2 STUTTGARTER BEITRAGE ZUR NATURKUNDE Ser. A, Nr. 683 
nore or simply overlook the fact that populations of certain species also inhabit 
biotopes situated far off from sea littorals, sometimes several hundreds of kilometres 
inland, and are almost always closely dependent on the proximity of continental 
saline environments. It is well-known that most species, if not all, belonging to the 
subfamily Pelomyiinae are not thalassophilous flies, but are almost exclusively 
found inland, associated with meadows, mountain passes, forests, areas and waters 
polluted by rotting waste, industrial emissions or debris of slaughterhouses and 
poultry farms (sites of salt accumulation and enrichment), as well as desert oases 
(Matuis & Munart 1996). However, this is not infrequent in various species of the 
genus Tethina, too. Just to give some examples, it is noteworthy to remember that 
HENDEL (1934) recorded Tethina strobliana (Mercier, 1923) from Hungary, and 
Soös (1981, 1983) cited, besides 7. strobliana, also T. czernyi (Hendel, 1934) and 7. 
albosetulosa (Strobl, 1900) from Hungary, an European country that has no access at 
all to the sea. Furthermore, other Tethina species such as 7. czernyi (Hendel, 1934), 
T. gobu Beschovski & Nartshuk, 1997, T. incisuralis (Macquart, 1851), 7. luteosetosa 
Beschovski & Nartshuk, 1997, 7! multipilosa Beschovski & Nartshuk, 1997, T. sto- 
baeana Munari, 1996, and 7. strobliana (Mercier, 1923) were recorded by BEscHovs- 
Kı & NARTSHUR (1997) and Munart (1996, regarding 7. stobaeana only) from re- 
mote Asiatic inland areas of the Palaearctic region (Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tadjık- 
istan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). This is to underline the fact that, as already 
mentioned above, many species are not true thalassophilous (euthalassophilous) but, 
more simply, generic halophilous and rather thermophilous flies, which often occur 
in proximity to dry salty soils in areas far from the sea coast. 
The present article deals with some new records of Tethina species from remote 
places of the Mediterranean subregion, in particular from desert localities (Figs. 1-3) 
and, in two cases (7. strobliana and T. czernyt), also from hot springs in a famous spa 
of north-eastern Italy and a flowering meadow in a continental area of Turkey, re- 
spectively. Most of the flies recorded here come from saline biotopes of desert oases 
and wadis, others from apparently salt-free zones, captured by sweeping on vegeta- 
tion that was possibly growing near to concentrations of halophytes inhabiting dry 
salty soils (this is only a guess however, although I think it is rather likely). Relict 
populations of tethinids from areas near to huge salty and hypersaline basins such as 
the Caspian and Dead Seas are regarded here as inland populations, since these en- 
dorheic basins of tectonic origin are themselves immense relict water bodies having 
been formed in past geological ages. 
Abbreviations and Acronyms 
A.G.S. Prof. ANTONIO GIORDANI SoIKA (Venice, Italy) leg. 
cf. compare with (tentative identification) 
MCNV Museo di Storia Naturale, Venice, Italy 
MHNG Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Geneva, Switzerland 
st. collecting station 
temp. temperature 
ZMHB Museum fir Naturkunde der Humboldt-Universitat, Berlin, Germany 
ZSM —_Zoologische Staatssammlung, München, Germany 
Acknowledgements 
I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to Drs. B. Merz (Geneva, Switzerland), J.-P. 
Haennı (Neuchatel, Switzerland), and M. von TscHIRNHAUs (Bielefeld, Germany) for al- 
lowing me to study materials from their collections. Particular thanks are also due to Drs. D. 
