Noeeta hemiradiata Dirlbek & Dirlbek, 1991

Pires, Fernando, 2023, Noeeta hemiradiata (Dirlbek & Dirlbek, 1991) (Diptera ¦ Tephritidae), new species for Portugal, Arquivos Entomolóxicos 27, pp. 13-14 : 13

Noeeta hemiradiata Dirlbek & Dirlbek, 1991 ,

is reported from Portugal for the first time, based on a single male specimen observed on a light trap, and photographed by the author on 09 July 2018 at Ponta Grande Resort (37.080890, -8.286016; 47 m above sea level; Faro district; Albufeira municipality) . The photo ( Fig. 1 ) was uploaded to the websites diptera.info and Biodiversidad Virtual, being later identified as Noeeta hemiradiata Dirlbek & Dirlbek, 1991 by Prof. Valery A. Korneyev and Jordi Clavell, respectively.

This record is not only important from the geographical distribution standpoint, but also due to being the first ever photographic record of a live specimen, facilitating future comparisons and identifications, hopefully helping additional observations to be identified with the consequent knowledge increase on the species distribution and ecology.

The fact that the genus Hieracium L. is not present in the southern half of Portugal, shows that additional work is needed to identify the alternative host plants for N. hemiradiata . Also, it is worth to mention that additional surveys are needed to gather enough data to understand the demographic and biogeographical status of this species.

Figures

Fig. 1.- Male specimen of Noeeta hemiradiata photographed at Ponta Grande Resort (Albufeira, Faro, Portugal) in July 2018.