Parydra (Parydra) obliterata ( Duda, 1942 )

Parydra (Parydra) obliterata ( Duda, 1942) View in CoL

( Figs. 16 View FIGURE 16 , 93–96 View FIGURES 93–96 )

Napaea quadripunctata var. obliterata Duda 1942: 38 ; type-locality: „Ilfeld S.-Harz“ [ Germany]; lectotype ♂, des. by Papp (1979) [ZMB, Papp 1979].

Primary type material examined:

♂ lectotype of P. obliterata in coll. ZMB with these labels: (1) “25 9 [& illegible sign]”; (2) “ Ilfeld / S.- Harz Duda ”; (3) “4-punctata / var. obliterata / ♂ d. Duda ”; (4) “ Lectotypus ”; (5) “Zool. Mus / Berlin ”

Additional material examined: Material: GERMANY: 1♀, 24.vii.2015, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, beach Spitzenhorner Bucht , Wolgast [54.065°N 13.788°E] GoogleMaps ; 2♂♂, 3.vi.2016, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Recknitztal 5.4 km se Damgarten [54.211°N 12.550°E] GoogleMaps ; 1♀, 5.vi.2016, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rügen , Bodden 3 km sw Prora [54.419°N 13.544°E] GoogleMaps ; 1♂, 25.vii.2003, Lower Saxony, Ems Leer [53.219°N 7.429°E] GoogleMaps ; 1♂, 16.vi.2007, Lower Saxony, Alnus -forest e Adelebsen [51.587°N 9.762°E] GoogleMaps ; 1♂, 20.v.2024, Lower Saxony, Jadebusen, salt marsh w Stollhamm [53.512°N 8.320°E] GoogleMaps ; 1♀, 22.v.2009, Lower Saxony, Leineaue e Elze [52.119°N 9.761°E] GoogleMaps ; 1♀, 21.vi.2008, Lower Saxony, below Sösetalsperre [51.736°N 10.301°E] GoogleMaps ; 1♂, 6.viii.2011, Saxony-Anhalt, Sülldorf [52.027°N 11.567°E]; GEORGIA GoogleMaps : 1♂, 3.vii.2019, Terek river 1.3 km sw Stepantsminda [42.649°N 44.634°E] GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis: This is a difficult species with a long history of confusion (cf. Zatwarnicki 1991, Beschowski & Zatwarnicki 2004). Confusion is possible with those species belonging to the subgenus Chaetoapnaea which have black tarsi. However, the entirely white to light brown setulae on the middle coxa serve to separate P. obliterata from all Chaetonapaea. The typical characters of Parydra s. str. are also present in P. obliterata : a tooth at apex of scutellum, a convex face and broad gena (gena-eye ratio> 0.4–0.5). ♂ can be recognised by the dense black setulae ventrally in the apical half of the middle tibia and the comb like row of regularly arranged dense setae posteroventrally on the middle femur. Only P. littoralis and P. cryptica have a similar pattern of setae. ♂ terminalia diagnostically with the phallus and phallus apodeme separated ( Fig. 95 View FIGURES 93–96 ) and the phallus narrow in dorsal view ( Fig. 93 View FIGURES 93–96 ). ♀ is difficult to recognise and probably cannot always be reliably distinguished from similar species. The full combination of characters given in the key must be checked carefully when attempting to determine female specimens.

Distribution in Europe: The history of confusion and difficulty in identification of females makes the interpretation of previous records difficult. Parydra obliterata is reliably recorded by Zatwarnicki (1991) (as P. nigritarsis but with a drawing clearly showing the terminalia of P. obliterata ) from Denmark, Italy, Poland, Romania and Sweden. Additionally, there are published records from Bulgaria ( Beschovski & Zatwarnicki 2004, Hubenov 2018), the Czech Republic ( Zatwarnicki & Kejval 2022), Germany ( Papp 1979) and Hungary ( Beschovski & Zatwarnicki 2004). Parydra obliterata is widely distributed at least from Central Europe to Southeast Europe. Currently there are no records from the Iberian Peninsula, Britain, Scandinavia (with the exception of a female published by Zatwarnicki (1991) from Sweden) or from anywhere outside Europe.

Biology: Adults of P. obliterata have been caught from May to August in densely vegetated wetland, riparian and inland saline habitats.