Culiseta lemniscata, Harbach, Ralph E. & Greenwalt, Dale, 2012

Harbach, Ralph E. & Greenwalt, Dale, 2012, Two Eocene species of Culiseta (Diptera: Culicidae) from the Kishenehn Formation in Montana, Zootaxa 3530, pp. 25-34 : 31-32

Culiseta lemniscata , sp. n.

( Figs 3 , 4B,C)

Female. Similar to Cs. kishenehn but generally paler in overall habitus; maxillary palpus, wing, tibiae and tarsi entirely dark-scaled; differing as follows. Head: Ornamentation of head capsule not evident; antenna 2.0– 2.2 mm, about 0.8 length of proboscis, flagellomeres 1–3 slightly thicker and gradually tapering to width of distal flagellomeres; maxillary palpus with 4 palpomeres and possibly a fifth minute palpomere, length 0.5 mm, 0.20 length of proboscis; proboscis slender, longer than forefemur, length 2.5–2.7 mm, 1.3−1.5 length of forefemur, bent ventrad, dark-scaled with lighter scaling on proximal 0.6, slightly swollen before labella. Thorax: Dark, ornamentation obscured; mesonotum rather strongly arched. Legs: Base of hindcoxa below base of mesomeron; femora without knee spots; forefemur 1.8−2.0 mm, 0.7−0.8 length of proboscis; hindfemur pale ventrally to near apex; tibiae slightly swollen distally; foretibia and foretarsomere 1 with complete anteroventral and posteroventral rows of prominent setae (evident from large alveoli); foretarsomere 1 nearly as long as foretarsomeres 2–5 combined; ungues of all legs equal, simple; pulvilli absent or inconspicuous. Wing (Fig. 4B–D): Length 3.9 mm; base of subcosta with numerous conspicuous setae, distal half of wing with semi-erect narrow fusiform scales on all veins except costa; cell R2 longer than vein R2+3 (R2/R2+3 = 1.6–1.7); base of vein M3+4 proximal to mediocubital crossvein; vein CuP distinct from vein CuA; anal vein (vein 1A) terminates well beyond intersection of mediocubital crossvein and cubitus. Abdomen: Apex rounded; terga with basal pale bands. Genitalia: Cerci short and rounded; 3 spermathecal capsules.

Male, egg, larva and pupa. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific name lemniscata is a Latin adjective (feminine form of the masculine lemniscatus) meaning “ribboned” or “adorned with ribbons”. The name refers to the pale banding of the abdominal terga.

Systematics. Culiseta lemniscata , like Cs. kishenehn , cannot be placed in an extant subgenus of Culiseta based solely on adult characters. The distal position of the radiomedial crossvein relative to the origin of vein M3+4 (Fig. 4B), as noted above, is characteristic of subgenera Climacura and Culicella . The numerous subcostal setae (Fig. 4C) and banded abdominal terga ( Fig. 3 ) indicate a closer relationship with species of subgenus Culicella than to species of Climacura. In fact, the female of Cs. lemniscata keys to Culicella in Dobrotworsky’s (1971) key to the world subgenera of Culiseta .

Type series. Holotype female ( USNM no. 547065, Kishenehn no. 30542.1) and paratype female ( USNM no. 546535, Kishenehn no. 30294.5), Dakin (W 113° 42.173¢, N 48° 23.476¢), Kishenehn Formation, Montana, USA.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Culiseta lemniscata, sp. n. A, B. Holotype female (USNM 547065) and paratype female (USNM 546535) respectively, habitus, proximal portion of proboscis pale, legs and wings dark-scaled, abdominal terga with basal pale bands (arrows). C. Same as A, apex of abdomen showing the short cerci and three (indistinct) spermathecal capsules. Ce = cercus; SCa = spermathecal capsule; VIII-S = sternum VIII.