Dasyhelea grisea (Coquillett)

Grogan, Willliam L., Díaz, Florentina, Spinelli, Gustavo R. & Ronderos, Maria M., 2016, The biting and predaceous midges of Guadeloupe (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). II. Species of the subfamily Dasyheleinae, Zootaxa 4184 (2), pp. 201-254 : 209

Dasyhelea grisea (Coquillett)

Ceratopogon griseus Coquillett, 1901: 602 (Washington, D.C.).

Culicoides griseus: Kieffer 1906: 54 (combination).

Dasyhelea grisea: Thomsen 1935: 283 (combination); Waugh & Wirth 1976: 228 (in revision of eastern U.S. Dasyhelea ; distribution); Wilkening et al. 1985: 518 (in list of Florida Ceratopogonidae ; distribution); Borkent & Grogan 2009: 11 (in Nearctic catalog; distribution).

Dasyhelea subcaerulea Thomsen, 1935: 284 (New York).

Diagnosis. Males differ from all other Neotropical species (except for D. luteogrisea , which is a paler, yellowish species) by their gonocoxite with a prominent large basomesal spur, fused asymmetrical gonocoxal apodemes and paramere, tergite 9 tapered with a straight distal margin and long, cylindrical apicolateral processes. Females differ from all other Neotropical species in having a pyriform spermatheca that is tapered distally with short narrow neck, and a subgenital plate with triangular anterior portion and posterior portion quadrate with a broad V-shaped posterior margin.

Discussion. This common, widespread Nearctic species has not been previously recorded south of the USA. However, we carefully compared several slide-mounted males and females from Guadeloupe with Nearctic specimens from several states in the USA. Our Guadeloupe specimens are virtually identical with Nearctic specimens except that at least the distal portions of their halter knobs are brownish. We provide the first records of D. grisea in the Caribbean region from Guadeloupe.

Material examined. Guadeloupe, Basse Terre, Pointe a Lezard, 17-V-2012, R. H. Turnbow, BL trap, 2 males ; same data except, 20-V-2012, 4 males, 3 females ; same data except NE Pigeon, 16.14404º N, 61.74977º W, 17-V- 2012, 5 males, 1 female ; same data except, 18-V-2012, 1 male, 1 female ; same data except, 23-V-2012, 1 male, 2 females ; data except La Trace du Petit-Malendure, 21-V-2012, 9 males, 6 females; same data except Trace des Cretes (D-14), 22-V-2012, 8 males, 12 females ; same data except 3.2 km E of Mahault , 24-V-2012, 1 male. New Guadeloupe record.