SILVA Silva Balcanica 25(1): 109-114 (2024) BALCANICA doi: 10.3897/silvabalcanica.25.e121464 RESEARCH ARTICLE Mediterranean predatory flies of the Dolichopodidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) family from Bulgaria and Turkey Mihail Kechev', Alper Tonguc? 'Forest Research Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 132 St Kliment Ohridski Blvd, Sofia, Bulgaria, E-mail: mkechev@gmail.com ?Molecular Biology and Genetics Department, Faculty of Science, Mugla Sitkt Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey, E-mail: alpertonguc@mu.edu.tr Corresponding author: Mihail Kechev (mkechev@gmail.com) Academic editor: Georgi Georgiev | Received 22 February 2024 | Accepted 2 March | Published 23 May 2024 Citation: Kechev M., Tongug¢ A. 2024. Mediterranean predatory flies of the Dolichopodidae (Diptera, Empidoidea) family from Bulgaria and Turkey. Silva Balcanica 25(1): 109-114. https://doi.org/10.3897/silvabalcanica.25.e121464 Abstract The paper presents information about some Mediterranean dolichopodid species and their habitat pref- erences, as well as distribution from the southern parts of Bulgaria and southeast Turkey. One new local- ity of Sybistroma discipes is given. Keywords Diptera, Dolichopodidae, distribution, habitats, Chrysotus hubenovi, Hercostomus thraciensis, Sybistro- ma discipes. Introduction The family Dolichopodidae (also called Long-legged flies) belongs to the superfamily Empidoidea of the suborder Brachycera, order Diptera. The Dolichopodidae fam- ily is widespread in all zoogeographic areas of the planet, without Antarctic. Today approximately 8300 species from 261 genera are described worldwide (Grichanov, 2023). About 700 species are known in Europe. The dolichopodids are a species with small to medium body size (1-10 mm). The color of the body is usually metallic green but some genera, for example, genus Neurigona are with yellow coloration. Most spe- cies of the family Dolichopodidae are found in moist habitats: on vegetation around rivers, streams, marshes, lakes, flooded forests, etc. A large number of representatives Copyright Mihail Kechev. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 110 Mihail Kechev, Alper Tongu¢ / Silva Balcanica 25(1): 109-114 (2024) of the genera Medetera and individual species of other genera can be found in dry places. As predators, the species of the family play an important role in the regulation of a number of pests in forests and agroecosystems. The main purpose of this paper is to indicate the habitat preferences and distribu- tion of some dolichopodid species in the southern, Mediterranean-influenced areas of Bulgaria, as well as in the same areas of Turkey. Material and methods The species in this work were collected by means of sweeping net and Malaise traps in different years from 2007 to 2023. The species Sybistroma discipes was collected on 17.11.2023 with a sweeping net, leg. G. Zaemdzhikova. After collecting the specimen was put in 95% ethanol and separated from the other insects in the sample in labora- tory conditions using a microscope. Results The species Chrysotus hubenovi Kechev, Naglis, Negrobov, 2022, described from the West Rhodope Mountains from 1100 m altitude (Kechev et al., 2022), was found from Kaloferska Planina Mt. situated in the Balkan Mountains at an altitude of 530 m. The species inhabits humid grasses near river banks. Chrysotus pennatus Lichtwardt, 1902 is not widespread in Bulgaria but is known with few specimens from several localities, mainly riverside and forest habitats. Hercostomus chetifer (Walker, 1849) in Turkey was found in humid coniferous woodland (Tongus, 2023). For Bulgaria the species was found near a small brook in deciduous forests (Kechev, 2021a). Hercostomus gracilis (Stannius, 1831) is known from two localities in Bulgaria. The species could be found in humid habitats in deciduous forests (Kechev et al., 2014, Kechev, 2021b). In Turkey the species was collected from a wide range of habi- tats — streams, ponds, humid grassland, etc. (Tonguc, 2023). Hercostomus tanjusilus Negrobov & Zurikov, 1988 known only from Georgia and Turkey was found in poplar and willow grove habitats (Kiictkberber et al., 2017). Hercostomus thraciensis Kechev & Negrobov, 2015 (Fig. 1) was first described in Bulgaria (Kechev, Negrobov, 2015), collected from the Gradina floodplain forest (sit- uated to the west of Gradina Village) and a humid, wooded and marshy place called Basha (situated to the southwest of the town of Chirpan). In Turkey the species was found in 2017 (Kiictkberber et al., 2017) in humid grassland. Grichanov & Freidberg (2018) found H. thraciensis in Israel. Poecilobothrus chrysozygos (Wiedemann, 1817) for Turkey was found in fenlands and humid grasslands (Kuciikberber et al., 2017). In Bulgaria the species was reported in the Gradina floodplain forest (Kechev, 2012a). Mediterranean predatory flies of the Dolichopodidae (Diptera) family from Bulgaria and Turkey 111 Figure 1. Hercostomus thraciensis Kechev & Negrobov, 2015, habitus. Poecilobothrus regalis (Meigen, 1824) very abundant species in the investigated area in the lower parts, from 100 to 350 m a.s.l. Sybistroma discipes (Germar, 1821) (Fig. 2) known in Bulgaria from two localities Markovo Village, situated in the West Rhodope Mountains and Shipkovo Village, in the Balkan Mountains. This study gives a new locality near the town of Gotse Delchev, along the banks of Mesta River. Sybistroma israelensis (Grichanov, 2000) is known only in Israel and Turkey. In Turkey the species inhabits mixed woodland, humid coniferous woodland and humid grassland (Kictkberber et al., 2017). Sciapus bellus Loew, 1873 was found in Kremen (473 m a.s.l.) and Dzherovo (275 m a.s.l.) villages with a large number of specimens near a river surrounded by a de- ciduous forest (Kechev, 2021b). Known only in Italy, France, Morocco and Tunisia (Grichanov, Negrobov, 2014), Sciapus costae Mik, 1890 is an interesting species. It was found in two new localities in Bulgaria (Kechev, 2021a). The species was collected from the Balkan Mountains and Dzherovo village in the East Rhodopes along river banks in deciduous forests. Sciapus flavicinctus (Loew, 1857) is a common species along the banks of rivers in lower areas of Bulgaria. In Turkey the species was known in the Antalya and Adana provinces (Naglis et al., 2021). 112. Mihail Kechev, Alper Tongug¢ / Silva Balcanica 25(1): 109-114 (2024) Figure 2. Sybistroma discipes (Germar, 1821), habitus. Teuchophorus chaetifemoratus Pollet & Kechev, 2007 described in Bulgaria (Mark- ovo village, West Rhodope Mts., 300 m a.s.l.) within a cool deciduous forest with clean shallow streams (Pollet, Kechev, 2007). During 2016 another locality was found near Naydenovo Village, situated in Sarnena Sredna Gora Mountain, and the habitat was the same as the first one (Kechev, 2016). In Turkey the species was collected from ponds and humid coniferous woodlands (Kiciikberber et al., 2017). Teuchophorus cristulatus Meuffels et Grootaert, 1990 is a typical Mediterranean species known in Sicily, Bulgaria and Turkey. Tonguc et al. (2010) announced one male specimen of this species from the Asian part of Turkey. In Bulgaria T. cristulatus was first recorded (Kechev, 2012b) with three males found on the banks of the Tekir- ska River in the town of Chirpan. Other dolichopodids not mentioned above in the list of the investigated species in this study as Dolichopus griseipennis Stannius, 1831, Campsicnemus curvipes (Fallén, 1823), Campsicnemus umbripennis Loew, 1856, Hydrophorus balticus (Meigen, 1824), Rhaphium caliginosum Meigen, 1824, Sympycnus pulicarius (Fallén, 1823), Sympycnus simplicipes Becker, 1908, Syntormon pallipes (Fabricius, 1794), Teuchophorus mona- Mediterranean predatory flies of the Dolichopodidae (Diptera) family from Bulgaria and Turkey 113 canthus Loew, 1859 and Teuchophorus spinigerellus (Zetterstedt, 1843) are eurytopic species and could be found in a wide range of habitats and different altitude. For in- stance, H. balticus is collected from sea level to 2000 m a.s.l. Discussion Hercostomus thraciensis is one of the most abundant species in spring, inhabiting flooded forests and humid woodlands situated along the banks of the Maritsa River in the Upper Thracian Plain. The adults are active in April and May. A large number of specimens were collected at the end of April and at the beginning of May. During the remaining months of the year, the species is not caught. As H. thraciensis, P. regalis is also a wide-spread species in this area. Found mostly around open sunny places like ponds and riverbanks in Bulgaria. In Turkey it was reported in streams, fenlands, reedbeds, humid mixed woodland, etc. On the other hand, the species H. chetifer is rare for the investigated area. As men- tioned above it was discovered in humid coniferous woodland in Turkey and in Bulgaria it is known with one male specimen collected near a small brook in a beech forest. The Long-legged flies have been intensively studied in Bulgaria and Turkey for the last two decades. More than 100 species were reported for the fauna of Bulgaria and the number is the same for Turkey. Several new species were described for science. Three check-lists were published (Kechev, 2005, Tongus, et al., 2016, Kechey, et al., 2020). 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