Nat. Croat. Vol.

22(1), 2013 29
NAT. CROAT. VOL. 22 No 1 2936 ZAGREB June 30, 2013

original scientific paper / izvorni znanstveni rad

New records of HesperiNidae

aNd BiBioNidae (iNsecta, diptera)
from croatia
John Skartveit1*, Gunnar Mikalsen Kvifte2, Aleksandra Klari3
& yvind Hland4
NLA University College Bergen, P.O. Box 74 Sandviken, N-5812 Bergen, Norway
1

2
Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, University of Bergen,
P.O. Box 7800, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
3
Vlaka 79, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
4
Kvalvegen 2, N-2380 Brumunddal, Norway

Skartveit, J., Mikalsen Kvifte, G., Klari, A. & Hland, .: New records of Hesperinidae and
Bibionidae (Insecta, Diptera) from Croatia. Nat. Croat., Vol. 22, No. 1., 2936, 2013, Zagreb
We review the published records of Hesperinidae and Bibionidae (Diptera) from Croatia and add
some new records based on recent, sporadic collecting in the country. The species Bibio handlirschi Duda,
1930 and Bibio reticulatus Loew, 1846 are recorded for the first time from Croatia. Notes are given on
the taxonomy and bionomy of some of the species.
Key words: Hesperinus, Bibio, Dilophus, faunistics
Skartveit, J., Mikalsen Kvifte, G., Klari, A. & Hland, .: Novi nalazi iz porodica Hesperinidae
i Bibionidae (Insecta, Diptera) iz Hrvatske. Nat. Croat., Vol. 22, No. 1., 2936, 2013, Zagreb
U radu se daje pregled objavljenih nalaza iz porodica Hesperinidae i Bibionidae (Diptera) iz
Hrvatske, uz dodatak novih nalaza prikupljenih sluajnim prikupljanjem. Vrste Bibio handlirschi Duda,
1930 i Bibio reticulatus Loew, 1846 zabiljeene su prvi puta za Hrvatsku. Daju se podaci o taksonomiji i
ivotu nekih vrsta.
Kljune rijei: Hesperinus, Bibio, Dilophus, faunistika

iNtroductioN
With its wide range of habitats, the Balkans an area of high biodiversity and endemi-
sm, is considered one of the biodiversity hotspots of Europe (Griffiths et al., 2004; Hewi-
tt, 2011). In particular, Croatia, with its varied topography and wide range of climate
and habitat types, is home to a large number of species (Jelaska et al., 2010). The area is
famous for its rich fauna of subterranean invertebrates (Zagmajster et al., 2008) but pro-
bably also has a high diversity in other groups. However, many insect groups remain
little studied in this area. Bibionid flies are a relatively well-known group for which a
substantial amount of faunistic data exists from Europe (see Skartveit, 2011); however
very little seems to be published from the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Langhof-
fer (1917) published records of some bibionids in his list of Croatian Nematocera, but
we have not been able to locate any more recent publications concerning this group. For
the family Hesperinidae, the only previous Croatian records were given by Papp (2010).

* corresponding author ([email protected])

30 Skartveit, J. et al.: New records of Hesperinidae and Bibionidae (Insecta, Diptera) from Croatia

material aNd metHods

The new records are based on material collected sporadically mainly in the northern
part of Croatia by the authors. The material is preserved in alcohol and will be deposited
in the University Museum of Bergen, Norway. The senior author has looked through the
collections of the Museum of Natural History, Rijeka, but failed to find any bibionid
specimens there. The material was identified with the aid of Duda (1930) and other so-
urces as noted. Species new to the fauna of Croatia are marked with a *. The name of the
counties (upanija) are given in bold.

results
Hesperinidae
The hesperinids are a group of archaic Diptera which are sometimes included in the
Bibionidae but they have mostly been treated as a separate family by European authors
(e.g. Krivosheina, 1997). While hesperinids are known from fossils from the Eocene
(Skartveit, 2009) and Oligocene (Nel & Skartveit, 2012), they appear always to have been
scarce and local flies. While the wing venation is similar to primitive bibionids, these
flies are easily recognized by their slender bodies, legs and antennae, and by the dichop-
tic eyes of the males. The European hesperinids were recently revised by Papp (2010).
Hesperinus imbecillus (Loew, 1846) (Fig. 1)
Previous records: Karlovac County: Jasenak, Poega-Slavonia County: Papuk Mts.
(above Kutjevo) (both Papp, 2010).

Fig. 1. Hesperinus imbecillus,

male, habitus.
Nat. Croat. Vol. 22(1), 2013 31

Fig. 2. Bibio handlirschi, female, habitus.

New record: Sisak-Moslavina County, Petrinja, Novo Selite 4526 N 1614 E, mal-
aise trap, April 2011, AK & GMK leg., 10 males
Papp (2010) discussed Croatian populations of this apparently rare and local species
from Karlovac County: Jasenak and Poega-Slavonia County: Papuk Mts. (above Ku-
tjevo). The Petrinja specimens have slightly elongate terminal flagellomeres (mostly
1.5-2 times as long as wide) rather than globular ones which are considered typical for
the species by Papp (2010). In this respect the specimens are more similar to Hesperinus
graecus Papp, 2010. However, the genitalia fit H. imbecillus very well and we believe that
the difference in antennal morphology is due to geographical variability of this species,
which apparently has small and localized populations. The shape of the terminal flage-
llomere seems to be of a quite plastic character since there is often a notable difference
between the left and right antenna in the same specimen.
Hesperinus species are rarely collected in numbers; this is particularly so for the fligh-
tless females. All records are from deciduous forest near streams (Papp, 2010). The im-
mature stages of H. imbecillus are unknown; however the East Asian species H. rohden-
dorfi has larvae living in submerged, dead wood (Krivosheina & Mamaev, 1967), and
this may be the case with H. imbecillus, too (Papp, 2010). This is a rare habitat and would
explain why the species is so rarely collected. It would also suggest that the species is
very vulnerable to destruction of old-growth woodlands since submerged, dead wood
is almost exclusively found in such situations.
Bibionidae
No species of Bibionidae have been registered from Croatia in the Fauna Europaea
database (Skartveit, 2011), except for Dilophus bispinosus Lundstrm, 1913 which was
described partly from Croatian material. Seven species were listed from Croatia by Lan-
ghoffer (1917) and some older records have been published from localities in the Austro-
Hungarian Empire currently in Croatia (Strobl, 1900, 1904; Zerny, 1916). Most Europe-
an countries have 15 to 25 species of Bibionidae recorded, and there should be no reason
32 Skartveit, J. et al.: New records of Hesperinidae and Bibionidae (Insecta, Diptera) from Croatia

to expect any fewer in a biologically rich country such as Croatia. Bibionids are rather
robust, usually black nematocerans which tend to swarm in large numbers, and they
are therefore easily recorded and well represented in most museum collections. The
larvae are phytosaprophages and live communally in the soil (Skartveit, 1997). Central
European bibionids are best identified by the keys of Duda (1930), although some chan-
ges to the nomenclature have occurred since the publication of these keys.

Genus Bibio Geoffroy, 1762

Bibio clavipes Meigen, 1818
Previous record: Zagreb (Langhoffer, 1917).
This autumn-flying species is common over most of Europe except for the souther-
nmost parts, preferring humid woodlands up to the timberline. In Central Europe, it is
usually the only Bibio species flying later than August, and easily recognized on account
of the long, black legs with swollen hind tarsi in the males.

Bibio femoralis Meigen, 1838

Previous record: Zadar County, Zadar (= Zara) (Strobl, 1904).
New record: Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Rijeka, at beach between Rijeka and
Opatija, 4. February 1995, H leg, 1 male
Bibio femoralis is a fairly uncommon, a Central European species which has previou-
sly been recorded in Austria, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Switzerland (Haenni & Obrecht,
2001) and recently in France (Haenni & Quintin, 2012). The species seems to fly very
early in spring, with records between late January and early April (Haenni & Obrecht,
2001). It was redescribed by Haenni & Obrecht (2001), and the males are easily recogni-
zed on account of the swollen posterior tarsomeres.

*Bibio handlirschi Duda, 1930 (Fig. 2)

New record: Sisak-Moslavina County, Petrinja, Novo Selite, April 2011 AK & GMK
leg 9 males 10 females.
This apparently very rare species was described by Duda (1930) from material collec-
ted in Austria in 1902. The species remained obscure, represented by just a handful of
old specimens in European collections, until Papp & Haenni (2007) redescribed it, adding
new records from Hungary and Greece. It remains rare, however, and Papp & Haenni
could find just 12 specimens in all. The biology of this rare species is not well known,
but Papp & Haenni (2007) suggest that poplar leaf litter on sandy soil is a common factor
for all the known European localities for the species. The Petrinja specimens fit perfectly
Papp & Haennis redescription of the species.

Bibio hortulanus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Previous records: Lika-Senj County: Senj (Langhoffer, 1917), Zadar County: Zadar
(= Zara) (Strobl, 1904) Dalmatien (Strobl, 1900), Split-Dalmatia County: Hvar (=
lesina) (Strobl, 1904), Split-Dalmatia County: Bievo (= Busi) island (Zerny, 1916),
Dubrovnik-Neretva County: Dubrovnik (= Ragusa) (Strobl, 1900)
For some reason this ubiquitous, Mediterranean and Central European species was
not present in the samples we examined. It is generally distributed at low altitudes in
Europe as far north as southernmost Sweden, also in North Africa and the Middle East.
Nat. Croat. Vol. 22(1), 2013 33

The species is easily recognized since the females are largely orange-red with dark brown
wings. Males are similar to Bibio marci but generally smaller, and the pile on the abdo-
minal pleurae is white, not black.

Bibio johannis (Linnaeus, 1767)

Previous record: Lika-Senj County: Senj (Langhoffer, 1917)
This species occurs most frequently on cultivated land and flies quite early in spring,
though not as early as Bibio femoralis. It is one of the smallest Bibio species and its most
conspicuous field identification character is the large and black pterostigma of both
sexes, in strong contrast with the lightly fumose wings.

Bibio marci (Linnaeus, 1758)

Previous records: Zagreb, Lika-Senj County: Senj (Langhoffer, 1917), Zadar: Zadar
(= Zara) (Strobl, 1904), Split-Dalmatia: Hvar (= Lesina) (Strobl, 1904).
New records: Sisak-Moslavina, Petrinja, Novo Selite, April 2011 AK & GMK leg. 5
males. City of Zagreb, by estine, by a stream in a beech forest, 30. April 1994, H leg,
1 male. City of Zagreb, Rogozova by Sava, 24.-28. April 1994, H leg. 1 male 2 females.
City of Zagreb, in forest towards Medvedgrad, 4. April 1994, H leg. 2 males.
This is a common and rather eurytopic European species distributed from the Medi-
terranean to southern Scandinavia (Skartveit, 2011). It is common in and around deci-
duous woodlands, also in parks, hedgerows etc. This large, black species which is frequ-
ently very abundant in spring is probably the most commonly noted bibionid in Europe,
at least by the general public.

Bibio pomonae (Fabricius, 1775)

Previous record: Lika-Senj County: Senj (Langhoffer, 1917)
New record: Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Veliki Risnjak, near summit 1400 m
a.s.l., 9. July 2009, 2 males, JS (photographed, not collected).
A large and conspicuous species which is easily recognizable on account of its bright
red femora; otherwise rather similar to Bibio marci. In southern Europe this is a montane
species.

*Bibio reticulatus Loew, 1846

New record: Sisak-Moslavina County, Petrinja, Novo Selite , April 2011 AK & GMK
leg. 1 female
This is also a relatively uncommon Central and Western European species. It has been
previously recorded from Austria but apparently not from Hungary (Skartveit, 2011).

Bibio varipes Meigen, 1830

Previous records: Lika-Senj County: Senj (Langhoffer, 1917), Zadar County: Zadar
(= Zara) (Strobl, 1904).
New records: Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Rijeka, park at Krnjevo, 2. May 1995, H
leg. 1 female. City of Zagreb, above estine, by a stream in abeech forest, 30. April 1994,
H leg, 1 male. City of Zagreb, Rogozova by Sava, 24.-28. April 1994, H leg. 1 female.
This species is common in woodlands in Western and Central Europe (Skartveit,
2011).
34 Skartveit, J. et al.: New records of Hesperinidae and Bibionidae (Insecta, Diptera) from Croatia

Genus Dilophus Meigen, 1803

Dilophus bispinosus Lundstrm, 1913
Previous record: Split-Dalmatia County, Hvar (= lesina), 3 females (Lundstrm, 1913).
Lundstrm (1913) gives the locality of his specimens, found in the Hungarian Nati-
onal Museum, as Dalmatia: Lerina. We have not been able to locate any place that has
been named Lerina in the area and believe it should be Lesina, that is, Hvar. This
uncommon species has been recorded sporadically throughout the Mediterranean area
and Central Europe.

Dilophus febrilis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Previous records: Primorje-Gorski Kotar County: Delnice, Bakar, Suak, Meimur-
je County: Orehovica, Lika-Senj County: Senj (all Langhoffer, 1917) Split-Dalmatia
County, Hvar (= lesina) (Strobl, 1900), Zadar County: Zadar (=Zara) (Strobl, 1904).
New record: City of Zagreb, by estine, by a small stream in a beech forest, 30. April
1994, H leg. 1 male.
Recorded from large parts of Europe and also as far east as Iran (Skartveit, unpu-
blished observations). This species is frequently very numerous in grasslands and cul-
tivated land. It has two annual generations, in April-May and in August-September.
While Dilophus species are often very similar in habitus, females of this species are easi-
ly recognized due to their all-black colour.

Dilophus femoratus Meigen, 1804

Previous record: Split-Dalmatia County: Hvar (= Lesina) (Strobl, 1904).
Strobl (1904) considered D. humeralis a colour morph of D. femoratus, and it is not
clear if his material was D. femoratus, D. humeralis or both. In samples from other parts
of Europe D. femoratus is generally the more numerous of the two by far, and this is most
likely the case in Croatia, too.

Dilophus humeralis Zetterstedt, 1850

Previous record: Split-Dalmatia County: Hvar (= Lesina) (Strobl, 1900, 1904).
New record: City of Zagreb, Rogozova, pan trap at Sava river, 6.-12. March 1994, 1
female, leg. H.
The species is known from most parts of Central Europe, but there are no previously
confirmed records from Balkan. It is generally rather uncommon (e.g., Freeman & Lane,
1985). Strobl (1904) regarded this species as just a coloured variety of D. femoratus and
he did not discuss the distinguishing characters of the true D. humeralis (in particular, the
short female head, Haenni, 1982), so it is not clear if the species recorded by Strobl is a
true D. humeralis or just a differently coloured D. femoratus. Strobl reported the species
to be numerous, while D. humeralis is otherwise almost never found in large numbers.

Dilophus tenuis Meigen, 1818

Previous record: Dalmatien, Split-Dalmatia County, Hvar (= Lesina) (Strobl, 1900,
as Dilophus ternatus)
This distinctive but rather uncommon species has been recorded from Austria, but
most of the European records are from south-western Europe.
Nat. Croat. Vol. 22(1), 2013 35

discussioN
Including the present records, one species of Hesperinidae and 14 Bibionidae have
been recorded from Croatia. For comparison, the Fauna Europaea database (Skartveit,
2011) lists 12 species of bibionids from Hungary (the actual number is 20), 15 from the
Italian mainland and 23 from Austria. The Croatian fauna is likely to include a few more
species than have been recorded. Additional Central European species are likely to be
found in the inland plain areas in Slavonia and near Zagreb, while some more Medi-
terranean species could occur along the Dalmatian coast and in the islands. Most bibio-
nids have their adult flight period in spring (March-May) and should be searched for
during this time. The present records are based on a very limited material and more
extensive collecting is likely to reveal that most of the species are rather widely distri-
buted within the country. It is noteworthy that the rarely collected species Bibio femoralis,
B. handlirschi and B. reticulatus were all present in our small sample of Croatian bibionids.
A more thorough investigation of the bibionid flies in this area may reveal that some
species that are rare in other parts of Europe may not necessarily be so in the countries
of the former Yugoslavia. At present, the bibionids of Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia-Hercego-
vina, Montenegro and Macedonia are almost entirely unknown.

ackNowledgemeNts
Dr. Marin Kirini, Museum of Natural History, Rijeka kindly helped us searching
for specimens in the collection under his care.
Received January 11, 2013

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SuMMARy

New records of Hesperinidae and Bibionidae (Insecta, Diptera)

from Croatia
J. Skartveit, G. Mikalsen Kvifte, A. Klari & . Hland

We review the published records of Hesperinidae and Bibionidae (Diptera) from Croatia
and add some new records based on recent, sporadic collecting in the country. The following
species have been recorded from Croatia: Hesperinidae: Hesperinus imbecillus. Bibionidae:
Bibio clavipes, B.femoralis, B. handlirschi, B. hortulanus, B. johannis, B. marci, B. pomonae, B. reti-
culatus, B. varipes, Dilophus bispinosus, D. febrilis, D. femoratus, D. humeralis, D. tenuis. Several
of the species, notably Bibio handlirschi, are considered rare in the rest of Europe.