Culicoides burmiticus Szadziewski

Szadziewski, Ryszard, Dominiak, Patrycja, Sontag, Elżbieta, Krzemiński, Wiesław, Wang, Bo & Szwedo, Jacek, 2019, Haematophagous biting midges of the extant genus Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) evolved during the mid-Cretaceous, Zootaxa 4688 (4), pp. 535-548 : 539-540

Culicoides burmiticus Szadziewski & Dominiak, sp. nov.

Figs 4 A–B

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8F5AD5B1-78A5-491A-8036-FD4EC46EAD2A

Diagnosis. This new species is distinguished from other Cretaceous Culicoides by the following female characters: antennal flagellum with cylindrical flagellomeres, flagellomeres 2–8 much shorter than elongate 9–13, only flagellomere 1 with single sensillum coeloconicum; wing membrane except basal radial cell with macrotrichia; palpal segment 3 stout with distinct, deep sensory pit; proboscis moderately short. Male unkown.

Description. Female ( Fig. 4A ). Very well preserved, all structures present and well visible. Head-body length 1.03 mm. Eyes narrowly separated. Antennal flagellum ( Fig. 4B ) length 0.54 mm; flagellomere 1 with single sensillum coeloconicum, flagellomeres 2–13 cylindrical without sensilla coecolonica; antennal ratio 1.44. Palpus ( Fig. 4B ) 5-segmented; segment 3 stout 0.045 mm long, with deep sensory pit. Wing ( Fig. 4A ) length measured from basal arculus 0.70 mm; costal ratio 0.69; wing membrane except basal radial cell with macrotrichia. Legs slender, hind femur most massive; hind tibial comb with 3 spines; tarsomeres 4 cylindrical; tarsal ratios similar on all legs, TR (1) 2.2, TR (2) 2.5, TR (3) 2.3; claws small, equal-size.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype female, BUB 1745, Burmese amber, Hukawng Valley, Myanmar. Syninclusions. Collembola 2, Acari 1, Empididae 1 female, Ceratopogonidae : Leptoconops 3 females. Deposited in Museum of Natural History, PAS Kraków.

Etymology. This new species name refers to Burma ( Myanmar), the country of origin of the amber in Southeast Asia.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Fossil Culicoides (Groganomyia) burmiticus Szadziewski & Dominiak, sp. nov., female holotype. A—total habitus, B—palpus and flagellum.