Monodiamesa tibetica Makarchenko, Wu & Wang, 2008

Han, Wu, Tang, Hongqu & Ni, Zhenyu, 2021, DNA barcodes and morphology reveal two new species of Monodiamesa Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae: Prodiamesinae) in Tibetan Plateau, Zootaxa 4990 (1), pp. 81-103 : 98

Monodiamesa tibetica Makarchenko, Wu & Wang, 2008 ( Fig. 9 )

According to the key to males of Saether (1973), M. tibetica is allocated to M. nitida , and highly possibly conspecific with each other. Indeed, the two species show great similarity in aspects of long inferior volsella, concave inner margin of SVo and with the anal point bearing setae only at base ( Figs. 9A–C ). However, M. tibetica could be separated from M. nitida by the lower AR value. The strange shape of IVo can be regarded as another collapsed case when mounting on a slide. We also have such an intermediate slide, with a globular subapex in the left and cylindric shape in the right. M. tibetica also show some similarity with M. bonalpicola sp. n. in aspect of low AR value, long pedestal of MVo ( Fig. 9D ) and distally rounded IVo, but the former species could be distinguished by having a developed basal median lobe ( Fig. 9E ) and gonostylus with concave inner margin. The synonym hypothesis between M. tibetica and M. nitida needs to be tested on the basis of more specimens, associated immature materials and molecular data.

Material examined by Xiaolong Lin from NKU. Holotype male. CHINA: Tibet, Lhoka Prefecture , Nêdong County, Zetang Town , alt. 3700 m, ZIB Tibet Expedition , 02.x.1997, T. Solhøy and J. Skartveit.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Monodiamesa tibetica (Holotype, from Nankai University). Photos: (A–B) hypopygium, dorsal view, ventral view; (C) superior volsella; (D) median volsella; (E) basal median lobe. Scale bar: A–B, 50 μm; C–E, 25 μm.