Author: (Meigen, 1818)
Diagnosis (n=2; for illustrations see Langton and Moller Pillot, 1997a.)
Exuviae 3.7, 4.1mm long.
Cephalothorax: Frontal setae absent. Thorax weakly granulate, granules flattened, except near antepronotum. Lengths of median antepronotal setae about 30µm, precorneal setae 14-50µm, dorsocentral setae 1 and 3 10-16µm, 2 and 4 30-44µm; dorsocentral setae 1 and 2, 3 and 4 closely approximated, 1 and 2 distant from 3 and 4.
Abdomen: Tergites I-IX densely covered with short, strong points, which laterally become progressively granulate; anterior large points larger than those immediately behind, sharply pointed; II-VIII also with posterior transverse row of 26-44 strong teeth, little flattened and sharply pointed; longest about 20µm long. Conjunctives covered with a mixture of points, tubercles and granules. Parasclerites armed with tubercular granules. Sternites not armed posteriorly with teeth. Sternite I armed laterally with short points; II with an antero-median and postero-median patch of very strong points, the antero-median patch isolated laterally by bare cuticle, the postero-median patch connected by smaller points to the lateral longitudinal band of points; III as II but the postero-median patch may be only weakly developed, IV-VIII covered with sturdy points.
Anal segment: Anal lobes flat, without fringe or strong teeth along the lateral margins and not extended posteriorly into a downwardly curved point; lobes truncate posteriorly, each lobe 1.7-1.8x as long as broad. Female genital sheaths reaching tip of anal lobe; those of male exceeding the anal lobes by 0.13x anal lobe length. Anal macrosetae reduced, longest anal macrosetae 38-50µm long, 0.16/0.18x anal lobe length; female exuviae with 3 anal macrosetae on each side, the male has 4 (an aberration?).
(Linked adult male: Langton and Pinder, 2003a)
Adult males and females were described as belonging to the Metriocnemus fuscipes-group (Saether, 1995a).
Species keys out at Page 783: Orthocladiinae 195 Metriocnemus of the Text Key.
Distribution
Holarctic species: widespread in Europe, north Africa.
(For more information see module IdentifyIt – file: Orthocladiinae).
Ecological notes
Larvae in upper layers of grassland soil.