Ceratoculicoidesmoravicus Knoz, 1987

Fasbender, Andrew, 2023, Revision of the New World Ceratoculicoides Wirth & Ratanaworabhan (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Ceratopogonini), European Journal of Taxonomy 875, pp. 159-202 : 178-179

Ceratoculicoidesmoravicus Knoz, 1987

Figs 5b , 7e , 10f–h , 11f

Ceratoculicoidesmoravicus Knoz, 1987: 390, figs 1–19 ( Czech Republic).

Ceratopogon (Nilohelea) gracilipes Remm, 1967: 27 (preoccupied name, subjective junior synonym), pl. 18, figs 1–7 ( Georgia).

Ceratoculicoideshavelkai Wirth & Grogan, 1988 (replacement name for Ceratopogongracilipes Remm, subjective junior synonym). — Delécolle & Schiegg 1998: 274, figs 1–23.

Ceratoculicoides remmi Gosseries, 1988: 2 (replacement name for Ceratopogon gracilipes Remm , objective junior synonym of C.havelkai Wirth & Grogan ).

Diagnosis

Male

Ceratoculicoides moravicus can be separated from congeners by the following combination of characters: femora and tibiae brown; wing length 1.1 mm, apices of parameres acute, tapering distally; aedeagus lateral margins straight basally, strongly tapered at midpoint, apical and posterolateral points adjacent, 1–2 accessory spines between apical point and posterolateral point of aedeagus, posterolateral point subtriangular, apex directed anteriorly ( Fig. 10h ).

Female

Only species of Ceratoculicoides with the following combination of characters: FR 1.62–1.83; femora and tibiae brown; wing length ~ 1.2 mm; single major spermatheca 75–77; medial margin of 9 th sternite deeply concave.

Material examined

TURKEY • 1 ♀; Izmir, Bornova ; May 1962; T. Curtin leg.; light, originally identified as C.gracilipes ; CNCI • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; USNM.

Description

Male

MEASUREMENTS (n = 1). Head width 289; flagellomeres 43, 27, 30, 29, 24, 25, 24, 32, 30, 36, 95, 76, 85; AR 0.85; FR 1.92; wing length 1.16 mm; wing width 0.37 mm; costal ratio 0.52; GCR 1.65; GSR 1.15; aedeagus ratio 1.33.

THORAX. Dorsocentral punctations possibly absent, at most a few spots of thinned cuticle among dorsocentral setae. Legs with femora and tibiae brown.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 10f–h ). Distal portion of parameres tapering gradually to acute apex. Aedeagus lateral margins tapering, constricted noticeably at midlength; posterior margin a smooth concave arc, hyaline medial incision broad posteriorly, tapering anteriorly; base of posterolateral point directed laterally, apex rounded, directed anterolaterally; apical point subacute, directed posterolaterally, adjacent to posterolateral point, with 1–2 accessory spines between apical and posterolateral points, similar in size and shape to apical point.

Female

MEASUREMENTS (n = 2). Head width 272–314; flagellomeres 33–41, 23–27, 21–25, 26–32, 26–32, 28– 30, 31, 33–34, 46–50, 48–51, 54–55, 51–53, 62–63; AR 1.11–1.14; FR 1.62–1.83; wing length 1.25– 1.28 mm; wing width 0.48–0.5 mm; costal ratio 0.52–0.54; spermathecal length 75–77; spermathecal width 66–70; spermathecal neck (n = 1) 11; spermatheca/neck ratio (n = 1) 0.14.

THORAX. Legs with femora and tibiae brown.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 11f ). 9 th sternite anterior branch broad, evenly rounded, apices nearly touching medially; posterior branch directed straight posteromedially without curve, spiniform, weakly tapering, tip pointed or with minute hook at apex. 1 major spermatheca.

Distribution

Western Palaearctic.

Remarks

This extralimital species is diagnosed here to aid in differentiating it from other members of the C. moravicus group, particularly C. sp. M1 (see above). Delécolle & Schiegg synonymized C.havelkai and C. moravicus without examining either holotype, based solely on specimens from Switzerland and Germany ( Delécolle & Schiegg 1998). Any future work on the Palaearctic fauna should involve examining both type specimens to confirm they are conspecific. Females of this species are the only known Ceratoculicoides with a single major spermatheca. The males are extremely similar to those of C.aliciae , C. propinquus sp. nov. and C. sp. M1. Ceratoculicoides moravicus ( Fig. 10h ) can be distinguished from C.aliciae ( Fig. 10e ) by the posterior margin of the aedeagus being evenly concave (vs with acute medial notch), from C.propinquus ( Fig. 10k ) by the accessory spines between the apical and posterolateral points (spines absent in C.propinquus ), and C. sp. M1 ( Fig. 10c ) by having the aedeagus tapering distinctly at midlength (vs lateral margins straight). The differences between C. moravicus and C. sp. M1 may be the result of the overly compressed slide preparation of that specimen. Additional material is needed to ascertain whether the latter provisional morphospecies is conspecific.

Figures

Fig. 5. Male heads II. Ceratoculicoidesmoravicus group. a. C. sp. M1. b. C.moravicusKnoz, 1987. c. C.propinquus sp. nov. d. C.grogani sp. nov. e. C.borkenti sp. nov. Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 7. Female heads II.Ceratoculicoidesmoravicus group.a. C.aliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005. b. C. aliciae antenna. c. C. borkenti sp. nov. d. C.grogani sp. nov. e. C.moravicusKnoz, 1987. Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 10. Male genitalia III. Ceratoculicoides sp. M1: a. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. b. Parameres. c. Aedeagus. C.aliciaeHuerta & Borkent, 2005: d. Parameres (adapted from Huerta & Borkent 2005). e. Aedeagus (adapted from Huerta & Borkent 2005). C.moravicusKnoz, 1987: f. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. g. Parameres. h. Aedeagus. C. propinquus sp. nov.: i. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. j. Parameres. k. Aedeagus. Abbreviations: ALP = apicolateral point of epandrium; AP = apical point of aedeagus; BA = basal arch of aedeagus; CRC = cercus; GC = gonocoxite; GCA = gonocoxal apodeme; GNS = gonostylus; HI = hyaline incision of aedeagus; HYP = hypandrium; PA = paramere apex; PB = paramere base; PLP = posterolateral point of aedeagus. Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 11. Female sternite 9 I. a. Ceratoculicoides aliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005, paratype, Chamela Biological Station, Jalisco, Mexico. b. C. borkenti sp. nov., paratype, Nogales, Arizona, USA. c. C. confusus Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, Canada. d. C.confusus, paratype, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA. e. C.grogani sp. nov., paratype, Corvallis, Oregon, USA. f. C.moravicus Bornova, Izmir, Turkey. Linework has been added to make sternite 9 easier to discern. Scale bars = 100 μm.