Bezzia (Homobezzia) venustula (Williston)

William L. Grogan, Jr., Spinelli, Ronderos, María M. & Carla, 2013, The biting and predaceous midges of Guadeloupe Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). I. Species of the subfamily Ceratopogoninae, Insecta Mundi 2013 (324), pp. 1-21 : 12

Bezzia (Homobezzia) venustula (Williston)

Ceratopogon venustulus Williston, 1896: 278 (St. Vincent) .

Bezzia venustula: Lane 1958: 27 (combination; in key); Borkent and Spinelli 2000: 62 (in New World catalog south of the USA; distribution); Borkent and Spinelli 2007: 94 (in Neotropical catalog; distribution).

Bezzia (Homobezzia) venustula: Spinelli and Wirth 1991: 7 (in revision of Neotropical Bezzia (Homobezzia) ; redescription; figs.; distribution).

Bezzia concoloripes Macfie, 1940: 31 ( Guyana) .

Discussion. Williston (1896) originally described this Neotropical species from St. Vincent, and more recently, Spinelli and Wirth (1991) redescribed and illustrated B. venustula and noted that it is widely distributed in the Neotropics from Mexico south to Argentina. However, in his synoptic collection of Nearctic ceratopogonids, WLG identified a male from Garner State Park, Uvalde Co., Texas (on the Frio River, about 210 km N of the Rio Grande) as this species which, suggests that as with several other Neotropical species, B. venustula ranges north of the Rio Grande into southern Texas. We provide the first records of this common predaceous midge from Guadeloupe.

New records. Guadeloupe , Basse Terre, Corrosol, 8-IX-2010, MC Thomas & RH Turnbow, Blacklight trap, 1 female ; same data except Pigeon , 9-IX-2010, 1 female ; same data except NE Pigeon (16.14404° N, 61.74977° W), 17-V-2012, R. H. Turnbow, BL trap, 1 female ; same data except 23-V-2012, 1 female ; same data except Trace des Cretes (D-14), 22-V-2012, 1 male, 4 females ; same data except La Trace du Petit- Malendure, 21-V-2012, 1 female. New Guadeloupe record .