Kolenohelea levantica Szadziewski & Alwin, 2016

Alwin-Kownacka, Alicja, Szadziewski, Ryszard & Szwedo, Jacek, 2016, Biting midges of the tribe Ceratopogonini (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from the Middle East, with keys and descriptions of new species, Zootaxa 4079 (5), pp. 551-572 : 561-563

Kolenohelea levantica Szadziewski & Alwin sp. nov.

( Figures 3 , 4b )

Diagnosis. Males of this species can be easy distinguished by having very long, blunt and singular or bilobed apicolateral processes, each bearing one small seta. Parameres slightly S-shaped, weakly pointed. Female unknown.

Description. Male. Head. Uniformly brown. Antenna uniformly brown, all flagellomeres separated. Three distal flagellomeres elongated ( Fig. 3a ). Total length of flagellum 0.65–0.73 mm, AR 1.03–1.15. Palpus brown, slender, 0.18–0.23 mm long. Third palpal segment slender with distinct sensory pit ( Fig. 3b ), PR 2.5–3.5.

Thorax. Dark brown. Scutum and scutellum with numerous setae. Wing pale, two radial cells well marked. First one narrow and about 1.6–1.9 times shorter than second one. Wing length 1.10–1.32 mm, CR 0.64. Legs brown and stout, tibiae armed with strong posterior bristles. Claws small and equal on all legs. Fore leg. Coxa slightly darker than rest of leg. Tarsus slightly paler than tibia. First tarsomere armed with one apical, one subbasal spines and 1–3 central, more delicate spines. Second and third tarsomeres each with one apical, very delicate spine. Fourth tarsomere cordiform, bearing ventrally at apex a pair of hyaline sensilla. TR(I) 2.0–2.1. Mid leg. Coxa and trochanter darker than rest of leg. First tarsomere armed with two apical, two subbasal and three central spines, all more delicate than on fore leg. Second tarsomere with two apical spines, third and fourth tarsomeres each with one apical spine. Fourth tarsomere with pair of hyaline sensilla at apex. TR(II) 1.9. Hind leg. Coxa and trochanter darker than rest of leg. Femur swollen. Tibial comb with seven large setae. Tarsus slightly paler than tibia. Basitarsus bent, with one complete row of palisade setae, one apical and one subbasal spine present. TR(III) 1.9– 2.0.

Abdomen. Dark brown. Genitalia ( Figs 3 c-g). Sternite IX short, with indistinct caudal margin. Tergite IX with very long (134 µm), blunt, singular or bilobed apicolateral processes; each bearing one small seta ( Figs 3c, g ). Gonocoxite 0.33 mm long, broad, slightly expanded at middle, with distinct ventral and dorsal apodemes ( Fig. 3c, d ). Gonostylus 0.24 mm long, almost straight, with blunt apex. Parameres slightly S-shaped, strongly sclerotized; apex weakly pointed ( Figs 3e , 4b, c ). Aedeagus triangular with bicorned apex and distinct ribs on lateromedian surfaces; basal arch very low ( Fig. 3f ).

Female. Unknown.

Distribution. Israel and Lebanon.

Material examined. Holotype: male. ISRAEL. Nahal Qumeran , 22.III.1993, leg. A. Freidberg [ TAU] . Paratype: LEBANON. Jezzine, Pont Al Khalass , 7.IX.2013, 1 male, leg. A. Alwin [CEI UG].

Etymology. Specific epithet is derived from historical name of the area of presence of the species—the Levant.

Discussion. The holotype from Israel is distinctly darker and bigger than the paratype from Lebanon, moreover the holotype has bilobed apicolateral processes while in Lebanese specimen apicolateral processes are single. We treat these differences as infraspecific variability as noted in Kolenohelea calcarata ( Szadziewski 1992) .

This species is very similar to Kolenohelea calcarata Goetghebuer, 1920 from the Palaearctic and K. leonina de Meillon & Wirth, 1987 and K. dycei de Meillon & Wirth, 1981 from the Afrotropical Region. Parameres in K. calcarata are almost straight to slightly C-shaped with flat sharp tips ( Fig. 4a ), while in K. levantica parameres are more stout and S-shaped, and their tips are cylindrical and more blunt ( Figs 4b, c ).

K. leonina and K. dycei have S-shaped parameres and aedeagus with bilobed apex like in K. levantica . However, both African species have more slender parameres, especially at the base, and gonostyli armed with distinct apical teeth.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Kolenohelea levantica Szadziewski & Alwin sp. nov., male; a—flagellum, b—palpus, c, d—genitalia, eparameres, f—aedeagus, g—apicolateral process of tergite IX.

FIGURE 4. Male parameres; a— Kolenohelea calcarata (Goetgebuer), b— Kolenohelea levantica Szadziewski & Alwin sp. nov. (Israel), c— Kolenohelea levantica Szadziewski & Alwin sp. nov. (Lebanon).