Corethrella (Corethrella) flavitibia Lane, 1939

Published, First, 2008, The Frog-Biting Midges of the World (Corethrellidae: Diptera), Zootaxa 1804, pp. 1-456 : 101-102

Corethrella (Corethrella) flavitibia Lane

Corethrella flavitibia Lane 1939b:392 . Type locality: Juquiá, São Paulo, Brazil. Holotype ♂ (DEFS). Lane 1953:85. Lane and Aitken 1956 (questionable).

DIAGNOSIS: Male adult: unknown. Female adult: only extant species of Corethrella with the coronal suture well-developed (as in Fig. 16B), abdominal tergites 2–4 medially pale and with very lateral margins pigmented, and with abdominal segments 5–9 entirely brown.

DESCRIPTION: Male adult. Unknown.

Female adult. Descriptive statistics: see Tables 6–11. Head: Outline in anterior view laterally elongate ( Fig. 9C). Two large setae on frons between ventromedial area of ommatida (as in Fig. 16F). Coronal suture elongate, extending ventrally past ommatida (as in Fig. 16B). Antenna pale, with basal portion of flagellomere 1 lightly pigmented; pedicel with at least one distinctive elongate, stout setae; flagellomeres as in Fig. 28E, sensilla coeloconica distributed as in Table 1; flagellomere 13 with well-developed apical bifurcation. Clypeus ( Fig. 17 AH) wide. Mandible not visible, likely damaged. Palpus ( Fig. 34D) light brown, base of segment 5 lighter; segment 3 somewhat ovoid, swollen at or near midlength. Thorax (as in Fig. 46C): Dark brown with pale sclerites around base of wing. Posterior portion of dorsocentral row with group of about 7 elongate setae). Prescutal suture short, not extending more than half way to dorsocentral row of setae. Anterior anepisternum divided diagonally. Ventral portion of posterior anepisternum triangular, uniformly brown, with anterodorsal margin thick. Wing (Fig. 68K): Anterior margin with differently, discretely pigmented scales (indicating anterior margin of midlength band), with midlength band; veins (other than costa and wing margin) with well-developed scales. Halter as dark as scutellum. Legs (as in Fig. 46C): Dark brown with knees of fore-, midlegs pale, hind femur with apical 0.5 pale, hind tibia pale with basal and apical discrete dark brown pigmentation, tarsi pale with at least fore-, midleg tarsomeres 2–4 with banding (hind leg denuded). Femora, bases of tibiae with very slender scales, 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. Claws of each leg equal to those of others; equal on each leg, simple (without inner teeth). Empodia slender. Abdomen: Medium brown, with abdominal tergites 2–4 medially pale and with very lateral margins pigmented, sternite 1, lateral portion of sternite 2 darker than sternite 5–8, sternites 3–4 pale. Cercus medium brown.

Immatures. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION AND BIONOMICS: Corethrella flavitibia is known only from the type locality, Juquiá , São Paulo, Brazil (Fig. 129), at an altitude of 85 m. It is uncertain how the specimen was collected .

TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION: The holotype was originally on a pin but was mounted on a microscope slide for this study. It is in excellent condition but is missing one antenna, one palpus, one foreleg and the tarsus of one hind leg. Lane and Aitken (1956) described the male, female, pupa and larva of C. flavitibia but I was unable to study their original material and the identity of their material is therefore uncertain. The designation of a male allotype for C. flavitibia by Lane and Aitken (1956) subsequent to its original description by Lane (1939b) is not allowed by the ICZN. Borkent (1993) mistakenly reported specimens from Mexico and Panama.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype, adult female on microscope slide, labeled “HOLOTIPO”, “ Corethrella flavitibia Lane , 39”, “ ♀ ”, “ S. Paulo, Juquiá, J. Lane col.”, “1.137”, “1.067”, “1067 99.980” ( DEFS).

DERIVATION OF SPECIFIC EPITHET: The name flavitibia (yellow, tibia) probably refers to yellow midportion of the hind tibia of the female of this species noted by Lane (1939b).