Description of a new species of Mediotipula from Albania, with consideration of the eastern Mediterranean as a diversity hotspot (Diptera, Tipulidae)

Abstract

A new species of the TipulasubgenusMediotipula is described from the south-eastern part of Albania, south-eastern Europe. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to T. (M.) stigmatella Schummel, 1833, but differs mainly with respect to males, having a distinctly shaped posterior margin of tergite 9–10, a widened outer gonostylus and a series of details of the inner gonostylus (anterior end of the anterior arm, shape of the posterior arm), as well as having more bulbous and rounded hypogynal valves in the females. Further morphological differences of the male terminalia between allopatric populations of T. (M.) stigmatella in the Carpathians and Balkans, south-eastern Europe, are discussed.

New records for the Western Balkans cranefly fauna (Diptera, Tipuloidea) with the description of a new Baeoura Alexander (Diptera, Limoniidae)

“…As many other publications have previously demonstrated, the biodiversity of the Balkans remains insufficiently investigated, and the local fauna consists of far more species than what is currently reported (e.g., Ivković et al 2013;Kvifte et al 2013;Pont and Ivković 2013;Ivković and Plant 2015;Ivković and Pont 2015;Kvifte and Ivković 2018;Keresztes et al 2018b). Despite historical and more recent publications (Bilalli et al 2021;de Jong et al 2021;Kolcsár et al 2015aKolcsár et al , b, 2017aKolcsár et al , b, 2018aKolcsár et al , b, 2023Keresztes et al 2018a, b;Starý 2012) the cranefly fauna of the Western Balkans is still poorly known.…”

“…Therefore, there are many new described species in the last decade, especially regarding Diptera (e.g., Ivković et al 2012 ; Kvifte et al 2013 ; Pont and Ivković 2013 ; Andersen et al 2016 ; Kvifte and Ivković 2018 ). For craneflies, the following publications have dealt with the Western Balkans fauna in the last decade: Bilalli et al (2021) , de Jong et al (2021) , Kolcsár et al (2015a , b , 2017a , b , 2018a , b , 2023 ), Keresztes et al (2018a , b ), and Starý (2012) .…”