238 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 13: 2001 



(Figs 40^43) brownish yellow. Gonostylus (Figs 40-41): ventral stylomere with 

 rounded distal lobe and one strong seta set in concave apical margin; dorsal 

 stylomere short and broad with a long apical seta. 



Wing length 3.0-3.1 mm. 



Female. Generally similar to male. Abdomen more extensively darkened, tergites 

 2-6 with only apical margin yellow. Ovipositor (Fig. 44) slightly brownish, slender, 

 with two segmented cerci. Tarsus of fore leg slightly enlarged below tarsomeres 2-3. 



Wing length 3.2 mm. 



Holotype male, ENGLAND, Essex, Epping Forest, "Wake/Sunshine" area 

 (TQ421988), by Wake Valley Lake, 18.viii.1998 (Chandler, deposited in NMS). 



Paratypes: ENGLAND: 1 male, Essex, Epping Forest, Great Monk Wood 

 (TQ418983), 18.viii. 1998; 1 female, Essex, Epping Forest, Cuckoo Pits (TQ401957), 

 17.viii. 1998 (both D.M. Ackland, in author's collection); 1 male, Oxon, Spartum 

 Fen, 15.X.1999 (Chandler); 1 male, Hants, Leckford, Water Garden, ll.xi.1999 

 (Chandler). 



Discussion. The collection sites at Epping Forest were deciduous woodland 

 dominated by beech (Fagus sylvatica), the other sites mixed woodland. This species 

 belongs to group E of Laffoon (1957) and runs in his key to the Holarctic species 

 M. laeta (Walker) because of presence of some setae below vein tb, but differs from 

 laeta in the form of the gonostylus. M. laeta also has the thorax yellow with three 

 dark stripes on the mesoscutum. 



M. eppingensis is distinguished from other British species with setae below tb by 

 these being present only near the tip of the vein and by the absence of short setae 

 between the strong dorsal setae on tibia 3. Among species with tb bare, it agrees in 

 chaetotactic and wing marking characters with luctuosa Meigen and deflexa sp. n.; 

 and with the latter in thoracic colouring but differs from it in the second row of 

 anterior setulae on tibia 3 being dark only near the tip. 



The Mycetophila signata Meigen Group 



The Palaearctic species of this group were revised by Zaitzev (1999), who figured 

 the male genitalia. British specimens of alea (Laffoon), sigillata Dziedzicki, signata 

 Meigen and blanda Winnertz agree with his figures, but the common British species 

 M. signatoides Dziedzicki is figured as M. assimilis Matile, 1967 which is here 

 regarded as synonymous with signatoides. It is concluded that the species figured by 

 Zaitzev as signatoides is different. Zaitzev recorded both species from European 

 Russia, but his signatoides more rarely. 



Mycetophila stricklandi (Laffoon) 



This belongs to the signata group and can be determined from the figures by 

 Laffoon (1957) and Zaitzev (1999). In the mainly dark brown body coloration and 

 other external characters it resembles M. blanda and since it was first recognised as 

 British from the find at Spring Wood, Boltby, three specimens were found to have 

 previously been misidentified as blanda. The Scottish record was also from a conifer 

 plantation but the Irish specimen was from a beech (Fagus) wood. 



According to Laffoon (1957), North American specimens often have the tergites 

 apically or more extensively yellow, but the British specimens have the abdomen 

 entirely dark brown. They differ from blanda in having only a small paler central 

 patch on the scutellum, whereas in blanda the scutellum is broadly yellow medially 

 and there is a distinct yellow prescutellar spot on the scutum; stricklandi also has 



