Ceratoculicoides pacificus, Fasbender, 2023

Fasbender, Andrew, 2023, Revision of the New World Ceratoculicoides Wirth & Ratanaworabhan (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Ceratopogonini), European Journal of Taxonomy 875, pp. 159-202 : 186-187

Ceratoculicoides pacificus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8C193FC1-C09F-4305-9EC8-17544078662A

Figs 1–3 , 4b , 6c , 8g –i , 12a–b

Diagnosis

Male

Ceratoculicoides pacificus sp. nov. can be separated from congeners by the following combination of characters: femora and tibiae brown; apices of parameres acute, tapering distally; aedeagus lateral margins convex, medial apex of aedeagus with hyaline incision, posterolateral spines elongate, 0.5 width of apex of aedeagus ( Fig. 8i ).

Female

Only species of Ceratoculicoides with the following combination of characters: FR 1.62–1.72; femora and tibiae brown, wing length 1.5–1.8 mm; 2 major spermathecae, largest 88–96; medial margin of 9 th sternite deeply concave.

Etymology

The specific epithet ‘ pacificus ’ is a Latin adjective referring to ‘peacemaking’ or ‘peacefulness’. This epithet is in reference to this species inhabiting the coastal Pacific Northwest region.

Material examined

Holotype

CANADA • ♂; British Columbia, Cowichan District, 23 km NW of Port Renfrew, Upper Carmanah Valley ; 21 Jun.–3 Jul. 1991; N. Winchester leg.; CNCI.

Paratypes

CANADA • 10 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; CNCI • 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; 4–15 Jul. 1991; CNCI • 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; 31 Jul.–11 Aug. 1991; CNCI .

Other material

CANADA – British Columbia • 1 ♀; East Sooke Pk. 20 km SW of Victoria; 31 Jul.–14 Aug. 1984; R. A. Cannings leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 29 Jun.–18 Jul. 1989; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 18–26 Jul. 1989; CNCI • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 12.5 km NW of Gold River , coll. A. Borkent; 18 Jul. 1991; CNCI • 2 ♀♀; Lake Cowichan ; 26 Jul. 1979; J. Smith leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; 25 km W of Lake Cowichan ; 8 Jul. 1991; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; 33 km NW of Lake Cowichan ; 9 Jul. 1991; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI • 2 ♀♀; 2.3 km NW of Lake Cowichan , South Shore Rd. ; 19–28 Jul. 1985; I. M. Smith leg.; CNCI • 1 ♀; 5 km NE of Port Renfrew ; 8 Jul. 1991; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; Ucluelet ; 15–20 Jul. 1979; I. M. Smith leg.; CNCI . USA • 1 ♂; Oregon, Benton Co., Mary’s Peak , 21 km NW of Corvallis ; 19 Jul. 1985; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI • 1 ♂; Washington, Kittatas Co., Okanagan-Wenatchee National Forest, DeRoux Forest Campground ; 11 Aug. 1971; Goeden and Gurney leg.; light trap; originally identified as C. longipennis ; USNM • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; Olympic National Park ; CNCI .

Description

Male

MEASUREMENTS (n = 5). Head width 327–349(339); flagellomeres 49–53(51), 29–36(32), 26–30(27), 21–33(29), 25–29(28), 27–30(30), 25–31(29), 27–30(30), 30–35(32), 29–37(33), 84–102(96), 66– 75(71), 79–88(81); AR 0.89–1.02(1.00); FR (n = 1) 1.67; wing length 1.14–1.34(1.22) mm; wing width 0.37–0.45(0.42) mm; costal ratio (n = 1) 0.50; GCR 2.1–2.2(2.1); GSR 1.0–1.1(1.1); aedeagus ratio 0.83–1.0(0.91).

THORAX. Dorsocentral punctations prominent and interspersed in posterior half of dorsocentral setae. Legs with femora and tibiae brown.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 8g –i ). Distal portion of parameres tapering gradually to acute apex. Aedeagus lateral margins convex, rounded, posterior margin convex, tapering posteriorly to medial notch and acute hyaline incision; elongate acute posterolateral point at transition of posterior and lateral margin, spine length 0.5 times width of aedeagus; posteriorly directed apical point adjacent to medial notch.

Female

MEASUREMENTS (n = 5). Head width (n = 3) 310–360(343); flagellomeres (n = 3) 37–43(40), 23–27(23), 27–29(29), 29–32(30), 32–36(36), 32–36(33), 34–38(37), 36–38(38), 51–57(56), 50–53(53), 58–63(60), 55–62(56), 69–76(72); AR 0.73–0.82(0.78); FR 1.62–1.72(1.65); wing length 1.57–1.84(1.63) mm; wing width 0.6–0.64(0.62) mm; costal ratio (n = 1) 0.53; spermathecal length 88–96(93); spermathecal width 80–91(81); spermathecal neck 16–26(23); spermatheca/neck ratio 0.24.

THORAX. Legs with femora and tibiae brown.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 12a–b ). 9 th sternite anterior branch truncate, apices widely separated; base of posterior branch directed posteriorly, distal half curving medially, tip usually rounded, sometimes with a minute hook at apex. 2 major spermathecae.

Distribution

British Columbia ( Canada), California, Oregon, Washington ( USA).

Remarks

Females of this species are similar in size to the female holotype of C.longipennis , but the geographic disjunction between the type locality and the range of C. pacificus argues against their conspecificity. I believe that the stability of nomenclature is better served by describing this taxon under a new name rather than assigning this morphospecies to C. longipennis based on spurious evidence, especially as another male morphospecies, sp. M1, has as much or more evidence suggesting it is the male of C. longipennis . Females of this species are the only Ceratoculicoides in western North America with spermathecae>80 μm long, but the other regional females are poorly known and this character may not be diagnostic. Males can be distinguished from all other Ceratoculicoides by their aedeagus having convex lateral and posterior margins, long (>0.5× width of main body of the aedeagus) posterolateral points, and acute hyaline medial incision flanked by short triangular apical points well separated from the posterolateral points ( Fig. 8i ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Ceratoculicoides pacificus sp. nov., male habitus (CNCI). Scale bar = 100 μm.

Fig. 2. Ceratoculicoides pacificus sp. nov. (CNCI), female habitus. Scale bar = 100 μm.

Fig. 3. Ceratoculicoides pacificus sp. nov. (CNCI), male thorax. Scale bar = 100 μm.

Fig. 4. Male heads I. a. Ceratoculicoides confusus sp. nov. b. C. pacificus sp. nov. c. C. confusus (Colombia). d. C.virginianus (Wirth, 1951). Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 6. Female heads I. a. Ceratoculicoidesconfusus sp. nov. b. Ceratoculicoides sp. F2 (Colombia). c. C. pacificus sp. nov. d. C.virginianus (Wirth, 1951). Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 8. Male genitalia I. Ceratoculicoides confusus sp. nov.: a. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. b. Parameres. c. Aedeagus. C.confusus (Colombia): d. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. e. Parameres. f. Aedeagus.C. pacificus sp. nov: g. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. h. Parameres. i. 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. 12. Female sternite 9 II. a. Ceratoculicoides pacificus sp. nov., paratype (CNCI), Carmanah Valley, British Columbia, Canada.b. C. pacificus paratype (CNCI), East Sooke Peak, British Columbia, Canada. c. C.virginianus (Wirth, 1951), Springwater Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada. d. Ceratoculicoides sp. F1, Tuparro National Park, Colombia. e. Ceratoculicoides sp. F2, Tuparro National Park, Colombia. f. Ceratoculicoides sp. F3, Rincon, Costa Rica. Linework has been added to make sternite 9 easier to discern. Scale bars = 100 μm.