Culicoides fluminensis Santarém & Felippe-Bauer, 2014

Santarém, Maria Clara Alves, Trindade, Rosimeire Lopes Da, Silva, Tiago Do Nascimento Da, Castellón, Eloy Guillermo, Patiu, Cátia Antunes De Mello & Felippe-Bauer, Maria Luiza, 2014, New Neotropical Culicoides and redescription of Culicoides reticulatus Lutz (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Zootaxa 3795 (3), pp. 255-274 : 263-264

Culicoides fluminensis Santarém & Felippe-Bauer , sp. nov.

Figs. 4 A–D

Culicoides reticulatus: Lutz, 1913: 49 (female; Brazil - Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Bahia; fig. wing, male, larva; bionomy, larva in crab holes in mangrove edge; in part material from Rio de Janeiro); Forattini, 1957: 432 (in neotropical catalog; figs.; in part specimens from Rio de Janeiro); Wirth & Blanton, 1973: 446 (distrib.in part material from Rio de Janeiro); Borkent & Spinelli, 2000: 41 (in catalog; distrib.; in part material from Rio de Janeiro); Borkent & Spinelli, 2007: 74 (in catalog; distrib. in part material from Rio de Janeiro).

Diagnosis. Female: This species is easily distinguished by the following combination of characters: large sized species; 3rd segment of palpus with a small, shallow, rounded, sensory pit in middle portion; PR 2.6–3.2; long proboscis; single pale spot over R-M; anal cell with two distal pale spots, one near mediocubital fork and other not reaching wing margin; two unequal spermathecae.

Female. Head. Brown. Eyes bare ( Fig.4 B), narrowly separated, smaller than ½ ommatidium. Pedicel brown, flagellum pale brown, first eight flagellomeres paler on proximal ½; AR 0.95–1.12 (1.03, n=6); sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1,6–8, two on all flagellomeres. Palpus ( Fig. 4 C) brown; 3rd segment slightly swollen with a small, shallow, rounded sensory pit in middle portion; PR 2.6–3.2 (2.9, n=4). Proboscis long; P/H ratio 1.05–1.18 (1.14, n=9); mandible with 20 teeth.

Thorax. Dark brown. Prominent pattern of yellowish patches well defined; pale humeral depressions present. Scutum with two pale areas in the anterior submedian portion arranged as leaf clover and two pale areas in posterior submedian portion; lateral portion with anterior and posterior pale areas; pale prescutellar depressions present; scutellum yellowish laterally; postscutellum brown. Wing ( Fig.4 A) with contrasting pattern: second radial cell including dark spot; one pale spot over R-M extending from M1 to the costal margin, slightly subdivided in some specimens; r3 with four small and separated pale spots: first, oval, between the second radial cell and M1; second, poststigmatic, extending behind second radial cell, abutting wing margin; third, rounded, in middle of cell, smaller than others; fourth, distal pale spot slightly reaching wing margin; m1 with two pale spots, the distal one far from wing margin and greater than proximal one; m2 with four pale spots: one proximal, near CuA, two between the medial and mediocubital forks, a distal one, small, not reaching wing margin; cua1 with a rounded pale spot in the middle of cell; anal cell with a faint, basal pale area and two distal pale spots, one near mediocubital fork and other, faint, not reaching wing margin; wing base with a pale spot on M; M1, M2 and CuA1 with pale apex; macrotrichia scarcely distributed on the distal third of wing; wing length 1.03–1.16 (1.08, n=10) mm; breadth 0.49–0.54 (0.51, n=10) mm; CR 0.63–0.66 (0.65, n=10). Halter knob brown in middle, stem pale. Legs ( Fig.4 D) mostly brown; femora with subapical pale bands, tibiae with subbasal pale bands; hind tibia pale apically; hind tibial comb with four spines, the one nearest the spur longest.

Abdomen. Brown. Two unequal ovoid spermathecae in bad condition in slide mounted specimens. Long, swollen, rudimentary third spermatheca present (12.5 µm).

Male. Unknown.

Type data and depository. Holotype female, BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro, Macaé, Barra de Macaé, R. Idelbrando Alves Barbosa, 22°20'S 41°45'O, 29.III.1989, New Jersey trap, FEEMA col. ( CCER). Paratypes nine females as follows: six, same data as holotype ( CCER); three, same data as holotype, except 25.IV.1989 (2 CCER; MNRJ).

Distribution and bionomics. This species is restricted to Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro ( Fig. 9 ). It was collected near mangrove areas from the municipality of Macaé.

Etymology. This species is named after the originaries of the state of Rio de Janeiro, where the specimens were collected.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Culicoides fluminensis sp. nov., female. A. Wing; B. Eyes separation, anterior view; C. Palpus; D. Femora and tibiae of fore-, mid- and hind legs (left to right).

FIGURE 9. Geographical distribution of Culicoides reticulatus and the seven new related species.