Procladius breviatus Remmert, 1953

Procladius breviatus Remmert, 1953 View in CoL

Procladius breviatus Remmert, 1953 View in CoL — Remmert (1953), Germany, adult male, adult female, descriptions, illustrations.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Pinder (1978), adult male, key, illustrations.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Omoku & Murray (1987), pupa, photo.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Sasa (1988), Japan, adult male, illustration.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Langton (1991), pupal exuvia, key, illustration.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL —Sasa & Kikushi (1995), Japan, adult male, key, illustrations.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Langton & Visser (2003), pupa, key, illustration.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Langton & Pinder (2007), adult male, key, illustrations.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Langton et al. (2013), pupa, key, illustration.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Quintana et al. (2018), Spain, adult male, illustration.

Procladius sagittalis ( Kieffer, 1909) View in CoL — Ratnasingham et al. (2024), Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway and Sweden, adult males, adult females, larvae, photos.

Material examined (n = 27). ENGLAND, 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis ), Sandscale Haws , 54.16°N 3.24°W, 0 m a.s.l., +9 °C m.a.t., 18.iv.1964 GoogleMaps .— FINLAND, 1 adult male, Baltic Sea , Storskär Island, Lake Käringsund, 63.43°N 21.07°E, 0 m a.s.l., +4 °C m.a.t., 30.v‒13.vi.2017, leg. L. Paasivirta. GoogleMaps — GERMANY, 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis, ZSMG ), Odesloe , Brenner Moor mire and saline ponds, 53.8°N 10.4°E, 7 m a.s.l., +10 °C m.a.t., 14.vi.1923, leg. A. Thienemann GoogleMaps ; 2 adult males (Paratypes of P. breviatus, ZSMG ), Baltic Sea , Howacht Bay, 54.32°N 10.67°E, 0 m a.s.l., +10 °C m.a.t., 23.iv.1952, leg. H. Remmert. GoogleMaps — IRELAND, 5 adult males (as P. sagittalis, NMID ), Lake Reenydonegan , 51.70°N 9.45°W, 3 m a.s.l., +9 °C m.a.t., 19.v.1969, leg. J. Bracken. GoogleMaps — MONTENEGRO, 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis, LUIZ ), Karuc springs at Lake Skadar, 42.36°N 19.11°E, 8 m a.s.l., +15 °C m.a.t., 1.vi.2018, leg. P. Gadawski GoogleMaps [ Barcode BIOUG56531 View Materials -FO4] ; 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis, LUIZ ), Vrijesko Vrelo , at spring, 42.48°N 19.15°E, 31 m a.s.l., +14 °C m.a.t., 30.v.2018, leg. A. Zawal GoogleMaps et al. [ Barcode BIOUG56221 View Materials -AO8] ; 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis, LUIZ ), Malo Blato , 42.35°N 19.18°E, 6 m a.s.l., +15 °C m.a.t., 6.vi.2018, leg. P. Gadawski GoogleMaps [ Barcode BIOUG57312 View Materials -D12] .— NETHERLANDS, 3 adult males ( NHRS), Atlantic Sea , Katwijk aan Zee, 52.20°N 4.39°E, 0 m a.s.l., +11 °C m.a.t., 19.vi.1993, leg. Y. Brodin. GoogleMaps — SPAIN, 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis, UBCL ), Galindo , Sestao, Atlantic coast, 43.30°N 2.99°W, 2 m a.s.l., + 15 m GoogleMaps .a.t., vii.2014, leg. R. Quintana .— SWEDEN, 2 adult males ( NHRS), Baltic Sea , Hamnefjärden Bay, Simpevarp, 57.42°N 16.67°E, 0 m a.s.l., +9 °C m.a.t., 5.v.1978, leg. Y. Brodin GoogleMaps ; 2 adult males (as P. sagittalis, NHRS ), Baltic Sea , Furusundsfjärden islands, 59.70°N 18.90°E, 0‒1 m a.s.l., +5 °C m.a.t., 15.viii.2008, leg. C. Essenberg GoogleMaps [ Barcode BSCHI081-11 and BSCHI082-11 ] ; 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis, NHRS ), Baltic Sea , Rödkobbehamnskär Island, 59.47°N 19.12°E, 1 m a.s.l., +6 °C m.a.t., 4.ix.2010, leg. G. Hjertstrand GoogleMaps [ Barcode BSCHI098-11 ] ; 3 adult males (as P. sagittalis, NHRS ), Baltic Sea , Södra Skräplen island, 59.14°N 18.75°E, 0 m a.s.l., +6 °C m.a.t., 28.vii.2011, leg. G. Hjertstrand GoogleMaps [ Barcode BSCHI363-17 , BSCHI364-17 and BSCHI421-17 ] ; 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis, NHRS ), Baltic Sea coast, Pataholm, 56.92°N 16.43°E, 0 m a.s.l., +6 °C m.a.t., 2.vi.2012, leg. Y. Brodin GoogleMaps [ Barcode BSCHI683-17 ] ; 1 adult male (as P. sagittalis, NHRS ), Baltic Sea coast, Orrvarp, Gaviksfjärden Bay, 62.84°N 18.21°E, 0 m a.s.l., +3 °C m.a.t., 13.viii.2013, leg. Y. Brodin GoogleMaps [ Barcode BSCHI819-17 ] .

Diagnostic characters. Figs. 39 View FIGURES 36‒39 , 104‒106 View FIGURES 104‒106 , key couplet 21. P. breviatus has a short gonostylus process with a GspR that overlaps that of seven other species of Procladius in Europe. Of these, P. appropinquatus , P. bellus , P. nudipennis and P. clavus are easily morphologically separated from P. breviatus as evident from the illustrations of genitalia and several characters in the key and the helpdesk.

The GspR of P. breviatus to some degree overlaps that of P. saeticubitus (0.10‒0.16 versus 0.14‒0.20). P. breviatus can be distinguished from P. saeticubitus by the less slender gonostylus (GsmR 4.6‒5.7 versus 5.9‒6.9), wing vein Cu stem setae numbers (0 versus 5‒33) and the gonostylus process length compared to width (0.5‒0.8 versus 0.8‒1.1).

The GspR of P. breviatus to some degree overlaps that of P. exilis (0.10‒0.16 versus 0.14‒0.19). P. breviatus can be distinguished from P. exilis by the less slender gonostylus (GsmR 4.6‒5.7 versus 5.9‒6.9), median anepisternum setae numbers (0 versus 10‒18) and antenna AR (1.7‒2.1 versus 2.6‒2.7).

P. breviatus is sometimes very difficult to distinguish from P. choreus in cases where the GspR is overlapping (0.10‒0.16 versus 0.13‒0.20). When overlapping, the species can almost always be separated by a combination of characters related to size. P. breviatus is often bigger than P. choreus expressed as wing length wing length (2.3‒3.2 versus 1.8‒2.8), mid leg tibia length (1.05‒1.26 mm versus 0.72‒1.14) and body length (3.9‒5.0 mm versus 2.9‒4.4). In addition, P. breviatus has an on average broader gonostylus process relative to length compared with P. choreu s (0.5‒0.8 versus 0.7‒1.2).

P. breviatus has almost only been found in brackish or saline water of the sea or water bodies within 30 km of the seacoast. P. choreus is also found in brackish water of the sea, but more often in inland waters far from the seacoast.

P. breviatus Remmert, 1953 , has for more than fifty years been regarded as a synonym of P. sagittalis Kieffer, 1909 . The drawing of Kieffer’s P. sagittalis and other information in Remmert (1953) reveals that it is a synonym of P. culiciformis . The adult female of P. breviatus has been briefly described, the pupa in detail, whereas the larva is undescribed. Barcodes of adult males, adult females and larvae are available.

Geographical distribution and ecology. In Europe, P. breviatus has been found from latitude 41°N in North Macedonia to 63°N in Finland. The southernmost findings of the species are from the Mediterranean coast of Morocco at 35°N. A great majority of the 42 sites with findings are in the sea near the coast, stagnant water bodies connected to the sea or inland water within 30 km from the sea. Confirmed findings are from altitude ‒ 1 to 40 m above sea level, which means that P. breviatus has the most limited altitude range of all European Procladius , except for P. clavus . Mean annual temperature of localities with findings of P. breviatus range from +18 °C in northern Morocco to +3 °C in Finland.

Larvae of P. breviatus inhabit shallow parts of sea bays, estuaries or nearshore zones of the Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Near the sea, findings are from lakes, ponds, permanent or temporary pools, springs, man-made ditches and in a few cases slow-flowing sections in rivers. Most of these waters have a salinity ranging from slightly brackish conditions to somewhat higher than on average in the Mediterranean Sea (38‰) and the Atlantic Ocean (35‰). P. breviatus can be considered the best adapted to saline and marine conditions of all Procladius species in Europe.

Most findings of P. breviatus are from the littoral zone with eutrophic to hypereutrophic conditions at water depth 0‒4 m, sometimes with very low oxygen concentration. No confirmed records from the profundal are known. Some findings are from mesotrophic conditions and a few from oligotrophic ones. Larvae of P. breviatus are usually found in waters with pH above 7, but there are a few findings from acid conditions including a very acid peat pool with pH 4.2. Larvae inhabit mud bottoms with dense to sparse vegetation of e.g. Phragmites , Juncus and Scirpus . It is not known what kind of food items the larvae consume. Adults have been caught from late April to mid-September.

Countries or autonomous regions with records of P. breviatus in Europe are Albania, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and Wales. The species is also known to occur in Morocco, Japan and Asian Russia.

References. Anikina 2009b; Brodin 1980; Brodin et al. 2013; Cobo et al. 1993; Dowling & Murray 1981; Essenberg 2009; Gadawski 2020; Gadawski et al. 2022; Goetghebuer 1927; Jiménez 1984; Kettani & Moubayed-Breil 2018; Kettani et al. 2022; Kieffer 1918a; Krebs 1979; Krebs 1988; Langton 1991; Langton 1993; Langton & Pinder 2007; Langton & Visser 2003; Moller Pillot & Buskens 1990; Moubayed-Breil et al. 2013; Murray et al. 2018; Nicol 1935; Orendt et al. 2012; Parma & Krebs 1977; Petrova & Zhirov 2014; Pinder 1978; Quintana et al. 2018; Ratnasingham et al. 2024; Remmert 1953; Sasa 1988; Sasa & Kikushi 1995; Shcherbina 1989; Thienemann 1954; Thiery 1982; Tomlin et al. 2024.