Culicoides pseudocrescentis Tavares & Luna Dias

Felippe-Bauer, Maria Luiza, Santarém, Maria Clara Alves, Macedo, Antonio Carlos Cruz & Okuda, Liria Hiromi, 2024, New species of Culicoides, description of female of Culicoides pseudocrescentis Tavares & Luna Dias and new record of Culicoides castillae Fox from Southeastern Brazil (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Zootaxa 5433 (4), pp. 581-587 : 584-586

Culicoides pseudocrescentis Tavares & Luna Dias

Fig. 2 (A–G)

Culicoides pseudocrescentis Tavares & Luna Dias, 1980: 397 (male; Brazil – Rio de Janeiro; fig. male, wing, palpus, legs, genitalia); Spinelli & Wirth, 1986: 564 (key, fig. wing); Wirth et al., 1988: 30 (in Atlas; fig. wing; distrib.); Borkent & Wirth, 1997: 79 (in catalog); Borkent & Spinelli 2000: 38 (Neotropical catalog; distrib.); Spinelli et al., 2005: 149 (key, fig. wing, Argentina, Paraguay); Borkent & Spinelli, 2007: 72 (in catalog; distrib.); Borkent & Dominiak, 2020: 130 (in world catalog); Santarém & Felippe-Bauer, 2023: 26 (Brazilian catalog; distrib. - Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro).

Diagnosis. Female. Only species in the daedalus species group with the following combination of features: antennal ratio 1.21, sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1,9–13; palpal ratio 2.27; PH ratio 0.67; distal pale spot in r3 crescent-shaped; subapical pale band on hind femur infuscated.

Description. Female. Head dark brown ( Fig. 2A ). Eyes bare ( Fig. 2B ), slightly contiguous below. Antenna ( Fig. 2A ) uniformly dark brown, flagellomeres 1–8 vasiform, 9–13 elongate; AR 1.21 (1.19–1.23, n=2); sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1, 9–13, two or three on 1, one or two on 9–11, two on 12, three on 13. Palpus dark brown ( Fig. 2C ), third segment swollen distally, with subapical rounded deep pit; PR 2.27 (2.25–2.30, n=2); PH ratio 0.67 (n=2). Mandible with 12–13 (n=2) teeth.

Thorax. Dark brown, with prominent pattern of yellowish patches, humeral depression pale; pale areas on lateral sides; scutellum dark brown mesally, irregular pale spots on sides; postscutellum dark brown. Wing ( Fig. 2D ) length 0.98 (0.97–1.00, n=2) mm; width 0.48 (0.47–0.50, n=2) mm; with contrasting pattern of pale and dark spots; 2 nd radial cell in dark spot; pale spot over R-M extending from M 1 to the costal margin; poststigmatic pale spots in cell r3 small, rounded, posterior one located distinctly proximal to anterior one, distal pale spot in r3 crescent-shaped, not abutting wing margin or M 1; distal pale spot in m 1 round, far from wing margin; m 2 with one proximal pale spot near CuA, two between the medial and mediocubital forks and a distal one not reaching wing margin; cua 1 with one pale spot that reaches the pale area on fork of CuA1 and CuA2; anal cell with two proximal and two distal pale spots, the distal ones round. M 1 and M 2 entirely pale-margined; M 2 with pale spot stradling middle of vein; wing base with a pale spot on M. Macrotrichia abundant, present on r 3, m 1, m 2, cua 1 and in anal cell; CR 0.61 (0.60–0.62, n=2). Halter infuscated. Legs dark brown ( Fig. 2F ); femora with subapical pale bands, infuscated on hind femur; tibiae with subbasal pale bands; hind tibial comb ( Fig. 2E ) with four spines, the two nearest the spur, longest.

Abdomen. Dark brown. Two subequal-size round spermathecae ( Fig. 2G ), each measuring 38 µm by 33 µm (n=2) and 33 µm by 30 µm (n=2), without sclerotized duct. Rudimentary third spermatheca (0.013 µm, n=2) and short, cylindrical sclerotized ring present (0.03 µm, n=2).

Male. See Tavares & Luna Dias (1980).

Specimens examined. 1 slide mounted female, labeled “ Culicoides pseudocrescentis Tavares & Luna Dias ”, “ Fazenda da Unidade de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento de Andradina , APTA Regional /SAA, Andradina, São Paulo, Brasil, 20°50’34.8”S, 51°21’32.4”W, 08–09.XI.2022, Onderstepoort UV (16h - 08h, atrás da casa da diretora, A.C.C. Macedo, A.M. Alencar, A.H.C.N. Romaldini ” [legs.] ( CCER #3878 ) ( NEW RECORD); 1 slide mounted female, labeled “Monumento Natural dos Pontões Capixabas, 19°12’34.862 S, 40°49’13.145” W, Pancas, Espírito Santo, Brasil, 26.VII.2010, forest, CDC light trap, I.S. Pinto ” [leg.] ( CCER #1500 ) .

Distribution. Brazil (Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo), Paraguay (Itapuã), Argentina (Misiones).

Figures

FIGURE 2.Culicoides pseudocrescentis Tavares & Luna Dias, femaleA head, anterior view B eyes separation, anterior view C palpus D wing E hind tibial comb Ffore-, mid-, hind legs (left to right), lateral viewG spermathecae, ventral view.