MUNARI, TETHINA FROM THE SAHARA AND INLAND BIOTOPES 7 
Discussion 
This species was described on specimens from Bor Meshash (or Mashash), an Is- 
raeli locality situated over 62km inland and about 50km from the southern basin 
coast of the Dead Sea, from Sede Halamish (near Nizzana, Israel), about 50 km in- 
land, and from a Tunisian place named Biro, near Gafsa. FREIDBERG & BESCHOVSKI 
(1996) state that 7. guttata “is the only species in this group [alboguttata group] that 
was found at a considerable distance from the sea coast [omissis], indicating the eco- 
logical affinity of the entire group to dry sand habitats”. 
Tethina incisuralis (Macquart, 1851) 
Material examined [MCNV, MHNG, ZSM] 
Algeria: Biskra [about 200 km inland], st. 20, 20. IV.-2.V.1949, A.G.S., 1d, 1 2; Hoggar, 
Tamanrasset [about 1300 km inland], st. H 12, 15.-30.IV.1950, A.G.S., 1 2; Sidi Aoun, N of El 
Oued [about 295 km inland], 100 m, st. X769d, 33.31 N - 06.59 E, 24.1V.1984, P. Oum, 4 dd, 
3 29; Still (Biskra) [about 270 km inland], su [on] Tamarix, 30.V.1980, A.G.S., 1 d.- Egypt: 
Bahariy-Bawiti Oasis (5km NNE of Al Bawiti) [about 270km inland], st. X787, 28.21 N - 
28.51 E, 17.11.1992, R. MANNESMANN & S. BEEG, 3 dd, 4 292; Dakhlah Oasis (S of Budk- 
hula) [about 590 km inland], st. X788, 15.11.1992, R. MANNESMANN & S. BEEG, 5 dd, 6 22; 
El Fayoum Oasis [about 220 km from the Mediterranean coast, and 150 km from the northern 
coast of the Gulf of Suez], st. X783, 13.1II.1992, R. MANNESMANN & S. BezEc, 1 2. - Israel: 
Bor Mashash [over 62 km inland and about 50km from the southern basin coast of the Dead 
Sea; sand dunes, B. MERz pers. comm.], 16. 111.1995, B. Merz, 9 dd, 7 2¢ [18 with vertex, 
occiput, and mesonotum (incl. scutellum) covered with a peculiar silky brown microtomen- 
tum]; En Mor [over 75 km inland and about 66 km from the southern basin coast of the Dead 
Sea], 16. 111.1995, B. Merz, 446, 2 22; Enot Zukim (Ein Fashkha) [northern coast of the 
Dead Sea, about 76km from the Mediterranean coast, hot spring, B. MERZ pers. comm.], 
19. 111.1995, B. Merz, 1 6; Mishor Paran, 70km N Elat [over 150 km from the Mediterranean 
coast and 70 km from the northern extremity of the Gulf of Aqaba; oasis with desert vegeta- 
tion, B. MERZ pers. comm.], 17. 111.1995, B. Merz, 3 dd [1 & with scutum having four longi- 
tudinal brown stripes, scutellum brown medially, femora blackish as in 7! nigrofemorata Be- 
schovski and surstylus slightly atypical, long and slender, somewhat sabre shaped]; Newe Zo- 
har [southernmost border of the Dead Sea, over 100km from the nearest coast of the 
Mediterranean; hot spring, B. MERz pers. comm.], 19. 111.1995, B. Merz, 8 88,4 22 [18,1% 
are characterized by their very small size, as well as by mesonotal setulae strongly impover- 
ished in numbers, particularly the acrostichal ones]. — Jordan: Dead Sea (north of east coast) 
[about 90-100 km from the Mediterranean coast], st. X799, 14.1V.1992, M. v. TSCHIRNHAUS, 
18,2 22; Hammamat Ma’in (SW of Ma’daba) [near the north-eastern edge of the Dead Sea, 
about 95km from the Mediterranean coast], st. X801, 17.IV.1992, M. v. TscHIRNHAUSs, 1 2 
(cf.). 
Distribution 
Palaearctic: Algeria, Canary Islands, Egypt, England, Greece (Crete), Israel, 
?Italy, Jordan, Malta, Morocco, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan. 
Discussion 
In the West Palaearctic Region, Tethina incisuralis is no doubt the most represen- 
tative and frequent among the species that often inhabit eremic and other inland pla- 
ces. Noteworthy is the citation of the above record from Tamanrasset, a remote de- 
sertic place situated about 1300 km from the sea coast. 
