Corethrella (Corethrella) fulva Lane, 1939

Published, First, 2008, The Frog-Biting Midges of the World (Corethrellidae: Diptera), Zootaxa 1804, pp. 1-456 : 133-134

Corethrella (Corethrella) fulva Lane

Corethrella fulva Lane 1939a:107 . Type locality: Agua Fria, Perus, São Paulo, Brazil. Holotype ♂ (DEFS). Lane 1939b: 388, 1942: 101, 1953:69.

DIAGNOSIS: Male and female adults: only extant species of Corethrella in the New World with a dark brown palpus ( Fig. 11G), plain wing (Figs. 63N, 70E), thorax light brown (or yellowish) ( Fig. 52A), the hind tibia with discrete basal and apical dark pigmentation, midfemur light brown with slightly darker pigmentation at its very apex, and the fore coxa and trochanter lighter than those of the hind leg ( Fig. 52A).

DESCRIPTION: Male adult. Descriptive statistics: see Tables 2–5. Head: Outline in anterior view laterally elongate (as in Fig. 11G). Four large setae on frons between ventromedial area of ommatida (as in Fig. 16G). Antenna pale with flagellomeres 11–13 light brown; pedicel with at least one distinctive, more elongate, stout, dorsal or dorsolateral seta; flagellomeres as in Fig. 22K, sensilla coeloconica distributed as in Table 1; flagellomere 13 with well-developed apical bifurcation. Palpus brown; segment 3 slightly swollen apically. Thorax (as in Fig. 52A): Light brown, with following medium brown: poorly defined anterolateral area of scutum, stripe from pronotum posterior to anepimeron; dorsal, ventral portions of katepisternum; most of mediotergite; scutellum with darker anteromedial spot. Posterior portion of dorsocentral row with group of about 14 elongate setae. Prescutal suture short, not extending more than half way to dorsocentral row of setae. Anterior anepisternum divided diagonally by sinuous suture, dorsal portion about equal to ventral portion. Ventral portion of posterior anepisternum triangular, uniformly brown, with anterodorsal margin thick. Wing (Fig. 63N): Apex of R 2 basal to apex of M 1. Plain, without pattern of pigmented veins and/or scales; veins (other than costa and wing margin) with well-developed scales. Halter light brown, as pigmented as scutellum. Legs (as in Fig. 52A): Pale or light brown with very apex of midfemur, midtibia lightly pigmented, some with slight pigmentation at base of midtibia; very base of hind femur medium brown, ventroapical pigmented patch on hind femur; hind tibia with discrete basal, apical medium brown pigmentation; at least mid-, hind leg tarsomeres 2–4 with banding. With only slender setae, lacking scales (except for some in patch of whip-like setae on posterior portion of hind tibia). Midleg with thick, subapical setae on each of at least tarsomeres 1–3. Apices of fore-, midleg fifth tarsomeres undivided, with claws slightly subapical to apical (as in Fig. 75F). Claw of foreleg longer than those of mid-, hind leg. Each claw without inner tooth. Anterior claws of each leg without a basal prong. Foreleg claws unequal. Midleg claws equal. Foreleg third tarsomere shorter than fourth tarsomere. Empodia slender. Abdomen (Fig. 79E): Tergites 1–7 uniformly pigmented light brown. Sternites 1–2 medium brown, 3–7 light brown with posterior margins medium brown. Segments 8–9 medium brown. Genitalia (Fig. 93A): Gonocoxite light brown with posterolateral margin medium brown, strongly tapering; anteromedial area with spicules similar in length to those elsewhere on gonocoxite; with welldefined dorsal row of setae, with seta 2 or 1, 2 thicker than others, with row curving posteromedially with posteriormost seta of row positioned dorsomedially. With one dorsomedial stout seta, more or less of even thickness for most of length, tapering near apex. Gonostylus (partially extended) straight, with apical 0.2 evenly curved, slender, slightly thicker on basal half, tapered to somewhat rounded apically; one elongate, slender subbasal seta, situated anteriorly or anteroventrally; apical seta slender, elongate, simple. Aedeagus slender, elongate, tapering gradually to apex, pointed apically, with lateral margins fused at apex.

Female adult. Descriptive statistics: see Tables 6–11. As for male, with following differences. Head: Coronal suture elongate, extending ventrally past ommatida (as in Fig. 16G). Antenna with flagellomere 1 pale, 2 light brown, flagellomeres 3–13 medium brown; with flagellomeres as in Fig. 30C, sensilla coeloconica distributed as in Table 1. Clypeus ( Fig. 18N) wide. Mandible with small, pointed teeth. Palpus as in Fig. 34Z. Wing (Fig. 70E). Legs: Claws of each leg equal to those of others; equal on each leg, simple (without inner teeth). Abdomen: Light brown, with sternites 1, 2 medium brown. Cercus light brown.

Pupa. Described by Lane (1939b, 1953) but his identification and therefore the following features are somewhat uncertain. Thorax: Scutum, metathorax each with spherical sensory pit (as in Fig. 100A). Respiratory organ: Tubular. Abdomen: Segments 3–7 somewhat expanded laterally. Paddle only moderately elongate; apicodorsal thick spine articulating; apicoventral seta longer than thick spine.

Larva. Described by Lane (1942) but identification uncertain.

Egg. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION AND BIONOMICS: Corethrella fulva is known from Brazil (Fig. 138) at altitudes ranging from 0–880 m (the latter is the type locality). The single female from Piraja, Bahia, Brazil was collected by R.C. Shannon. Although there are three Piraja in the State of Bahia, Shannon and Davis (1930) described this collection site just north of Salvador (then called Bahia). Lane (1953:71) recorded additional specimens from Juquiá and Salvador, Brazil which I have been unable to confirm.

All but one specimen examined here were reared from epiphytic bromeliads, including the holotype ( Lane 1939a: 107). One female from Bahia, Brazil was reared from bamboo. A specimen from the Belkin “Mosquitoes of Middle America” project is listed in Table 12 .

Lane (1939b:388) also recorded larvae reared from epiphytic bromeliads but I was unable to examine his original specimens.

TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION: Males and females were associated through the shared presence of a common pigmentation pattern and were reared together at Muriqueira , Bahia , Brazil. The male holotype was originally pinned with the badly damaged, shriveled genitalia mounted on a celluloid strip. The entire specimen is now on one microscope slide. Lane (1939a:107) included a female allotype and four male and two female paratypes in the type series which I have been unable to locate. However, Lane’s description generally matches that given here .

One male from Suriname and one female from Guyana which were very similar and keyed to C. fulva likely represent an undescribed species. Each had a significantly shorter flagellomere 1 and an additional small patch of dark pigmentation at the base of the midtibia. The male was poorly preserved and possibly somewhat teneral. The female, in good condition, had an associated pupa which differed in numerous details from that described for C. fulva by Lane (1953: 69) (his specimens not seen). The specific information on these specimens is as follows: 1 ♀, 32 km N. MacKenzie on road to Georgetown, about 1.5 km N. Loo River , Loo Lands, Demerara, Guyana, 20 m, 13-XI-1967 ( USNM); 1 ♂, Matta, Suriname, 2–15-I-1960, reared from Aechmea mertensii (USNM) .

None of the reared specimens examined here had their associated larval or pupal exuviae and I have, therefore, been unable to confirm features of the immature stages.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype, adult male on microscope slide, labeled “ Corethrella fulva Lane 1938 , Holotype, Perus, S. Paulo, 945, 868, S.85 T.790” ( DEFS). 2 ♂, 9 ♀, Muriqueira, Bahia, Brazil, 26-IV- 1929 (1 ♂, 1 ♀, CNCI; 1 ♂, 8 ♀, USNM); 1 ♀, Piraja, Bahia, Brazil, 7-II-1929 ( USNM); 3 ♂, 2 ♀, Bahia, Brazil, I-1929 ( USNM); 1 ♂, Campo do Grumari , Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 0 m, 30-XII-1975 ( USNM).

DERIVATION OF SPECIFIC EPITHET: The name fulva (reddish-yellow) probably refers to generally light pigmentation of the adults of this species noted by Lane (1939a).