Metalimnobia Matsumura 1911

Metalimnobia Matsumura, 1911

Metalimnobia Matsumura, 1911: 63; Savchenko, Krivolutskaya, 1976: 118; Savchenko, 1983: 110, 1985: 127; Geiger, 1986: 101; Mao, Yang, 2010: 1;

Limonia (Metalimnobia) Edwards, 1938: 20 –21; Ishida, 1957: 126; Tjeder, 1958: 142;

Type species— Metalimnobia vittata Matsumura, 1911 (original designation) (= bifasciata (Schrank, 1781)).

Medium sized to largest crane flies of Korea, wing length varies from 10 to nearly 22 mm. Main body coloration from yellow to brown or dark brow. Head large, distinctly extended posteriorly, usually pear-shaped. Antenna with 12 or 13 flagellomeres, verticils very long, few times as long as respective segments. Wing distinctly patterned with dark brown spots or markings and often with smoky areas. Vein Sc1 reaches beyond branching point of Rs; R1 and R2 short and transverse, ending at same level, cross-vein r-m distinct; discal cell present, usually elongate; basal deflection of CuA1 at or slightly before branching point of M (base of discal cell); veins at distal wing end arched posteriorly; anal angle distinct, posterior margin widely rounded. Tarsal claw with few small spines at basal part. Male genitalia with simple ninth tergite, slightly elongate gonocoxite bearing large ventro-mesal lobe, two pairs of gonostyli, but inner gonostylus often divided into three lobes, penis long and simple. Ovipositor with short and small cercus and large hypovalva.

Larval body cylindrical, tapering behind, covered with long light setae. Abdominal segments 2–7 each with dorsal and ventral creeping welts, the first abdominal segment with ventral creeping welt. Tracheal gills four in number, uppermost lobe elongate, lowermost much smaller, egg-shaped. Spiracular lobes of respiratory disc reduced. Spiracular field without sclerites or with two small rounded ventral sclerites. Head capsule moderate in size, just lightly reduced, heavily sclerotized, wholly retracted within prothorax. Hypostoma usually with eleven teeth, central tooth protruding, deeply split behind. Pupa with anterior end of body large, tapering behind. Pronotal breathing horns small, ear-shaped, flattened. Anterior part of abdominal segments 3–7 with dorsal and ventral creeping welts; last segment of male body blunt rounded, in female—conical and elongate. Larvae and pupae develop in rotten wood and fungi (Krivosheina, Krivosheina, 2011).

Genus includes 46 species, which are grouped into three subgenera. Nominative subgenus is known only from Holarctic (24 species) and Oriental Regions (11 species), 13 species are recorded from Eastern Palearctic. Two other subgenera are known only from Africa (Oosterbroek, 2016). No fossil species were discovered so far (Evenhuis, 2014).