Pseudosmittia palpina, Andersen & Saether & Mendes, 2010

Andersen, Trond, Saether, Ole A. & Mendes, Humberto F., 2010, Neotropical Allocladius Kieffer, 1913 and Pseudosmittia Edwards, 1932 (Diptera: Chironomidae) 2472, Zootaxa 2472 (1), pp. 1-77 : 57-59

Pseudosmittia palpina sp. n.

( Figs 154–159 )

Pseudosmittia sp. 2 Pinho et al. (2009: 164).

Type material. Holotype male, BRAZIL: Bahia State, Estação Ecológica Pau Brasil, Porto Seguro , 16º23'17.6''S, 39º10'55.6''W, 17.v. 2002, 107 m a.s.l., Malaise trap (Trilha 1), C.O. Azevedo et al. (BRPS09: BIOTA-FAPESP) ( MZUSP).

Diagnostic characters. The species differs from other members of the genus except P. amorimi sp. n. by having reduced palpomeres and unsclerotized transverse sternapodeme. It can be separated from P. amorimi sp. n. by having costa not extended and R 4+5 ending proximal to apex of Cu 1.

Etymology. From Latin, palpus, feeler, and the diminutive suffix - ina, referring to the reduced palp.

Male (n = 1). Total length 1.29 mm. Wing length 0.66 mm. Total length / wing length 1.94. Wing length / length of profemur 2.75.

Coloration. Thorax and abdomen brown, legs pale brown.

Head. AR 1.23, ultimate flagellomere 278 µm long. Temporal setae 4, including 1 inner vertical and 3 outer verticals. Clypeus with 4 setae. Tentorium, stipes and cibarial pump as in Figure 154 . Tentorium 71 µm long, 11 µm wide. Stipes 60 µm long. Palpomere ( Fig. 155 ) lengths (in µm): 15, 23, 26, 23, 26. Third palpomere with 5 lanceolate sensilla clavata, longest 10 µm long.

Thorax ( Fig. 156 ). Median antepronotal lobes reduced; antepronotum with 1 lateral seta. Dorsocentrals 6, acrostichals 2, prealars 2, supraalar absent. Scutellum with 2 setae.

Wing ( Fig. 157 ). Wing cuneiform. Cu 1 curved. R 4+5 ending far proximal to apex of Cu 1. VR 1.65. Costa not extended. Brachiolum with 1 seta, other veins bare.

Legs. Spur of fore tibia 23 µm long, spurs of mid tibia 15 µm and 13 µm long, of hind tibia 26 µm and 11 µm long. Width at apex of fore tibia 15 µm, of mid tibia 19 µm, of hind tibia 23 µm. Comb with 10 setae, longest 20 µm long, shortest 11 µm long. Length and proportions of legs as in Table 20.

Hypopygium ( Figs 158–159 ). Anal point broadly triangular, 24 µm long, 28 µm wide at base, with 3 setae. Tergite IX with no additional setae. Laterosternite IX with 2 setae. Phallapodeme 45 µm long. Transverse sternapodeme not sclerotized. Virga 19 µm long. Gonocoxite 102 µm long. Superior volsella, if regarded as present, consisting of bulge of inner margin of gonocoxite with stout orally curved microtrichia, extending to 0.51 of gonocoxite. Inferior volsella with triangular, about 8 µm long anterior lobe, with fringe of microtrichia. Gonostylus 55 µm long, with large, bluntly triangular apical crista dorsalis; megaseta 7 µm long. HR 1.87.

Distribution and biology. The single specimen was collected in a Malaise trap at an altitude of about 100 m a.s.l. in a fragment primary Mata Atlântica forest in Bahia State, Brazil.

Figures

FIGURES 154–159. Pseudosmittia palpina sp. n., male. 154—tentorium, stipes, and cibarial pump; 155—palp; 156— thorax; 157—wing; 158—hypopygium, dorsal aspect; 159—hypopygium with anal point and tergite IX removed, dorsal aspect to the left, ventral aspect to the right.