Dicranoptycha Osten Sacken

Dicranoptycha Osten Sacken

Marginomyia Meigen, 1818 (nomen nudum).

Dicranoptycha Osten Sacken, 1859: Lackschewitz & Pagast (1942); Ishida (1959); Savchenko & Krivolutskaya, 1976; Savchenko (1982, 1983, 1989). Type species— Dicranoptycha germana Osten Sacken, 1859.

Korean short-palped crane flies, belonging to genus Dicranoptycha Osten Sacken, 1859 are comparatively large, with a wing length ranging from 8.0 to 11.5 mm (Fig. 1). Main body color varies from gray to brown and light brown, sometimes even brownish yellow (Fig. 2). Antennal flagellum 14-segmented. Distinct tubercular pits situated some distance beyond frontal margin of thoracical prescutum, pseudosutural fovea close to them (Fig. 3). Wing long, grayish or brownish, sometimes darkened along longitudinal veins. Stigma indistinct. Vein Sc long, tip of Sc1 reaches distinctly beyond branching point of Rs, Sc2 close to Sc1 tip. Arculus present. Cross-vein R2 close to R1 tip. Radial sector (Rs) comparatively short and could be variable even in same species. It is usually slightly arched, but could be also angulated and short-spurred at base. It branches into two veins R2+3 and R4+5. Discal cell closed, elongate. Basal deflection of CuA1 distinctly beyond branching point of M, usually before mid-length of discal cell. The most distinctive feature of the genus is fold in cell cu (Fig. 4), which is not known in other genera of Limoniidae. Meron is strongly reduced, thus second and third pairs of coxae are close together. Male genitalia slightly elongate. Ninth tergite and ninth sternite forming complete genital ring. Posterior margin of ninth tergite with large shallow median incision. Lateral process of lateral apodeme of vesica large. Two pairs of terminal gonostyli. Outer gonostylus usually dark, strongly sclerotised and slightly arched. Inner gonostylus wide and fleshy. Edeagal complex usually strongly complicated and species-specific. Ovipositor with comparatively short, widened, round-tipped cercus. Some non-Korean species have modified and widely spread cerci. Korean Dicranoptycha start flying comparatively late, from the middle of June, but they are most active in late summer and fall. Larvae are metapneunistic, developing in soil under leaf litter or wood debris (Young, 1987).