Author: Fittkau, 1962
Diagnosis (in part after Fittkau, 1962a - in italics)
Exuviae 4.3-6.9mm long (m=5.2mm, n=30) (017-2.jpg).
Cephalothorax: Thoracic horn 370-625µm long (m=486µm, n=25), horn swollen, rounded apically, with a small offset apical plastron plate (017g.jpg) and with more or less distinct reticulation; ThR 1.5-2.2 (m=1.8, n=20). Thorax comb with 9-20 teeth. Thorax finely transversely wrinkled from suture.
Abdomen: Armament of abdominal tergites extensively of group or scale shagreen. Tergites with a longitudinal dark band laterally (017i.jpg). (In very pale exuviae these may be very faint, but always discernible.) Lateral taeniae of segment VII 4, VIII 5(4,6); anterior lateral taenia of segment VII at 0.38-0.52 of length segment VII (m=0.48, n=39).
Anal segment: Anal lobes less than 700µm long, more or less parallel-sided to the anterior lateral taenia, thereafter narrowed to the tip (017h.jpg). Anal lobe ratio 1.6-2.5 (m=2.2, n=34). Male genital sheaths overreach anal lobes.
(Linked adult male: Langton and Pinder, 2003a)
Species keys out at Page 69: Tanypodinae 55 Ablabesmyia of the Text Key.
Distribution
Palaearctic species: widespread in Europe and circum-Mediterranean.
(For more information see module IdentifyIt – file: Other subfamilies).
Ecological notes
Mainly stagnant water.