Ceratoculicoides sp. F3

Fasbender, Andrew, 2023, Revision of the New World Ceratoculicoides Wirth & Ratanaworabhan (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Ceratopogonini), European Journal of Taxonomy 875, pp. 159-202 : 192-193

Ceratoculicoides sp. F3

Fig. 12f

Diagnosis

Male

Currently unknown.

Female

Only species of Ceratoculicoides with the following combination of characters: femora and tibiae brown, wing length ~ 1 mm; 2 major spermathecae, largest 50–55; medial margin of 9 th sternite deeply concave.

Material examined

COSTA RICA • 1 ♀; Puntarenas, Osa Peninsula , 4 km NW of Rincon ; 11 Aug. 2001; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; Rio Agujas ; 10–20 Aug. 1996; A. Azofeifa leg.; Malaise trap; CNCI .

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS (n = 2). Head width 256–306; flagellomeres 31–34, 21, 23–24, 23, 26, 24–26, 27–28, 29–31, 42–44, 46, 47–50, 43–51, 58–62; AR 1.14–1.21; FR 1.5–1.75; wing length 946–1016; wing width 371–397; costal ratio 0.63; spermathecal length 50–55; spermathecal width 46–56; spermathecal neck 8–11; spermatheca/neck ratio 0.16–0.2.

THORAX. Legs with femora and tibiae brown.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 12f ). 9 th sternite anterior branch apex broadly rounded, apices nearly touching medially; posterior branch acutely tapering at base, basal half directed posteriorly, apical half curving posteromedially, apex with small hook. 2 major spermathecae.

Distribution

Puntarenas ( Costa Rica) ( Fig. 13 ).

Remarks

Ceratoculicoides sp. F 3 can be distinguished from other Ceratoculicoides by the combination of major spermathecae being <70μm, concave posterior margin of the 9 th sternite with the posterior branch tapering in the basal half and ending in an acute point ( Fig. 12f ), and its flagellum ratio being>1.5. Ceratoculicoidesborkenti sp. nov. is very similar, but its flagellum ratio is <1.5.

Unassociated Ceratoculicoides female specimens

Material examined

CANADA • 1 ♀; British Columbia, 23 km NW of Port Renfrew , Upper Carmanah Valley ; 21 Jun.–3 Jul. 1991; N. Winchester leg.; CNCI • 4 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 4–15 Jul. 1991; CNCI • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 31 Jul.–11 Aug. 1991; CNCI .

USA • 1 ♀; Arizona, Yavapai Co., Montezuma Castle National Monument, Montezuma Well ; 15–16 Jun. 1987; M.W. Sanderson leg.; FSCA • 1 ♀; California, Imperial Co., Niland, Fountain of Youth Spa and RV Park ; 22–27 Mar. 1982; J.R. Elmo leg.; light trap near mud from saline thermal springs; FSCA • 1 ♀; California; Riverside Co., Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center , S. Palm Desert ; 23 May 1979; S. Frommer leg.; beating fronds of Washingtonia; FSCA • 1 ♀; Idaho, Idaho Co., Clearwater National Forest , Imnamatnoon Creek ; 46.5149° N, 114.7635° W; 21 May 2017; A. Fasbender leg.; AFPC • 1 ♀; Montana, Missoula Co., Lolo National Forest , Howard Creek above ponds; 46.7746° N, 114.5412° W; 4 Jul. 2018; A. Fasbender leg.; AFPC .

Phylogeny

The morphological phylogenetic analysis recovered one optimal tree with a score of 22 steps, presented in Fig. 14 .

Figures

Fig. 12. Female sternite 9 II. a. Ceratoculicoides pacificus sp. nov., paratype (CNCI), Carmanah Valley, British Columbia, Canada.b. C. pacificus paratype (CNCI), East Sooke Peak, British Columbia, Canada. c. C.virginianus (Wirth, 1951), Springwater Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada. d. Ceratoculicoides sp. F1, Tuparro National Park, Colombia. e. Ceratoculicoides sp. F2, Tuparro National Park, Colombia. f. Ceratoculicoides sp. F3, Rincon, Costa Rica. Linework has been added to make sternite 9 easier to discern. Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 13. Distribution. a. Western North America. Solid star =Ceratoculicoides aliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005; solid circles = C.borkenti sp. nov.; open triangles = C.grogani sp. nov.; open star = C. longipennis (Wirth, 1952); open square = C. pacificus sp. nov.; solid triangle = C.propinquus sp. nov.; solid cross C. sp. M1. b. Eastern North America. Solid circles = C. confusus sp. nov.; open squares = C.virginianus (Wirth, 1951). c. Central and northern South America. Solid circle = C.confusus; open squares = C. sp. F1; open triangles = C. sp. F2; solid triangle = C. sp. F3.

Fig. 14. Morphological phylogeny (Maximum Parsimony) of Ceratoculicoides Wirth & Ratanaworabhan, 1971 (unsupported branches collapsed). Bremer support values are noted above and character state changes (given as character # (state)) below branches. * Bremer support value increased to 4 in a reanalysis removing Brachypogon sp. L from dataset (see Discussion).