Ceratoculicoidesgrogani, Fasbender, 2023

Fasbender, Andrew, 2023, Revision of the New World Ceratoculicoides Wirth & Ratanaworabhan (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Ceratopogonini), European Journal of Taxonomy 875, pp. 159-202 : 174-176

Ceratoculicoidesgrogani sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D295FBE0-C019-4CA5-A608-C4EA7525D529

Figs 5d , 7d , 9g –i , 11e

Diagnosis

Male

Ceratoculicoides grogani sp. nov. can be separated from congeners by the following combination of characters: femora and tibiae yellow or lightly infuscate; apices of parameres acute, tapering distally; aedeagus lateral margins straight, posterolateral point an acute spine directed laterally ( Fig. 9i ).

Female

Only species of Ceratoculicoides with the following combination of characters: hind femur infuscate, other femora and tibiae brown, wing length ~ 1.4 mm; 2 spermathecae, largest 60; medial margin of 9 th sternite weakly concave, sinuous.

Etymology

This species is named in honor of William L. Grogan Jr., who provided specimens for this project and guidance in my initial foray into ceratopogonid taxonomy.

Material examined

Holotype

USA • ♂; Oregon, Benton Co., 6 km NW of Corvallis ; 3 Aug. 1989; M. Dietrich leg.; CNCI.

Paratypes

USA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; CNCI • 1 ♂; California, Napa Co., N side of Howell Mountain, 2 mi. NNE of Angwin ; 5–8 Jun. 1978; H.B. Leech leg.; USNM • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 7 Jun. 1978; USNM .

Description

Male

MEASUREMENTS (n = 3). Head width 332–347(334); flagellomeres 48–50(49), 27–34(30), 27–34(29), 26–31(28), 24–31(29), 21–33(33), 27–37(34), 29–34(33), 35–39(37), 33–48(37), 99–115(111), 69– 82(80), 80–93(81); AR 0.70–0.90(0.81); FR 1.74–1.83(1.83); wing length 1.21–1.29(1.24) mm; wing width 0.36–0.39(0.37) mm; costal ratio 0.48–0.55(0.55); GCR 1.73–2.33 (2.02); GSR 1.01–1.12(1.06); aedeagus ratio 2.3–2.46(2.4).

THORAX. Legs with femora and tibiae yellow or very lightly infuscate.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 9g –i ). Distal portion of parameres tapering gradually to acute apex. Aedeagus broad posteriorly, tapering anteriorly; lateral margins forming a smooth, shallow arc, divergent posteriorly, curving outward to acute laterally directed posterolateral point at apex, forming a smooth concave arc medially to triangular posteriorly directed apical point; posterior margin weakly concave, hyaline medial incision broad posteriorly, tapering anteriorly.

Female

MEASUREMENTS (n = 1). Head width 306; flagellomeres 32, 23, 26, 27, 32, 33, 36, 36, 48, 52, 61, 59, 68; AR 1.18; FR 1.74; wing length 1.42 mm; wing width 0.52 mm; costal ratio 0.52; spermathecal length 60; spermathecal width 49; spermathecal neck 11; spermatheca/neck ratio 0.17.

THORAX. Legs with hind femur infuscate, other femora and tibiae yellow.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 11e ). 9 th sternite anterior branch broadly triangular, apices rounded, widely separated; posterior branch broadly triangular, apex directed posteriorly, tip triangular with ridge along medial margin. 2 major spermathecae.

Distribution

California, Oregon ( USA) ( Fig. 13 ).

Remarks

This species belongs to the C.moravicus group. It can be differentiated from C.moravicus ( Fig. 10h ) and C.aliciae ( Fig. 10e ) by the aedeagus not conspicuously narrowing midway along its length, and from C. sp. M1 ( Fig. 10c ) and C.propinquus sp. nov. ( Fig. 10k ) by having the posterolateral point elongate and spiniform. It is readily distinguished from C.borkenti sp. nov. ( Fig. 9f ) by the weakly developed hyaline incision of the aedeagus.The female of this species is the most readily recognizable of any Ceratoculicoides , as the medial apex of the 9 th sternite is only weakly concave, instead of deeply emarginate ( Fig. 11e ).

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. 9. Male genitalia II. Ceratoculicoides virginianus (Wirth, 1951): a. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed.b. Parameres.c. Aedeagus.C.borkenti sp. nov:d. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. e. Parameres.f. Aedeagus.C.grogani 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. 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.

Fig. 13. Distribution. a. Western North America. Solid star =Ceratoculicoides aliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005; solid circles = C.borkenti sp. nov.; open triangles = C.grogani sp. nov.; open star = C. longipennis (Wirth, 1952); open square = C. pacificus sp. nov.; solid triangle = C.propinquus sp. nov.; solid cross C. sp. M1. b. Eastern North America. Solid circles = C. confusus sp. nov.; open squares = C.virginianus (Wirth, 1951). c. Central and northern South America. Solid circle = C.confusus; open squares = C. sp. F1; open triangles = C. sp. F2; solid triangle = C. sp. F3.

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.