Exploring Potential Distribution and Environmental Preferences of Three Species of Dicranomyia (Diptera: Limoniidae: Limoniinae) Across the Western Palaearctic Realm Using Maxent

Species distribution models were built for three short-palped crane fly species of the genus <i>Dicranomyia</i>: <i>Dicranomyia affinis</i>, <i>Dicranomyia chorea</i>, and <i>Dicranomyia mitis</i>. The main objective of this study was to assess potential habitat suitability in undersampled regions and explore differences in environmental space. <i>Dicranomyia affinis</i> was historically considered a variety of <i>Dicranomyia mitis</i> due to their morphological similarity. In contrast, <i>Dicranomyia chorea</i> is a widespread species. The biology and ecology of these species remain poorly understood. Models were developed using Maxent, a widely used tool. Our results indicate that <i>Dicranomyia affinis</i> and <i>Dicranomyia chorea</i> share highly similar predicted habitat suitability, with high suitability across the Mediterranean, Central, and Northern Europe, moderate suitability in Eastern Europe, and low suitability in Central Asia. In contrast, <i>Dicranomyia mitis</i> is predicted to have greater habitat suitability in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, with lower suitability in Mediterranean regions. Analysis of variable importance revealed possible ecological differences between the species. While climatic factors primarily influenced the models for <i>Dicranomyia affinis</i> and <i>Dicranomyia chorea</i>, <i>Dicranomyia mitis</i> was more strongly influenced by the variable pH. These findings may provide insights into potential distributions in undersampled areas and improve our understanding of the species' ecology.