then renamed Empis macquarti by Becker (1907) because it is a junior primary homonym of Empis geniculata Zetterstedt, 1842 itself synonymized with Iteaphila macquarti Zetterstedt, 1838.

In the Macquart collection (MNHN), two males and one female are pinned above the label n° 84 “ E. geniculata Macquart, monsieur Lucas, Algérie ”. The species was indeed described from both sexes (Macquart, 1849: 444); the first male and the female (with the respective additional label “213; Empis geniculata Macquart ” and “1179”) correspond to the original description and here considered conspecific; the remaining male belongs to the species Empis algira. Although the number of specimens is not given in the original description, and given that Empis algira was described by Macquart himself and differs significantly from Empis macquarti (e.g. M 2 is abbreviated in E. algira, complete in E. macquarti), I consider that this specimen was added to the series later. Consequently, the first male is herewith designated as lectotype of Empis geniculata Macquart and labelled accordingly to fix and stabilize the current concept of the name; the female becomes a paralectotype of the species, and the second male is considered a representative of E. algira.

Additional material. 1 ♂, “Alger-IV, 52449; Museum Paris, Th. Becker 1902; E. macquarti B., det. Becker; Empis macquarti Beck. ”; 1 ♂, “ Muséum Paris, Biskra, coll. Parendel, coll. J. Chataney 1914”; 5 ♂, 1 ♀ “ Algérie, Rocher Blanc, mars-avril 1913, J. Surcouf ”; 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀ “Muséum Paris, Algérie, Forêt l’Empereur, P. Lesne, vi.1897 ”; 3 ♂, 9 ♀♀, “Philippeville, Algérie, A. Théry ”; 1 ♀, “ St Charles, Algérie, A. Théry, Muséum Paris, coll. Abeille de Perrin, 1919” (MNHN).

Re-description. Male. Head. Occiput dusty greyish, covered with rather strong, black setae; ocellar triangle with distinct pair of setae. Scape dark brown with numerous long setae, pedicel dark brown, postpedicel black. Palpus long, projected, with strong, long ventral setae; labrum 2x head height.

Thorax. Greyish. Antepronotum with row of distinct setae. Proepisternum with pale yellow setae, prosternum with fan of long, fine, pale yellow setae. Scutum with 3 distinct dark brown-blackish stripes on acrostichals and dorsocentrals; acrostichals biserial, fine; dorsocentrals uniserial, strong, long. Other strong long setae as follows: 1 presutural, 1–2 postsutural supraalars; 3 notopleurals. Laterotergite with fan of strong, long golden yellow setae. Anterior and posterior spiracles yellowish.

Legs. Coxae greyish to brownish. Fore coxa with pale yellow setae; mid coxa with row of strong, long black lateral setae; hind coxa with pale yellow setae, 2 strong, long black setae. Fore femur brown; fore tibia brown with antero- and posterodorsal rows of about 10 strong setae as long as tibia depth; fore tarsomeres 1–4 with distinct apical setae. Mid femur brown; mid tibia brown with antero- and posterodorsal rows of strong, rather long setae; mid tarsomeres 1–4 with two ventral rows of spine-like setae. Hind femur brown to yellowish apically with posteroventral row of strong, short setae, posterodorsal row of distinct setae at apical third; hind tibia brown to yellowish with posterodorsal rows of about 10 strong, rather short setae, anterodorsal row of strong, a little longer setae; first four hind tarsomeres brownish, with two ventral rows of spine-like setae.

Wing. Length about 6.5 mm. Brownish. Median veins complete. Halter yellow.

Abdomen. Greyish to blackish, somewhat shiny. Tergites 1–5 with strong, long black marginal setae, distinct pale yellow laterals. Pregenital sclerites modified: tergites 5-6 enlarged, tergite 6 with more or less concave anterior margin (in dorsal view), posterior margin lengthened ventrolaterally, tergite 7 somewhat desclerotized anteriorly, tergite 8 desclerotized posteriorly at middle.

Hypopygium (Fig. 2). Dorsal margin of cercus with characteristic subapical indentation. Epandrial lamella with strong, long setae apically. Phallus long, undulated, especially apically.

Female. Similar to male except for following characters: mid tibia brownish to yellowish basally, somewhat bent, with posteroventral group of spine-like setae at basal tip.

Chorotype. W-Mediterranean. The species is known from Algeria; it is also recorded from Tunisia in the Palaearctic catalogue (Chvála & Wagner 1989: 278); however, I have not seen any specimens from this area.