Author: Saether, 1990
Diagnosis (in part after Saether, 1990a - in italics)
Exuviae 2.5-3.6mm long (m=3.0mm, n=9) (059-2.jpg).
Cephalothorax: Frontal setae on frontal apodeme. Ocular field with 1-2 postorbitals, vertical not observed. Eye facet impressions on eye sheaths conspicuous to half way or more using phase contrast or oblique illumination. Thoracic horn reduced to a small tubercle. Precorneal tubercle present, 3 fine and short precorneals (of equal length) (059h.jpg). 2 Median and 1 lateral, fine antepronotals (about equal length). 4 Dorsocentrals, setal marks of setae 2 and 3 separated by 2-13µm, distance between setae 3 and 4 15-49µm. Thorax and wing sheaths smooth.
Abdomen: Tergite I without shagreen; II-VIII with coarse and extensive shagreen (larger anteriorly) and posterior transverse rows of translucent or slightly darkened elongate spines (059i.jpg). Posterior long spines IV 56-92 (m=80, n=10), VI 38-73 (m=58, n=10). Longest spine IV 38-60µm long (m=50µm, n=10), VI 45-63µm long (m=56µm, n=10). Anterior points of tergite VII not forming transverse rows. Paratergite IV armed with small points. Pedes spurii Aand B absent. Sternite I without shagreen; II-VIII with few median points. Lateral setae of segment IV 110-160µm long (m=136µm, n=8). Segment VIII with 5 long lateral setae, fourth seta 75-133µm long (n=10); setae 2-4 about as strong as setae 1 and 5.
Anal segment: Points on tergite IX increasing in size to about half way and then remaining strong to posterior margin of the point patch, the lateral bands well-developed and frequently joining up posteriorly with the median. Points on tergite IX robust, as strong as those on VIII, but much neater in appearance, the mid points of the central patch and lateral bands single and more or less equally distributed (059j.jpg). Sternite IX without shagreen. Anal lobes smooth, somewhat rectangular, without fringe. Anal macrosetae of anal lobes long, thin and apically curved; 0.6-0.9x lobe length (m=0.8, n=10). Male genital sheaths overreaching anal lobe by 49µm; in females short by about 50µm.
(Linked adult male: Langton and Pinder, 2003a)
Species keys out at Page 763: Orthocladiinae 175 Limnophyes of the Text Key.
Distribution
N+C Europe.
(For more information see module IdentifyIt – file: Orthocladiinae).
Ecological notes
Boggy seepages: larvae in Sphagnum and other mosses.
Pupal exuviae collected at the outlet of a high mountain glacier-fed lake and in a cold glacier-fed river, thus larvae probably living in streams, rivers and lakes (Saether, 1990a).