Meunierohelea, Szadziewski, 1988

Borkent, Art, 2024, The Phylogeny of the Genera of Biting Midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) of the World, Zootaxa 5438 (1), pp. 1-274 : 232

Meunierohelea :

- The female has a small gap between the apex of R 3 and costa and this is also present in the male of M. caligula and at least the females of most fossil species. This feature is unique in extant members of the family but is also modified in the Eocene fossil * Wirthohelea where much of the apex of R 3 is reduced or absent ( Szadziewski 1988). In addition, there is an elongate extension of R 2 separating the two radial cells although some fossil species lack the first radial cell ( Stebner et al. 2017). Isthmohelea have the first and second radial cells separated by a length of fusion. The fusion is also present, but to a lesser degree, in some other genera.

- Katepisternum with transverse suture arising from near the anterior margin of the katepimeron and directed more or less anteriorly ( Fig. 44E ). The dorsal portion of the katepisternum is more lightly pigmented than the ventral portion.

- Male with gonocoxites fused ventrally, meeting medially as a longitudinal suture. This feature, present only in the extant species M. caligula and absent in fossils ( Szadziewski 1988; Stebner et al. 2017) is superficially shared with Echinohelea (the gonocoxites are not fused dorsally as in Echinohelea ) and some Atrichopogon and is otherwise unique in the family.

Figures

FIGURE 44. Thoraces of female Ceratopogonidae, in lateral view. A. Female Austroconops mcmillani. B. Female Stilobezzia antennalis. C. Female Spinellihelea brevicosta. D. Female Parabezzia sp. E. Male Meunierohelea caligula. F. Female Clinohelea bimaculata.