Research Article |
Corresponding author: Michal Tkoc ( michaltkoc@gmail.com ) Academic editor: Torsten Dikow
© 2014 Michal Tkoc, Jindřich Roháček.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Tkoc M, Roháček J (2014) Diversity, distribution and biology of Romanian flat-footed flies (Diptera, Opetiidae and Platypezidae) with taxonomic notes on Callomyia saibhira Chandler. ZooKeys 459: 95-118. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.459.8376
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Altogether 18 species of the families Opetiidae and Platypezidae are reported from Romania, based on newly studied material and previously published records. The following three species are recorded from Romania for the first time: Agathomyia vernalis Shatalkin, 1981, Callomyia saibhira Chandler, 1976, and Lindneromyia hungarica Chandler, 2001. The presented differential diagnosis and a detailed redescription of body and genitalia of the male of Callomyia saibhira are based on one specimen which is the first male found in Europe. Information about distribution and biology of all 18 Romanian species is provided as well as photographs of selected important species. Finally, a new checklist of all Romanian species is given.
Diptera , Opetiidae , Platypezidae , Callomyia saibhira redescription, Palaearctic Region, Romania, distribution, biodiversity, new records, biology
The Opetiidae and Platypezidae are basal cyclorrhaphous families of Diptera, belonging to the superfamily Platypezoidea. The European species are small brachycerous flies, ranging from 1.4 to 6.0 mm in wing length. Their coloration is often black (males) or composed of black, orange and grey (females), and some species have silvery grey reflective patterns. The males have larger heads with holoptic eyes, while the female eyes are dichoptic. The larvae may be flat or cylindrical. All known larvae are mycophagous and feed by burrowing in the tissue of fungus fruiting bodies, at the surface of the gills of gill fungi, or on fungal mycelia under bark of dead trees; one species, Agathomyia wankowiczii (Schnabl, 1884), is gall-forming on sporocarps of a polypore. Adults of European species may be observed running rapidly on broad leaves in forested habitats; females may be observed ovipositing on host fungi.
These two families of flat-footed flies include 44 species in 13 genera in Europe (
Specimens were examined with an Olympus SZX10 binocular microscope. Photographs were taken by Canon 600D and/or 60D with MPE-65 macro lens and in some cases combined from multiple layers using Helicon Focus Pro 5.2. Drawings and photographs were edited in CorelDRAW 12 and Corel PHOTO-PAINT 12 graphic software. Morphological terminology follows
Distributional data follows
The following abbreviations are used in the text: I–XII – January to December, BMNH – The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom, JR – Jindřich Roháček, ER – European Russia, FE – Far East of Russia, MT – Michal Tkoč, NMPC – National Museum, Praha, Czech Republic, SMNS – Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart, Germany, SMOC – Silesian Museum, Opava, Czech Republic. The species with asterisk (*) in front of their names represent new records for Romania. The translations of original localities from Romanian are in square brackets [ ], together with names of the respective county and historical region.
Orlát [Orlat, Sibiu, Transilvania] (
1 ♂, 1. vi. 2008, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 4km NE, Kulhavá skála, Vranovec cave (Figure
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia (ER).
The adults run on broad leaves in wooded biotopes, where they sometimes form swarms. Its larvae are unknown. The adults were reared from very rotten beech wood and leaf litter (
Mehádia [Mehadia, Caraș-Severin, Banat]; Szászka [Szászka, Caraș-Severin, Banat] (
1 ♀, 31. v. 2008, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 1 km E, Alibeg brook valley (Figure
Palaearctic species reaching to Oriental region (Taiwan). Recorded in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia (ER, FE).
Most common species of the genus in the Palaearctic Region. The adults of both sexes are often found running on Petasites sp. leaves (pers. obs.). Larvae develop in Bjerkandera adusta (
Mehadia, Karaš-Severin [Caraș-Severin, Banat], 3.vii.1912, Oldenberg coll. (SMNS) (
Palaearctic species. Recorded in the Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Russia (ER, FE) and Georgia (North Ossetia) in the Caucasus (
Larvae are unknown;
Szászka [Szászka, Banat, Caraș-Severin] (
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia (ER).
Host fungus is Bjerkandera adusta (see
1 ♂, Czerna Ufers [=Cerna river banks], Herkulesbad [Băile Herculane, Caraș-Severin, Banat], 13.vii.1912 (
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Russia (FE).
Unknown. Adults are usually swept from vegetation along brooks in forests (
1 ♀, 19. v. 2011, Alba, Alba Iulia, 1 km E, 380 m a.s.l., 46°04'18"N, 23°32'02"E, sweeping on Fagus sylvatica, MT leg.
Palaearctic species. Recorded in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and Russia (ER). New record for Romania.
Very rare species with early flight period. The individuals are collected only in IV and V and were almost exclusively females. Larval biology and host fungus are unknown.
Mehádia [Mehadia, Caraș-Severin, Banat] (
1 ♀, 1. vi. 2008, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 4 km NE, Kulhavá skála, Vranovec cave (Figure
Palaearctic species. Recorded in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia (ER, FE).
Uncommon species with adults occurring in undergrowth and along brooks in humid deciduous and mixed forests (
Mehádia [Mehadia, Caraș-Severin, Banat]; Orsova [Orșova, Mehedinți, Banat] (
1 ♀, 1 vi. 2008, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 4 km NE, Kulhavá skála, Vranovec cave (Figure
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania and Russia (ER).
Common species, the larvae live on mycelia under bark of fallen trunks of various trees. A record from mycelia on bark on the underside of aspen trunks lying on the ground was mentioned by
Mehádia [Mehadia, Caraș-Severin, Banat] (
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Andorra, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania and Russia (ER).
Unknown, the larvae probably live on mycelia under bark of fallen trunks of various trees (similarly to other species of Callomyia, see
1 ♂, 1. vi. 2008, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 4 km NE, Kulhavá skála, Vranovec cave (Figure
Differential diagnosis. Male of C. saibhira differs from C. amoena and C. elegans by having darker halteres that are not orange (brown with knob black). C. speciosa have longer arista and shorter first flagellomere and upper part of pleura is not so silvery grey dusted as in C. saibhira. From its most similar species, C. dives Zetterstedt, 1838, it differs by a clear wing membrane, brown palpus and different genitalia, basal lobe of gonopod is shorter (Figure
Male. Body length 4.1 mm. Wing length 3.8 mm.
Head black with silvery grey dusting. Antenna dark brown, scapus with dorsal seta reaching to tip of pedicel, pedicel with one strong dorsal seta reaching to the middle of first flagellomere, both sides of pedicel with 3 short setae, 1 short seta on ventral position. First flagellomere conical, twice as long as pedicel. Second and third flagellomere long. Arista half of antennal length. Two pairs of small frontal setae. Ocellar tubercle dull brown, with one pair of ocellar setae and one pair of small postocellar setae. Postocular setae long, their apices visible in anterior view. Face and parafacial bare, silvery grey dusted. Gena, occiput and postgena with long black setae. Occiput black, silvery grey dusted. Palpi brown with short black setae, proboscis brown with pale pubescence.
Thorax velvet black with silvery grey dusted areas. Two very inconspicuous median dorsal grey stripes between dorsocentral and acrostichal setae ending in anterior two thirds of scutum. Posterior sides of scutum silvery shining. Pleural sides of thorax without setae, silvery grey coloured. All thoracic setae black. Uniserial row of acrostichal setae, two rows of about 10 dorsocentral setae. Humeral callus with top brownish, with 2 humeral setae; 4 small posthumeral setae. One postalar seta. Notopleural group composed of 6 setae: 1st long, 2nd– 4th short, 5th–6th long. Notopleural area silvery grey dusted. Two long presutural and 4–5 small postsutural setae. Scutellum black, with 2 prominent scutellar setae on each side. Haltere brownish with knob black.
Wing hyaline with brown to dark brown veins. Subcostal cell (sc) yellow tinted and with microtrichia. Wing surface not uniformly covered with microtrichia, microtrichia present on anal lobe, posterior and distal part of wing. First longitudinal vein (R1) bearing 9–10 spines. Anterior (r-m) and posterior (dm-cu) crossveins present. Costal cell (c) equal to sc in length. Posterior crossvein (dm-cu) twice as long as distal part of the fifth longitudinal vein (CuA1). Anal cell (cup) elongated, its length about three times portion of anal vein (A1+CuA2) beyond it.
Legs slender, brown, slightly silvery shiny. All coxae silvery dusted with black setae, yellow distally. Fore femur with longer fine ventral setae distally. Fore femur with 1 oxhorn seta. Apices of femora and basal parts of tibiae (=“knees”) yellow. Fore tibia with 1 anteroventral spur. Fore tarsomeres I−II yellow. Mid tibia bearing short dorsal seta above middle (anterodorsal seta absent) and two long ventral apical spurs. Hind femur of the same width as hind tibia. Hind tarsomere I with ventral seta above middle.
Abdomen black with silver-grey coloured markings. Setae on abdomen fine and black. Tergites 1 and 2 (T1+2) more setulose than the others, T3+T4 sparsely setulose. T1 black, its anterior half shiny silvery grey in lateral view. T2 black with silvery grey marking on posteroventral area. In lateral view this marking occupies posterior third of T2. T3 black, with similar (but smaller) marking, mainly on ventral part. T4 black, with silvery grey marking on posteroventral area occupying posterior two thirds in lateral view. T5 black. T6 black with posterior border grey. T7 small, entirely grey. Sternite 8 also grey, without setae.
Genitalia (Figure
Female. Not studied, for description see
Palaearctic species. Hitherto recorded only from Bulgaria (
Unknown. The larvae of other European Callomyia species develop on mycelia under bark of various trees (see above under C. amoena). The adult male examined was swept from vegetation close to a cave along a small brook (Figure
This is the second specimen and first male of the species from Europe. Other known material (♂♂ and ♀♀) was collected in the Far East of Russia, Amur region (
1 ♂, Retezatului Mts, near Hobita, Calana [Hobița, Hunedoara], 29. vi. 1969, in mature pine forest, B.H. Cogan and R.I. Vane-Wright leg. (BMNH) (
1 ♀, 31. v. 2011, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 1 km E, Alibeg brook valley (Figure
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia (ER) and Caucasus.
Less common than C. amoena but widely distributed throughout Europe. The larvae also live on mycelia under bark of various trees (reared from mycelium on surface of a fallen hazel trunk by
1 ♂, Herkulesbad [Băile Herculane, Caraș-Severin, Banat], 6.vi.1904, Kertész lgt. (
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia (ER, FE).
Mehádia [Mehadia, Caraș-Severin] (
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Russia (ER).
Immature stages develop in Polyporus squamosus (
Szászka [Szászka, Caraș-Severin, Banat] (
1 ♂, 19. v. 2011, Alba, Alba Iulia, 1 km E, 380 m a.s.l., 46°04'18"N, 23°32'02"E, sweeping on Fagus sylvatica, MT leg.
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia (ER).
Mehádia [Mehadia, Caraș-Severin, Banat] (
1 ♂, 1. vi. 2008, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 4 km NE, Kulhavá skála, Vranovec cave (Figure
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Russia (ER).
Common species, larvae develop in various species of Pluteus, mainly in Pluteus cervinus (
Szászka [Szászka, Caraș-Severin, Banat] (
Palaearctic species reaching to Oriental region. Distributed in the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Finland, Norway, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden, Russia and Myanmar [=Burma].
1♂, „Bucarest” [București], A.L. Montandon leg., ex E. Brunetti coll. (BMNH) (
1 ♂, 25. v. 2013, Mer occ., Muntii Locvei Mts., Sfanta Elena env., cca 44°40'N, 21°43'E, B. Mocek leg.; 1 ♀, 30. v. 2008, Banat, Latunas, 3 km W nr. Comoraste, 110 m a.s.l., 45°13'16"N, 21°28'10"E, sweeping over boggy meadow, JR leg.; 1 ♂, 1. vi. 2008, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 4 km NE, Kulhavá skála, Vranovec cave (Figure
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Israel, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Russia (ER).
Larvae mostly develop in fruiting bodies of various Agaricus sp. There are several unconfirmed records from other soft fungi (
1 ♀, 1. vi. 2008, Banat, Sfânta Elena, 2.5 km NE, 420 m a.s.l., 44°41'44"N, 21°43'10"E, sweeping over meadow, JR leg.
Palaearctic species. Recorded in Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland. New record for Romania.
The species was only recently separated from L. dorsalis and their larvae can develop together with those of L. dorsalis in the same fruiting body of an Agaricus sp. (
Family Opetiidae
Opetia nigra Meigen, 1830
Family Platypezidae
Subfamily Callomyiinae
Agathomyia antennata (Zetterstedt, 1819)
Agathomyia collini Verrall, 1901
Agathomyia falleni (Zetterstedt, 1838)
Agathomyia setipes Oldenberg, 1916
Agathomyia vernalis Shatalkin, 1981
Agathomyia viduella (Zetterstedt, 1838)
Callomyia amoena Meigen, 1824
Callomyia elegans Meigen, 1804
Callomyia saibhira Chandler, 1976
Callomyia speciosa Meigen, 1824
Subfamily Platypezinae
Seri obscuripennis (Oldenberg, 1916)
Bolopus furcatus (Fallén, 1826)
Polyporivora ornata (Meigen, 1838)
Paraplatypeza atra (Meigen, 1804)
Paraplatypeza bicincta (Szilády, 1941)
Lindneromyia dorsalis (Meigen, 1804)
Lindneromyia hungarica Chandler, 2001
Altogether 18 species of the families Opetiidae and Platypezidae are reported from Romania, representing 40.9 % of all flat-footed flies known from Europe. This number is far from the total number of species in this country and more research on flat-footed flies is needed to understand their distribution in Romania and Europe as a whole. Comparing the species number of the family Opetiidae and Platypezidae from Romania with the countries related to the Carphathian-Pannonian region it is an average number of species: Austria has 17 species (
The discovery of the first male of Callomyia saibhira in Romania is the most important result of this study. The genitalia figured herein do not entirely agree with the description and figure of
We would like to thank Dmitry Gavryushin for the photos he kindly provided to this paper. Peter J. Chandler and Heather J. Cumming are acknowledged for the review of the manuscript and English corrections. The study was supported by the Charles University in Prague, project GA UK No. 1294214. Support was also received from the grants of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2013/12 and 2014/13, National Museum, Prague, 00023272) and the Institutional Research Support grant of the Charles University, Prague (No. SVV 260 087/2014). This research received support from the SYNTHESYS Project http://www.synthesys.info/ which is financed by European Community Research Infrastructure Action under the FP7 “Capacities” Program under the title “Flat-footed flies (Diptera: Opetiidae and Platypezidae) of the Carpathian basin (HU-TAF-3853)”. The study of the junior author was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic by institutional financing of long-term conceptual development of the research institution (the Silesian Museum, MK000100595), internal grant of the Silesian Museum No. IGS201401/2014.