Parametriocnemus, Goetghebuer, 1931

Epler, John H., 2017, AN ANNOTATED PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE CHIRONOMIDAE (DIPTERA) OF ZURQUÍ, COSTA RICA Abstract Introduction, CHIRONOMUS Journal of Chironomidae Research 30 (30), pp. 4-18 : 7-8

Parametriocnemus

- Four species were collected; all appear to be undescribed. Parametriocnemus sp. ZUR-1 and P. sp. ZUR-2 resemble the Nearctic P. lundbeckii (Johannsen) but have a lower AR; P. sp. ZUR-1 was 0.67–0.72; P. sp. ZUR-2 was 0.52-0.68 (for P. lundbeckii see below). Both may represent a single species; more measurements of other body parts are necessary.

Sublette (1967: 539) gave an AR of 1.40 based on a specimen (a “metatype”) from the type series; he also gave ARs of four Johannsen-determined specimens that ranged from 1.26–1.60, mean 1.36. Saether (1969) gave a range of 0.90-1.30, mean 1.12, for the AR of P. lundbeckii .

Sublette & Sasa (1994) recorded larval, pupal and adult P. lundbeckii from Guatemala. I examined 4 females and one female pupal exuviae from this Guatemalan material (no males were available). None of these specimens could be reliably identified as P. lundbeckii .

Epler (2001: 7.117) discussed a Parametriocnemus from Great Smoky National Park that had genitalia similar to P. lundbeckii but had an AR of 0.40. Two other specimens resembling P. lundbeckii from the same area have an AR of around 0.84, and I’ve also examined P. lundbeckii from the same area with “typical” ARs (~1.40). It appears obvious that a thorough study of P. lundbeckii is necessary to determine just what that species is.

According to my notes, P. sp. ZUR-4 resembles a species I have seen from northwestern Costa Rica that I had designated P. sp. CR-3. Those specimens, and other Costa Rican Parametriocnemus species , are out on loan and were not available for comparison. All of the Zurquí Parametriocnemus specimens had an AR below 1.00.