Parabezzia alexanderi Wirth

Heron Huerta Gustavo R. Spinelli William L. Grogan, Jr., 2021, A new Neotropical predaceous midge in the genus Parabezzia Malloch from Guerrero, Mexico, and a second Mexican record of P. alexanderi Wirth (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae: Ceratopogoninae: Ceratopogonini), Insecta Mundi 2021 (895), pp. 1-9 : 7-8

Parabezzia alexanderi Wirth

Fig. 3

Parabezzia alexanderi Wirth 1965: 219 (female; USA, Massachusetts); Grogan and Wirth 1977: 56 (female, male, pupa; distribution); Wirth and Grogan 1981: 50 (female, male, pupa; biology; distribution; illustrations); Borkent and Wirth 1997: 103 (in World catalog); Borkent and Spinelli 2000: 51 (in New World catalog south of the USA; distribution); Borkent and Spinelli 2007: 84 (in Neotropical catalog; distribution); Borkent and Grogan 2009: 15 (in Nearctic catalog; distribution); Borkent 2014: 73 (pupal characters); Ronderos et al. 2018: 642 (pupa; list of pupae in Neotropical region); Borkent and Dominiak 2020: 168 (in World catalog).

Distribution. This wide-ranging species inhabits eastern North America (Ontario, Massachusetts to Alabama and Florida), and in Mexico (Veracruz), Belize, El Salvador, and also Argentina ( Borkent and Spinelli 2007). Spinelli and Grogan (1987) included the first Mexican record from Rio Palma, Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz. We provide the second record from Veracruz, El Farallón, Actopan region ( Fig. 4 ).

Material examined. MEXICO, VERACRUZ, Municipio Actopan, Localidad El Farallón, near to potrero, Malaise trap, 13–14-Aug-2009, col. Pérez-Rentería C and Rodríguez-Atanacio JA, 4 females (in CAIM). New state record.

Remarks. This large species (female WL 1.02–1.32 mm and male WL 1.13–1.20 mm) has a large, rounded, dark, basal costal swelling ( Fig. 3A ) on the wings of both sexes; and mostly yellow legs ( Fig. 3B–D ), with at least the basal ½ of the mid and hind femora dark brown.

Figures

Figure 3. Parabezzia alexanderi Wirth. Female.A) Wing dorsal view.B–D) Legs lateral views.B) Fore leg. C) Mid leg. D) Hind leg. Scale: A= 0.5 mm, B–D= 0.1 mm. Abbreviation: bs= basal swelling.

Figure 4. Locality records of Parabezzia alexanderi Wirth (black circles) in state of Veracruz and P. carlae, new species, (red triangle) in state of Guerrero.