Nemapalpus dampfianus Alexander

Ibáñez-Bernal, Sergio, Hernández-Xoliot, Ruth A. & Mendoza, Fredy, 2006, Collections of Bruchomyiinae and Phlebotominae (Diptera: Psychodidae) from the north­central portion of the State of Veracruz, Mexico, with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 1270, pp. 19-33 : 21-24

Nemapalpus dampfianus Alexander

( Figs. 1 – 9 )

Nemopalpus [sic] dampfianus Alexander, 1940: 796 , Figs. 2, 4 (male description). Type­locality: Finca El Vergel, Chiapas, Mexico. Additional references: Barretto and D´Andretta 1946: 59; Fairchild 1952: 272, Figs. 12, 13, 21 – 25, 36 (female description); Duckhouse 1973: 3 (Neotropical catalogue)

Nemapalpus dampfianus Alexander : Quate and Alexander, 2000: 186 (revision)

This species was known only from the male holotype from Finca El Vergel (near Huixtla) (Chiapas), described by Alexander (1940), and by one female specimen from Palenque (Chiapas), described by Fairchild (1952). This is the third finding of the species and the first record in the State of Veracruz, extending considerably its known distribution to the north of the country.

The description presented by Alexander (1940) is short, referring principally to the coloration of the body vestiture, the number and general form of the flagellomeres, the wing vein R2+3, and the morphological characteristics of the gonopod, illustrating the wing, the apical portion of the gonocoxite, and the gonostylus, as well as tergite 10. Twelve years later, Fairchild (1952) associated the female and described it as N. dampfianus , based as he said “mainly on the basis of the wing venation and the presence of dark hair tufts on the wings, noted before mounting”. Quate and Alexander (2000) in their “Synopsis of New World Nemapalpus ”, include this species and mention, as recognition characters, the wing venation, absence of an oval sclerite in the pleurites, and morphological details of the gonopods. All these characteristics permit accurate identification of the species; nevertheless, in their key to males of New World Nemapalpus , couplet 3 for N. dampfianus reads “gonostylus without bristles at base”, which is not true and must instead read “gonostylus with bristles at base but without enlargement” (as in N. pilipes Tonnoir ). Additional characteristics that are taken into account in the modern descriptions of the species of this genus, not mentioned previously anywhere, are as follows:

Male. Eyes separated by ± 3 facets diameters; frons with cluster of 10 – 19 seta alveoli between eyes, that is separated from other seta alveoli of frons and vertex; palpal segments proportions: 1.0: 1.2: 1.3: 3.7 ( Fig. 1 ); Newstead scales present on central portion of inner margin of palpal segment 2 ( Fig. 3 ); antenna with 14 cylindrical flagellomeres; apex of first flagellomere at same level of apex of palpal segment 3; proportion of first three flagellomeres: 11: 6: 7 ( Fig. 1 ); each flagellomere with 2 kinds of ascoids, the typical Nemapalpus mushroom­shaped ascoids, and many short, digitiform, simple ascoids (similar to those observed in Maruina Müller or Pericoma Walker s. l. ( Psychodinae )) ( Fig. 2 ); mushroom­shaped ascoids present on flagellomeres as follows (pairs): F1 (2), F2 (2), F3 (4), F4 (4), F5 (3), F6 (3), F7 (3), F8 (3), F9 (3), F10 (3), F11 (1), F12 (1), F13 (1), F14 (1); flagellomere 14 with apiculus. Thorax with all pleural sclerites covered with microtrichia, propleuron with line of 4 – 7 setae alveoli near spiracle; prosternum with setose conical projection directed forward between fore coxae. Wing with Sc extending beyond base of R2+3 and connected to C; R2+3, with base incomplete and 2.75X length of R2; base of R5 beyond level of medial fork, so r­m reaches M1; base of M2 not attached to vein M1+2; cu­m developed; CuA2 with base incomplete and apical portion taken from transverse vein shorter than basal portion ( Figs. 4, 5 ). Abdomen without setae tufts on lateral margin. Hypandrium simple and narrow, heavily sclerotized ( Fig. 6 ); gonocoxite with subapical internal lobe, with its apex divided into rounded fore lobe covered with patch of setae, which are as long as gonocoxal lobe, and conical rear lobe having short spiniform setae at apex ( Figs. 6 and 7 ); gonostylus 1.2X length of gonocoxite; in dorsoventral view, gonostylus shows external margin nearly straight, just curved near apex, and internal margin only slightly convex with some long lanceolate rigid squamae in basal two­thirds, followed by small setose lobe, shallow preapical concavity, and preapical setose lobe; apex of gonostylus curved inward ending in sclerotized claw ( Figs. 6 , 7 ). Parameres slightly longer than gonocoxite, both forming oval structure, with dorsal margin less sclerotized and giving rise, from middle to apex, to row of long posterior directed setae, of which first pair reaches apical level of paramere ( Figs. 6 , 9 ); this dorsal margin has a mesad setose preapical lobe and ends in another blunt setose lobe; ventrally, paramere presents laminar keel thickened near its apex and, in dorsoventral view, both are fused to form spoon­shaped structure ( Figs. 6 , 9 ). Aedeagus with simple rod basiphallus and distiphallus shaped as equilateral triangle with blunt apex ( Fig. 9 ). Epandrium little longer than wide, covered with large alveoli; cercus oval in lateral view; tergite 10 triangular ( Fig. 8 ).

Measurements (in mm). Wing length: 3.93 ± 0.05 (3.9 – 4.02) n = 8; wing width: 1.08 ± 0.05 (1.04 – 1.19) n = 8; head height: 0.53 ± 0.01 (0.52 – 0.56) n = 8; head width: 0.61 ± 0.03 (0.56 – 0.65) n = 8; palpus length: 0.88 ± 0.031 (0.86 – 0.93) n = 8; flagellomere 1 length: 0.42 ± 0.035 (0.39 – 0.50) n = 8; flagellomere 2 length: 0.26 ± 0.007 (0.26 – 0.28) n = 7; flagellomere 3 length: 0.28, n = 7; gonocoxite length: 0.36 ± 0.02 (0.34 – 0.39) n = 8; gonostylus length: 0.42 ± 0.01 (0.41 – 0.43) n = 8; aedeagus length: 0.40 ± 0.025 (0.39 – 0.43) n = 8; paramere length: 0.42 ± 0.009 (0.41 – 0.43) n = 8; epandrium length: 0.27 ± 0.019 (0.26 – 0.30) n = 8; surstylus length: 0.20 ± 0.01 (0.19 – 0.21) n = 8.

Material examined. 21 males. Mexico, Veracruz: Municipality of Juchique de Ferrer, El Tacahuite, 523 m a.s.l., April 13, 2005, light trap, Bernabé and Guevara, colls. 2 males; Loma de San Nicolás, coffee plantation, March 2, 2006, refuge between tree roots, 13 males; Municipality of Colipa, El Zapotal, February 14, 2006, Mendoza, Bernabé and Guevara, colls., attracted to human, 4 males; refuge between tree roots, 2 males.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Nemapalpus dampfianus Alexander, male. 1. Head, frontal view. 2. Flagellomere 2, showing ascoids. 3. Palpal segment 2, showing Newstead scales. 4. Wing vestiture before mounting. 5. Wing after mounting, showing veins, 6. Male terminalia, lateral view.

FIGURES 7 – 9. Nemapalpus dampfianus Alexander, male. 7. Gonopod dorsoventral view. 8. E pandrium, surstylus, and tergite 10, ventral view. 9. Aedeagus and parameres, dorsoventral view.