Empidideicus croceus

Abstract

Empidideicus croceus (Séguy) (Figs. 4, 5) Cyrtosia crocea Séguy, 1949a: 85 (key) [1949b 155]. Empidideicus crocea (Séguy). Evenhuis, 2002: 32. Empidideicus (Empidideicus) crocea (Séguy). Evenhuis, 2024: 39. Types Examined. Types. Lectotype ♀ (designated herein) and 2 paralectotype ♀ from Morocco: “Maroc-sud”, Goulimine [= Guelmim] [ca. 29°N, 10°W], Apr 1947, L. Berland (MNHNP). All types in MNHNP. Other Material Examined. Morocco: 1♀, Zagora, Oulad Yahya Lagraire, Lghaba, 30.55395°N, 6.126120°W, 894 m, 31 Mar 2025, M. El Berini (MNHNR); 1♂, 1♀, HA, Midelt, Mibladen, Oued Outate, 32°76.14′N, 4°74.61′W, 1,293 m, 17 May 2021, riverbank, K. Kettani (MNHNR); 1♀, Rif, Larache, Tazroute, Mchichouen, 35°19′38.914′′N, 5°28′27.080′′W, 640 m, 22 May–25 Jun 2019, matorral, K. Kettani (MNHNR); 1♂, 1♀, Rif, Akchour, Chellal sghir, 35°14′21′′N, 5°10′37′′W, 424 m, 17 Jun–14 Aug 2017, banks of a waterfall, K. Kettani (MNHNR); 1♂, Rif, Ouezzane, Laghdir, Oued Loukkos, 35°01′21′′N, 5°25′14.0001′′W, 140 m, 11 Jun 2021, riverbank, K. Kettani (MNHNR). Diagnosis. Similar to Empidideicus (E.) evenhuisi by lacking a yellow prescutellar area, and having a yellow scutellum and black frons, but can be separated from it by the white face (black in E. (E.) evenhuisi). A recently described species from the Canary Islands, Empidideicus (E.) guguy Suárez (Suárez et al. 2025) keys to E. (E.) croceus using this key, but it can be separated by the lack of large yellow interhumeral marks (present in E. (E.) croceus) and having dark femora (yellow in E. (E.) croceus). Description Female (Fig. 4a). Length: 1.8–2.0 mm. Wing: 1.7–2.0 mm. Head (Figs. 4a,b): slightly longer than high; eyes dichoptic, separated at vertex by 1× distance between lateral ocelli; occiput and postgena black; frons slightly depressed medially, black on upper half, white on lower half above antennae; face yellowish, tip of oral margin black; antennae black; scape short, subtrapezoidal; pedicel subconical, wider than long; first flagellomere conical, length 2× width; second flagellomere [broken off in lectotype] thin, cylindrical, length three-fourths of first flagellomere, with minute transparent apical style; mentum black; clypeus black, as long as oral margin; proboscis black, length 1.5× head length; labrum sclerotized, stiff, pointed apically, length subequal to clypeus; palpus not evident. Thorax (Figs. 4b,c). Mesonotum matte black; yellow wavy dorsolaterally from humeral callus to post alar callus; large yellow interhumeral marks coalesced with yellow humeral calli; scutellum dirty yellow, brown basomedially; mesonotal disc and dorsum of scutellum with short fine white hairs; pleura bare, yellow, with black on following: anteroventral corner of anepisternum and anepimeron, lower half of katepisternum; propleuron yellow; halter stem and knob creamy yellow white. Legs. Coxae brown; femora brown basally, yellow apically; tibiae and basitarsi yellow; tarsal tarsal segments 3–5 brown. Wing [both wings missing in lectotype (description from non-type ♀ from Zagora, Oulad Yahya Lagraire, Lghaba)]. Elongate, length 3.5× width; subhyaline; veins dark brown; costa ends just beyond end of R 4+5; vein Sc incomplete; Rs faded basally at connection with R 1; R 4+5 slightly bowed at apical one-third; vein M 1 and M 2 straight; cell dm open apically; CuP thick; anal cell open at wing margin; CuA evanescent; fringe of hair on posterior margin of wing. Abdomen (Fig. 4d). Tergite I black, concolorous with mediotergite color; tergites II–VII black dorsomedially with yellow along posterior margin, yellow color becoming successively broader on successive segments; lateral margins broadly yellow with small brown spot on tergites II–VII, additional spot of brown lateral of midline on tergites III–VI; sternites yellow; tergites with sparsely scattered minute white hairs. Genitalia. Not dissected. Male: As in female. Genitalia (Fig. 5) with epandrium yellow, in lateral view (Fig. 5A) subtrapezoidal with large pseudosurstylus; cercus small, not exerted; gonocoxa brown, in lateral view (Fig. 5A) subglobular, smaller than epandrium, in ventral view (Fig. 5B) with deep ventral cleft; gonostylus (Fig. 5D) inserted subapically on gonocoxa, subquadrate with long coniucal apical portion; phallic complex (Fig., 5C) with long aedeagus, tapering to apex; parameral sheath with lateral arms extending almost to end of aedeagal apodeme; aedeagal apodeme small, peanut-shaped in lateral view (Fig. 5A); lateral rami small, thin, foliate. Remarks. Evenhuis (2002, 2024) erred in citing the earliest publication for this name. The species name was first made available by characters given the key in Séguy (1949a); the full description followed in Séguy (1949b). Séguy originally described croceus in Cyrtosia based on three females from “Goulimine” [= Guelmim] in southern Morocco. The best preserved of these and the one bearing a red “TYPE” label is herein designated lectotype female. The syntype series has one specimen (the lectotype) labeled as “ Cyrtosia crocea / TYPE/” [in Séguy’s hand] and the other two are labelled as “ Cyrtosia crocea Co-Type ” [in Séguy’s hand]. The lectotype is glued to a card by its proboscis, lacks antennae and wings and a few legs are broken off. The re-description above is based on the lectotype but filled in (for those characters missing in the type series) by a non-type female specimen from Zagora, Morocco. All the original syntypes are damaged. The lectotype is the best preserved of the three but lacks antennae and wings. There is evidence that at least one of the wings of the lectotype may have been glued to a point below the pinned specimen, but it is gone and what appears to be a fragment of a costa is all that remains. One paralectotype is squashed and not much can be determined beyond color patterns of head and thorax; the other paralectotype has only one wing that is folded onto itself so the venation is indiscernible. The lack of wings with discernable venation could have been the original condition of the type series and thus the error by Séguy (1949a) in originally placing this species in Cyrtosia. In Morocco, this species occurs under diverse ecological conditions. It has been recorded from mountainous areas and riverbanks in the Rif and the Middle Atlas under a humid bioclimate, as well as from the Anti-Atlas (Map 1), where an arid Saharan climate with desert influence prevails. Distribution. Morocco.