Bradysia forficulata (BEZZI, 1914)

Bradysia forficulata (BEZZI, 1914) View in CoL

( Figs 1–3 View Figs 1–7 )

Synonyms:

= Sciara luravi JOHANNSEN, 1929 View in CoL ; = Bradysia nocturna TUOMIKOSKI, 1960 View in CoL .

Selected literature:

– TUOMIKOSKI (1960): 139 and 141, fig. 32f [as Bradysia nocturna ]; – FREEMAN (1962): 79 [as Bradysia sp. 1 ]; – HOLDGATE (1965): 383 and 396 [in part as Bradysia sp. ]; – MOHRIG & MENZEL (1993): 270 and 283, fig. 15d; – MENZEL & MOHRIG (2000): 141; – GASTON et al. (2003): 1095; – JONES et al. (2003): 241 and 246, fig. 28b; – MENZEL et al. (2006): 53 [all as Bradysia nocturna ]; – HELLER & WEBER (2013): 321, figs 4, 5; – MOHRIG et al. (2013): 159, figs 10a, 10b [all as Bradysia forficulata ].

Material from the archipelago:

Only known from the literature ( FREEMAN 1962, HOLD- GATE 1965, GASTON et al. 2003, JONES et al. 2003).

Distribution:

Cosmopolitan. Common and widely distributed in Europe ( Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia [ European territory], Spain [mainland], Sweden, Switzerland). Also known from North America ( Canada: Alberta, British Columbia / USA: Arizona, California, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia). Outside Holarctic region only recorded from Gough Island ( 7 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀ in the BMNH collection) .

Description: See TUOMIKOSKI (1960): 139 and 141, fig. 32 f.

Discussion:

HELLER & WEBER (2013) consider Bradysia nocturna TUOMIKOSKI as junior synonym of Bradysia forficulata (BEZZI, 1914) . The genitalia of ‘ nocturna ’ and ‘ forficulata ’ are in fact identical, only in ‘ forficulata ’ the legs and antennae are elongated and the individuals are larger as a result of adaptation to life in caves. Bradysia forficulata is distributed through the whole of Europe and is also pre- sent in North America, including caves (REEVES 2000, REEVES et al. 2000). Additionally, it seems that B. forficulata [= B. nocturna ] is able to use microcaves such as burrows of moles, shrews, rabbits and other small mammals as well as of wasps. Burrows of the house mouse ( Mus musculus), which was introduced on Gough Island in the 19th century, might serve as an appropriate habitat for Bradysia forficulata (BEZZI) .