Rhamphina rectirostris Herting, 1971

Pires, Fernando & Almeida, Jorge Mota, 2024, Rhamphina rectirostris Herting, 1971, a new addition to the Portuguese fauna of Tachinidae (Diptera), Arquivos Entomolóxicos 30, pp. 255-256 : 255-256

Rhamphina rectirostris Herting, 1971 ( Mesnil, 1975),

is added for mainland Portugal, contributing to the existing records for Spain (O’ Hara et al., 2020).

Material examined

PORTUGAL:

FARO: Sítio dos Salicos , Lagoa , 07.April.2023. Photographed by Tiago Guerreiro and source available at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154160691, det. Michael Knapp.

LEIRIA: Alvaiázere – Serra de Arques , 08.August.2021. Photographed by José Baptista and source available at https://www.facebook.com/groups/429168277120192, det. Rui Andrade.

COIMBRA: Dolina do Peixeiro , 21.July.2021, circa 8 specimens seen feeding on Origanum vulgare subsp. virens (Hoffmanns. & Link) Bonnier & Layens , photos Fernando Pires, det. Jorge Almeida.

Discussion

Rhamphina rectirostris was found in three places: Dolina do Peixeiro (near Condeixa–a-Nova), Sítio dos Salicos (near Lagoa) and Serra de Arques (near Alvaiázere). This intriguing disparate distance between Dolina do Peixeiro and Sítio dos Salicos in a straight line on the map is around 330 km. It is likely that there are gaps in its distribution that have yet to be explored. In Spain, with the field experience of the second autor, it can be found in significant numbers in Vícar (Almería), near Llessuí in the Spanish Pyrenees, Granada in Sierra Nevada, and in Villar de Ciervo (Salamanca).

In Dolina do Peixeiro they were observed feeding on Coriandrum sativum L., Daphne gnidium L., and Origanum vulgare subsp. virens (Hoffmanns. & Link) Bonnier & Layens. As typical for Tachinidae , they used to bask in the sun, while some individuals could be found resting on rocks.