Corethrella (Corethrella) patasho Amaral & Pinho, 2023

Amaral, André P., Mariano, Rodolfo & Pinho, Luiz Carlos, 2023, Description of five new species of frog-biting midges (Diptera, Corethrellidae) from Brazil and examination of new morphological characters with utility for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies, European Journal of Taxonomy 874 (1), pp. 1-120 : 20-21

Corethrella (Corethrella) patasho Amaral & Pinho sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EA912E11-A695-43D2-B216-D329AC579AEE

Fig. 8

Diagnosis

Female adult

Only extant species with the following combination of characters: coronal suture complete ( Fig. 8B ); ocular row with two thick offset ventral setae ( Fig. 8B ); flagellomeres I–III moderately elongate ( Fig. 8E ); flagellomeres XII and XIII each with two sensilla coeloconica; wing with a midlength band of dark scales (not present on R 4+5 and CuP); halter as dark as scutellum ( Fig. 8G ); hind tibia with discrete basal and apical dark pigmentation ( Fig. 8F ); femora without scales.

Male

Unknown.

Etymology

The specific epithet – patasho – honors the Pataxó, indigenous people living in the area of the type locality.

Material examined

Holotype

BRAZIL – Bahia State • ♀, adult; Porto Seguro, RPPN Estação Veracel, mussununga ; 16°21ʹ33ʺ S, 39°08ʹ15ʺ W; 92 m a.s.l.; 30 Aug. 2019; A.P. Amaral leg.; frog-call trap (chorus); MZUSP.

Description

Female adult (n = 1)

HEAD ( Fig. 8A ). Medium brown. Outline in anterior view laterally elongate, about 1.64 times as wide as long. Coronal suture elongate, almost reaching ventral margin of interocular space. Clypeus ( Fig. 8B ) wide, 1.50 times as wide as long, with 3 dorsal setae of equal thickness. Mandibles serrate. Palpus ( Fig. 8C ) pale, third segment somewhat swollen subapically, about 0.80 times length of fifth. Antenna ( Fig. 8D ): pedicel and flagellum uniformly light brown, with flagellomeres ( Fig. 8E ) I–III moderately elongate. Flagellomere XIII apically bifurcated. Sensilla coeloconica distribution: 1(II, IX–XI), 2(XII–XIII), 4(I). Sensilla ( Fig. 8B ): Ocular row with 2 thick offset setae at ventral part, 1 thick seta more dorsally; 13–15 shortly extending dorsally beyond vertex. Subocular row with 15 slender setae; additionally, a few slender setae scattered at vertex and interocular space. Postgenal row with 7 slender setae on mid-posterior region. With 2 ventromedial thick setae.

THORAX ( Fig. 8F–G ). Medium brown, with posterior portion of anepimeron, metepisternum, and sclerites around wing pale. Prescutal suture elongate, ending past halfway to dorsocentral row, interrupted by area of pale cuticle. Anterior anepisternum longitudinally divided by sinuous suture. Posterior anepisternum divided by a diagonal suture, forming a triangle at inferior portion, with anterodorsal margin thick. Sensilla ( Fig. 8H ): Antepronotum with 2 slender setae near anterodorsal margin, 3 intermediate ventrolateral setae. Postpronotum with 1 thick dorsal, 1 intermediate, and 2 slender more posterior setae. Scutum, prescutal area with 7 intermediate setae grouped anteriorly; medium portion with 3 thick setae loosely aligned dorsoventrally; 2 intermediate and 4 slender setae scattered. Antealar area with 2 thick and 3 slender anterior setae; 4 thick and 4 intermediate more posterior setae forming a U-shape on ventral margin; 19 slender posterodorsal setae. Supraalar area with 2 thick and 5 slender ventral setae. Dorsocentral row, posterior part with group of 5 thick offset setae; about 10 thick, 11 intermediate and 17 slender filling the row. Scutellum with 8 thick setae. Posterior anepisternum bare. Anepimeron with 14–16 slender setae located mid-posteriorly.

WING ( Fig. 8I–J ). Light/medium brown, with midlength band of dark scales present, except on R 4+5 and CuP. Darkest scales on C, apex of Sc, R 1 and R 2+3. Non-marginal veins with narrow scales. Halter as dark as scutellum or slightly lighter. R 3 /R 1: 0.59; R 2+3 /R 2: 0.57.

LEGS ( Fig. 8F ). Medium brown. Apical 0.6 of hind femur paler; hind tibia with discrete basal and apical band of darker pigmentation; apex of tibiae with darker setae; at least hind leg tarsomeres 1–4 banded. Legs without scales. Midleg tarsomeres 1–3 with thick subapical setae. Tarsal claws of each leg equal to those of others; equal on each leg, simple. Empodium ( Fig. 8K ) of intermediate thickness and length, with 6 branches. Ta1/Ta2: 2.74; Ta3/Ta4: 1.08.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 8L ). Medium brown, with segments VIII, IX, and cercus darker.

Male and immatures

Unknown.

Distribution and biology

This species is known only from the single female holotype, collected with a frog-call pan trap playing a frog chorus of Atlantic forest species: Boana faber (Wied-Neuwied, 1821) ; Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826 , and P. nanus (Boulenger, 1888) . This suggests that adult females of C. patasho sp. nov. feed on frog blood in nature. The type locality is a white-sandy tropical savanna patch inside a fragment of lowland Atlantic forest (mussununga ecosystem) physiognomy in Porto Seguro, Bahia. The altitude recorded was 72 m a.s.l.

Remarks

Corethrella patasho sp. nov., only known as a female, has the combination of features present in species placed in the clade guadeloupensis – fulva ( Borkent 2008) , which includes having the ocular row with two strong ventral setae (four setae on the ventromedial area of the frons in Borkent’s terminology), the clypeus with less than six dorsal setae and the posterior end of the dorsocentral row with a group of more than three setae. This species is similar to C. aurita Borkent, 2008 , C. guadeloupensis Borkent, 2008 , and C. pillosa Lane, 1939 , which, in turn, are very similar to each other. The morphology of the empodia also resembles those of C. aurita and C. pillosa (unknown for C. guadeloupensis ), intermediate in size with more than five bifid branches, supporting their close relationship. Corethrella patasho , however, differs from these species in having two sensilla coeloconica on each of flagellomeres XII– XIII, a medium brown thorax with the halter as pigmented as the scutellum, and a midlength wing band without dark scales on R 4+5.

Figures

Fig.8.Corethrellapatashosp.nov.,femaleadult, holotype.A.Head, anteriorview.B.Cranial setae,anterior and posterior views, and clypeus in anterior view. C. Left palpus, lateral view. D. Antenna, lateral view. E. Flagellomeres and pedicel, lateral view. F. Thorax and legs, lateral view. G. Detail of thorax, lateral view. H. Thoracic setae, lateral view. I. Wing veins. J. Wing. K. Hind leg claw and empodium, lateral view. L. Abdomen, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.