Allocladius niger Kieffer, 1913

Ferrington Jr, Leonard C. & Saether, Ole A., 2011, A revision of the genera Pseudosmittia Edwards, 1932, Allocladius Kieffer, 1913, and Hydrosmittia gen. n. (Diptera: Chironomidae, Orthocladiinae) 2849, Zootaxa 2849 (1), pp. 1-314 : 77

Allocladius niger Kieffer

( Fig. 20 )

Allocladius niger Kieffer, 1913: 28 .

Pseudosmittia salti Freeman, 1954: 442 , pro parte.

Smittia nigra Freeman, 1956: 349 , pro parte, not Freeman, 1953: 206.

Allocladius niger Kieffer ; Freeman & Cranston 1980: 181, pro parte.

Material examined: KENYA: Mount Kenya, 2870 m a.s.l., holotype male, i. 1912, Allaud et Jeannard ( MNHN). Other material : KENYA, Teleki Valley , swarming over Senecia brassicae, 1 male, 24.ix.1978, L. Sømme ( ZMBN) .

Diagnostic characters: The male imago is easily distinguishable from other species with more than 2 acrostichals, large superior volsella and large accessory lobe of the inferior volsella by the long and narrow main and accessory lobes of the inferior volsella.

Male imago (n = 1–2)

All measurements and ratios are within the variation of A. conigerus with the following exceptions: Total length 1.94 mm. Total length/wing length 1.49. Wing length/length of profemur 3.14. Costa not extended; Cu 1 sinuate; R with 4 setae. AR 0.85, terminal flagellomere 306 µm long. Temporal setae 4, fifth palpomere about 80 µm long. LR 1 0.47, BR 2 3.2, spur of front tibia 32 µm long, front tibia 495 µm long, middle femur 468 µm long, middle tibia 486 µm long. Anal point 41 µm long, oral projections of transverse sternapodeme well developed, HV 3.02.

Female, pupa and larva

Unknown

Remarks

The female mentioned by Freeman (1956: 351) from the Albut National Park in D. R. Congo has been examined. The wing is quite dark grey, darker than in the females of A. soemmei , while the males of A. soemmei have darker wings than A. niger The female has more than 2 acrostichals and certainly belongs in the same species group as the above mentioned species. However, it is likely to belong to A. salti or one of the other species with unknown females.

Distribution

The species is known from Kenya and possibly from Uganda.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Allocladius niger Kieffer, male. A—wing; B—head; C—cibarial pump and stipes; D—thorax; E—virga; F— hypopygium, left dorsal aspect, right ventral aspect.