Micronecta ( Micronecta ) wui alkani Hoberlandt, 1952

Micronecta ( Micronecta) wui alkani Hoberlandt, 1952 View in CoL

Sigara minutissima (Linnaeus) : Giglio-Tos (1894: 11), “ Beirut ”. Misidentification (verified).

Material examined. Published records: “ Beirut ”, [ 11.VII.1893], [ E. Festa leg.], [ E. Giglio-Tos det.] as Sigara minutissima (Lin.) , F. Cianferoni revid., 15 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀ macr., MRSN [only 8 specimens with locality label, the others without any original label but positioned in the same series] .

Survey material: Basin of Aarqa: Aarqa above Bqerzla , 1 ♀ macr., 2 ≤ IV instar nymphs, MLUB ; Aarqa at the bridge, 26. III .2000, 1 ♀ macr., MLUB : Nahr Châne at El Aiyouna bridge, 26. III .2000, 1 ♂ macr., CFC . Basin of El Kebir : Nahr Chadra, 30. III .2008, 1 ♂ macr., 1 V instar nymph, CFC . Basin of Hasbani: Hasbani at bridge El Fardis, 31.X.2004, 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ macr., MLUB ; idem, 1 ♂, 1 ♀ macr., CFC ; Hasbani at bridge El Fardis, 20. III .2005, 5 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀ macr., 4 V, 1 IV instar nymphs, MLUB ; Hasbani , 21.X.2004, 1 ♂, 1♀ macr., CFC ; Hasbani at El Meri, 31.X.2004, 1 ♂ macr., MLUB ; idem, 20. III .2005, 2 ♀♀ macr., 1 V instar nymph, MLUB ; Wazzani , 30.IV.1996, 1 ♂ macr, 2 V instar nymps, MLUB ; idem, 14.VII.2004, 8 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀ macr., 13 V, 6 IV, 1 III instar nymphs, MLUB; idem, 3 ♂♂ ( Figs. 6a,c,d View FIGURE 6 ), 3 ♀♀ macr., 2 V, 1 IV instar nymphs, CFC ; Wazzani , 31.X.2004, 1 ♀ macr., MLUB ; idem, 20. III .2005, 1 ♂, 4 ♀♀ macr., MLUB . Basin of Litani : Nabaa el Hjaïr, 2.VI.2005, 2 ♀♀ macr., 1 ♀ macr., MLUB ; Litani at Jisr (= bridge) Qaaqiet Ej Jisr, 31.VIII.2005, 1 ♀ macr. MLUB ; idem, 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ macr., CFC ; Litani below Ain Zarka spring, 28.X.2004, 1 ♂ macr. ( Figs. 6b,e View FIGURE 6 ), CFC . Basin of Orontes : Jabboulé, 25.V.2000, 1 ♂ macr ; idem, 24.VI.2001, 2 ♀♀ macr., MLUB . Basin of Sayniq : Ouadi El Leimoun at bridge, 15.VI.2008, 2 ♂ macr, MLUB .

General distribution. This taxon was recorded from Turkey ( Anatolia) and Israel (Jansson 1995, Fent et al. 2011).

Remarks. The southwestern populations of M. wui Lundblad, 1933 are assigned to M. wui alkani Hoberlandt, 1952 due to some minor differences in the male parameres compared to the nominotypical subspecies (Wróblewki 1962). The subspecies M. w. kosswigi Hoberlandt, 1952, described from Turkey together with this taxon by Hoberlandt (1952), was synonymized with M. wui alkani by Wróblewki (1962a). The apparent disjunction between the nominotypical subspecies (from the Northern Territory of China, Mongolia, to the Far East) and the southwestern populations ( Anatolia and easternmost Mediterreanean countries), i.e. M. w. alkani ( Wróblewki 1962a, Jansson 1995), seems to justify the separation and admit its current status. In fact, other two species occurring in Asia, originally described as subspecies of M. wui , have been subsequently assigned to M. anatolica Lindberg, 1922 (see Wróblewki 1962b, Jansson 1995).

The record of Sigara minutissima by Giglio-Tos (1894) was a misidentification of M. wui alkani Hoberlandt, 1952 , not yet described at that time.

This species, apparently well widespread in Lebanon according to the material examined, is here recorded for the first time for the country. Female and immature specimens were attributed on the basis of wing pattern and abdominal pattern respectively. In any case, nymphs were assigned to specific level only if associated with adults.

Based on this survey, macropterous individuals appear to be the main morphotype (the only one in the material examined) in this species.