Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 92. (Budapest 2000)

Roháček, J. ; Papp, L.: Crumomyia microps sp. n. from Austria and notes on other cavernicolous Crumomyia species (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae)

and pale pigmetation of body (abdomen in particular), reduction of thorax (in consequence of reduction of wing muscles), narrowed thoracic spiracle, and, in some cases (very distinctly in C. absoloni and C. hungarica) also shortened wings and haltères. Interestingly, the medially divided female 8th tergum was found in three species of this group (C. microps, C. glaciális gallica, C. cavernicola cavernicola) although this character is otherwise unknown in other (properly described) species of the genus. The scenario of evolution of troglobiont Crumomyia taxa was outlined by PAPP & ROHÁCEK (1983): they apparently evolved from ancestral, strictly psychrophilous but free-living species which had been widespread in Central (and possibly also South) Europe during Pleistocene Ice Ages. These species were unable to tolerate climatic changes of warm and dry interglacial and/or postglacial periods and, therefore, their populations were restricted to réfugiai habitats with acceptable climatic conditions, such as high mountains and caves. While montane free populations continued to live similarly as in the past, those hidden in caves had to adapt to conditions of this extreme habitat (complete darkness, stable low temperature, high humidity), which resulted in their morphological modifications. The changes of less affected parts of body (e.g. the male genitalia) were relatively slow; thus, we are able to recognize ancestral species (or their less modified descendants) even now. Taxa which apparently evolved later, perhaps in the postglacial period, are so little different in this respect that we consider them only subspecies. Thus, C. glaciális gallica is a cavernicolous subspecies derived from ancestor of the high montane C. glaciális glaciális; similarly C. parentela parentela and C. cavernicola cavernicola are cavernicolous populations whose free-living subspecies C. parentela alpicola and C. cavernicola oculea ssp. n. are known to occur in high mountains of the Alpine and/or Carpathian (C. p. alpicola only) ranges but also (!) secondarily as troglophilous species in some caves where they penetrated only recently. The new species, C. microps, is clearly a derivative of an ancestor of C. notabilis, a common psychrophilous species occurring in North and Central Europe, but, in contrast to the above-discussed cases, C. microps had to live in caves for a much longer period (from last interglacial period ?), considering the number of differences from the free-living sister species. Also C. absoloni seems to be derived from an ancestor similar to C. notabilis, possibly the same or closely related to that of C. microps sp. n. If this is true, C. absoloni more strongly diverged from the free-living ancestral type and was possibly branched off earlier than C. microps. Only the ancestral species of C. hungarica remains a mystery because the male of this species is unknown.