Aphaniosoma oculicauda Collin, 1949

Aphaniosoma oculicauda Collin, 1949 View in CoL

Fig. 68 View Fig

Material examined

Syntypes

EGYPT • 40 ♂♂, 14 ♀♀ ( 7 females headless); Fayoum, Lake Karun ; 2–23 Sep. 1945; R.L. Coe leg.; NHMUK, B.M. 1946–39 , bar code 013933290–343 .

Other material

EGYPT • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Alexandria, Abu Kir ; 20 Oct. 2003; P. Gatt leg.; beach, wrack; PG • 2 ♂♂, preserved in alcohol; Alexandria, Ras Rashid ; 21 Oct. 2003; P. Gatt leg.; beach; MJE .

ISRAEL • 1 ♀; Elot ; 18 Mar. 1995; B. Merz leg.; MHNG • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; ‘ Iddan ; 19 Mar. 1995; A. Freidberg leg.; SMNHTAU • 9 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀; Qalya ; 28 Sep. 1995; I. Yarom leg.; SMNHTAU • 1 ♂; Dead Sea , Nahal Qidron; 7 Jun. 1996; B. Merz and A. Freidberg leg.; MHNG • 1 ♂; Jericho , route 90; 31°48ʹ N, 35°29ʹ E; 25 Mar. 2000; M.J. Ebejer leg.; on roadside vegetation; MJE GoogleMaps .

Remarks

Pont (1995: 122) listed 40 male and 18 female syntypes. This species is one of a few where the male hypopygium, when visible in situ, can be highly distinctive even without dissection ( Fig. 68B–C View Fig ). On examining the specimens listed by Pont as syntypes, many males are in good condition and provide easy recognition of the species intended by Collin ( 33 males bar code 013933290–322 are in good condition; 013933323-329 are headless). Some other specimens are not identifiable, being in very poor condition. Among them (specimen with bar code 013933330), probably a male, is represented only by fragments of the hypopygium in Euparal and 6 specimens are of indeterminate sex, being in such poor condition. The rest of the specimens were not found. As a result, in the present study 40 males and 14 females are recognized as syntypes.

Distribution

Cyprus, Egypt, Oman ( Collin 1949; Ebejer 1996, 2021a). New record for Israel.