Peromyia leveillei Kieffer 1894

Peromyia leveillei Kieffer, 1894

Fig. 3A–D

Peromyia leveillei, type species of the genus Peromyia Kieffer, 1894, was previously known only from the incomplete descriptions by Kieffer (1894), Edwards (1938), and Kleesattel (1979), all based on Kieffer’s original material collected in France in 1893. Kieffer (1894) distinguished Peromyia from Joannisia, a genus described in the same paper, chiefly by the number of palpal segments, two in Peromyia and four in Joannisia. As this character cannot suffice for separating otherwise similar genera, synonymization of the two names was suggested by Edwards (1938) and put into effect by Kleesattel (1979). Of 160 species known of Peromyia today (Gagné & Jaschhof 2014), P. leveillei is the only one with regularly two palpal segments (Fig. 3C), all others have three or four. This specific character helped us to identify three Peromyia males from southern Sweden as belonging to P. leveillei, an identification verified by comparing with Kleesattel’s (1979) male genitalic illustration (fig. 30.72). The Swedish specimens, which represent the species’ rediscovery after more than 120 years, serve here to complete the male descriptions of P. leveillei by previous authors.

Diagnosis. The two-segmented palpus (Fig. 3C) distinguishes Peromyia leveillei from all other Peromyia, including Peromyia sororia spec. nov., a closely related species described below. Peromyia leveillei and P. sororia differ from the congeneric species by the roundish wings (Fig. 3D). Both belong to the Peromyia modesta (Felt, 1907) group (Jaschhof & Jaschhof 2009) and there to a subset of species whose tegmen has no obvious ventral plate, including P. cassa Jaschhof, 2001; P. concitata Mamaev & Berest, 1994; and two unnamed species from Norway and Austria, respectively, in the Jaschhof collection. While the gonostyli of the latter four species are elongate, those of P. leveillei and P. sororia are markedly compact.

Other male characters. Body length 1.2–1.3 mm. Head. Eye bridge 3–4 ommatidia long dorsally. Postfrons strongly projecting. Postocular bristles in 1 row. Neck and node of fourth flagellomere equally long, node with irregular whorl of long hair-shaped translucent sensilla distally, such sensilla present also medially, there shorter, intermingled with setae (Fig. 3B). Both palpal segments with hair-shaped translucent sensilla, apical segment pointed, twice as long as basal segment (Fig. 3C). Wing (Fig. 3D). Length / width 2.2. Most of venation conspicuously poor in contrast. Costal break indistinct. Strong anterior portion of C extends beyond R5 for 2–3 times the vein width. R1 = 1.5–2.0 Rs. M4/CuA-fork wide. Legs. Claws curved at right angle, without teeth, broadened subapically. Genitalia (Fig. 3A). Posterior margin of ninth tergite blunt rather than rounded. Gonocoxites: ventral emargination deep, V-shaped, membranous basally; dorsal bridge slightly wider than tegmen. Gonostylus almost globular in ventral view, bent, concave medially. Tegmen three times longer than wide, parallelsided, rounded apically, apodemes small.

Previous distribution. France. Occurrence in Sweden: Öland, Bohuslän, Södermanland.

Specimens studied. Sweden: male (CEC151), Öland, Mörbylånga, Gamla Skogsby, scrubby meadow (“diversity meadow”), 15 Aug.–6 Sep. 2006, Malaise trap, SMTP (trap 22, collecting event 1829); male (CEC152), Bohuslän, Tanum, Hamburgsund, Stora Snixholmen, semi-exposed flat coastal rocks, 17–31 July 2004, Malaise trap, SMTP (trap 32, collecting event 1070); male (CEC249), Södermanland, Tyresö, Åva, Spirudden, coastal oak woodland, 6–21 July 2005, Malaise trap, SMTP (trap 1, collecting event 1572).