Culicoides ellenbergeri Szadziewski

Szadziewski, Ryszard, Dominiak, Patrycja, Sontag, Elżbieta, Krzemiński, Wiesław, Wang, Bo & Szwedo, Jacek, 2019, Haematophagous biting midges of the extant genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) evolved during the mid-Cretaceous, Zootaxa 4688 (4), pp. 535-548 : 540-541

Culicoides ellenbergeri Szadziewski & Dominiak, sp. nov.

Figs 5 A–C

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C343228E-064A-4344-A63B-C748F54A468D

Diagnosis. This new species is distinguished from other Cretaceous Culicoides by the following combination of female characters: antennal flagellum with flagellomeres 2–8 spherical, much shorter than the more elongate 9–13, only flagellomere 1 with 7 sensilla coeloconica; distal portion of wing membrane with macrotrichia; palpal segment 3 greatly swollen without sensory pit, with several distinct capitate sensilla; proboscis short. Male unknown.

Description. Female ( Fig. 5A ). Poorly preserved, distorted, abdomen missing. Eyes bare, separation not visible. Antennal flagellum ( Fig. 5C ) length 0.32 mm; flagellomere 1 with 7 sensilla coeloconica, flagellomeres 2–13 without sensilla coeloconica, but with distinct sensilla basiconica; flagellomeres 2–8 more or less spherical, much shorter than the more elongate 9–13; antennal ratio 1.13. Palpus ( Fig. 5B ) 5-segmented; palpal segment 3 greatly swollen without sensory pit, with several distinct capitate sensilla on ventral surface. Wing ( Fig. 5A ) length 0.61 mm; costal ratio 0.69; distal portion of wing with macrotrichia in cells r 3, m 1 and m 2; basal radial and cubital cells without macrotrichia. Scutellum with about 8 long marginal setae. Tarsomere 1 of hind leg slender; TR (1) 2.1, TR (2) 2.0, TR (3) 1.8.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype female, MAI 5666. Burmese amber, Hukawng Valley , Myanmar; purchased by Sieghard Ellenberger from Kassel , Germany. Deposited in Museum of Amber Inclusions, University of Gdańsk.

Etymology. This new species is dedicated to Sieghard Ellenberger of Kassel, Germany, a generous collector who purchased this biting midge and donated it to the Museum of Amber Inclusions, University of Gdańsk.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Fossil Culicoides (Groganomyia) ellenbergeri Szadziewski & Dominiak, sp. nov., female holotype. A—total habitus, B—palpus, C—flagellum.