Coquillettidia albifera ( Prado, 1931 )

Alencar, Jeronimo, Gil-Santana, Hélcio Reinaldo, Mello, Cecilia Ferreira De, Marcondes, Carlos Brisola & Santos-Mallet, Jacenir Reis Dos, 2019, Ultrastructure and morphometry of the egg of Coquillettidia albifera (Prado) with illustrations of male genitalia (Diptera: Culicidae), Zootaxa 4565 (1), pp. 145-150 : 146-147

Coquillettidia albifera ( Prado, 1931)

Male genitalia ( Fig. 1 ). Gonocoxite ovate, enlarged, length less than twice basal width, with a dense patch of numerous somewhat curved, moderately long setae on middle portion medially ( Fig. 1A,C ). Gonostylus approximately half as long as gonocoxite, strongly enlarged towards apical third, apex slender and protuberant; gonostylar claw borne subapically, apex rounded ( Fig. 1A,C ). Tergum IX lobes rounded, close to each other, with about 10 slender pointed setae ( Fig. 1A ). Claspette with a broad base and a pair of adjoined, elongated, tapering, unsclerotized setae ( Fig. 1B ). Proctiger moderately long, wide at base, paraproct sclerotized, with 6 or 7 short apical teeth ( Fig. 1A ). Aedeagus short, lateral plates expanded laterally at apical third ( Fig. 1A ).

Eggs ( Fig. 2 ). Eggs of Cq. albifera are elliptical and black, with the anterior region elongate and tubuliform. Length 661 ± 2.59 µm, width in the central region 183 ± 2.59 µm, length/width ratio 3.61 ± 0.08. Dorsal surface covered by an external chorionic network with diversified shapes (hexagonal, pentagonal and rectangular) ( Fig. 2B ), similar to a spider’s web, and large external chorionic tubercles randomly distributed ( Fig. 2C ). The tubercles on the anterior and posterior areas of the dorsal surface have a rounded shape and some are oval with a hemispheric base of 4.71 ± 0.75 µm (n = 10). Chorionic tubercles on the ventral surface are irregular, and those near the micropylar collar are narrower ( Fig. 2D ). It was not possible to clearly view the micropyle; thus, it was not measured. However, it is surrounded by a porous micropylar disc (18.91 ± 0.65 µm) and by a continuous and protuberant collar (4.4 ± 0.3 µm) ( Fig. 2D ). The anterior extremity is elongate and has tubercles similar to those of the posterior region ( Fig. 2A ). No structure or vestige of cement for fixation, like that observed in Haemagogus capricornii Lutz ( Alencar et al. 2005) and Ma. titillans (Walker) (Linley et al. 1986) , was observed.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Coquillettidia albifera, male genitalia. A, general view; B, claspette, C, medial patch of long setae on the middle portion of gonocoxite and inferior half of gonostylus. Scale bars: A, 0.2 mm; B,C, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 2. Coquillettidia albifera, egg. A, ventral (upper) view; B, typical ornamentation of the outer chorionic reticulum; C, anterior region of the egg showing the micropylar apparatus, formed by a micropylar disc with a distinct collar, OCR, outer chorionic reticulum, OCT, outer chorionic tubercle; D, anterior pole of the egg, with the micropyle. Mi, micropyle; MiC, micropylar collar; MiD, micropylar disc.