Corethrella (Corethrella) badia Borkent, 2008

Published, First, 2008, The Frog-Biting Midges of the World (Corethrellidae: Diptera), Zootaxa 1804, pp. 1-456 : 108-109

Corethrella (Corethrella) badia Borkent , new species

Corethrella jenningsi: Lane and Aitken 1956: 533 .

DIAGNOSIS: Male and female adults: only extant species of Corethrella in the New World with the wing with a distinct midlength band (Figs. 63C, 69B), with the midfemur mostly medium brown but with the apical 1/5 pale, with the basal half of the hind tibia without any distinctive pigmentation ( Fig. 47D), and with sternites 1, 2 dark brown and contrasting with the light brown remainder of the abdomen (Fig. 78F).

DESCRIPTION: Male adult. Descriptive statistics: see Tables 2–5. Head: Outline in anterior view laterally elongate (as in Fig. 9H). Two large setae on frons between ventromedial area of ommatida (as in Fig. 16E). Antenna light brown; pedicel with at least one distinctive, more elongate, stout, dorsal or dorsolateral seta; flagellomeres as in Fig. 21K, sensilla coeloconica distributed as in Table 1; flagellomere 13 with welldeveloped apical bifurcation. Palpus pale; segment 3 swollen at or near midlength. Thorax (as in Fig. 47D): Nearly uniformly medium brown with posterolateral area of scutum light brown, pale sclerites around base of wing. Posterior portion of dorsocentral row with group of about 5 elongate setae. Posterior portion of dorsocentral row with group of about 5 elongate setae. Prescutal suture short, not extending more than half way to dorsocentral row of setae. Anterior anepisternum divided diagonally by sinuous suture, dorsal portion about equal to ventral portion. Ventral portion of posterior anepisternum triangular, uniformly brown, with anterodorsal margin thick. Wing (Fig. 63C): Apex of R 2 basal to apex of M 1. Anterior margin with differently, discretely pigmented scales (indicating anterior margin of midlength band), with midlength band, with poorly defined darker scales nearer base; veins (other than costa and wing margin) with well-developed scales. Halter pale, paler than scutellum. Legs (as in Fig. 47D): Dark brown with following pale or light brown: very apex of forefemur, basal 1/5 of foretibia, apical 1/5 of midfemur, basal half of midtibia, apical half of hind femur, basal 0.9 of hind tibia, at least mid-, hind leg tarsomeres 2–4 with banding. With only slender setae, lacking scales (except for some in patch of whip-like setae on posterior portion of hind tibia). Midleg with thick, subapical setae on each of at least tarsomeres 1–3. Apices of fore-, midleg fifth tarsomeres undivided, with claws slightly subapical to apical (as in Fig. 75F). Claw of foreleg longer than those of mid-, hind leg. Each claw without inner tooth. Anterior claws of each leg without a basal prong. Foreleg claws unequal. Midleg claws equal. Foreleg third tarsomere shorter than fourth tarsomere. Empodia slender. Abdomen (Fig. 78F): Light brown with sternites 1,2 dark brown, segments 8–9 lightly pigmented. Genitalia (Fig. 90B): Gonocoxite uniformly pale, strongly tapering; anteromedial area with spicules similar in length to those elsewhere on gonocoxite; with well-defined dorsal row of setae, with seta 2 slightly thicker than others, with row curving posteromedially with posteriormost seta of row positioned dorsomedially. With one dorsomedial stout seta, tapering from base. Gonostylus (partially extended) straight for basal 3/4, apically evenly curved, slender, somewhat thicker on basal 1/3, more distally of more or less equal thickness, tapered apically; one elongate, slender subbasal seta, situated anteriorly or anteroventrally; apical seta slender, short, simple. Aedeagus slender, elongate, tapering gradually to apex, pointed apically, with lateral margins fused subapically.

Female adult. Descriptive statistics: see Tables 6–11. As for male, with following differences. Head: Coronal suture short, not extending ventrally between ommatidia (as in Fig. 16E). Antennal flagellomeres as in Fig. 28J, sensilla coeloconica distributed as in Table 1. Clypeus ( Fig. 17 AM) squarish. Mandible with small, pointed teeth. Palpus as in Fig. 34I. Wing (Fig. 69B). Legs: Claws of each leg equal to those of oth- ers; equal on each leg, simple (without inner teeth). Abdomen: Light brown with sternites 1, 2 dark brown, segment 8 lightly pigmented. Cercus pale.

Pupa. Likely described by Lane and Aitken (1956). Thorax: Scutum, metathorax each with spherical sensory pit (as in Fig. 100A). Respiratory organ (Fig. 102B): Tubular. Abdomen (Fig. 106C): Segments 3– 7 not expanded laterally. Paddle only moderately elongate; apicodorsal thick spine articulating; apicoventral seta longer than thick spine.

Larva. Likely described by Lane and Aitken (1956).

Egg. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION AND BIONOMICS: Corethrella badia is known from Trinidad and Tobago (Fig. 125) at altitudes ranging from 30– 360 m. The holotype and allotype were reared from immatures collected aroid leaf axils ( Colocasia or Xanthsoma). The paratype was reared from immatures from Heliconia flowers. The specimens from the Belkin “Mosquitoes of Middle America” project are identified in Table 12.

If all of Lane and Aitken’s (1956) identifications are correct, this species has also been reared from the leaf axils of Xanthosoma , Calathea trinitensis , and Cyclanthus bipartitus , as well as a bamboo pot.

TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION: The single male and the two females were associated through the shared presence of a distinctive pigmentation pattern and were reared from the same habitat in Trinidad and Tobago.

Lane and Aitken (1956: 533) likely described this species as C. jenningsi although I have not reexamined most of their material. One specimen I studied, collected by Aitken, was identified by Lane as C. jenningsi and was collected at Cumaca, Trinidad and Tobago, 20-V-1954 by W.G. Downes; Lane and Aitken (1956) recorded C. jenningsi from Cumaca but with a date of 27-V-1954, with Aitken and Downes as collectors. In spite of these minor discrepancies, this specimen was likely part of their description, which matches that given here. Further to this, the larval and pupal exuviae of the holotype and allotype of C. badia match those described for C. jenningsi by Lane and Aitken (1956).

TYPES: Holotype, male adult on microscope slide, labeled " HOLOTYPE Corethrella badia Borkent ”, “ Corethrella sp. 24", “ St Patrick , Morne L’Enfer Forest Reserve, Trinidad and Tobago, 30 m, 5-XII-1965, T.H.G. Aitken ”, “TR1428-100, Trinidad and Tobago, 65–66", associated pupal exuviae on separate slide, with same labeling ( USNM) . Allotype, female adult on microscope slide, labeled as for holotype but TR1428-10, associated larval and pupal exuviae on separate slide, with same labeling ( USNM) . Paratype: 1 ♀, Cumaca , Trinidad and Tobago, 360 m, 20-V-1954 ( USNM) .

DERIVATION OF SPECIFIC EPITHET: The name badia (chestnut-brown) refers to the contrastingly dark sternite 1 and 2 of the adults of this species (a feature shared with some other species).