Corethrella (Corethrella) pallidula Bugledich, 1999

Published, First, 2008, The Frog-Biting Midges of the World (Corethrellidae: Diptera), Zootaxa 1804, pp. 1-456 : 45-46

Corethrella (Corethrella) pallidula Bugledich

Corethrella pallidula Bugledich 1999:160 . Replacement name for Corethrella pallida Colless (not Lane).

Corethrella pallida Colless 1994:108 ; preoccupied by Corethrella pallida Lane 1942 . Type locality: Babinda, Queensland, Australia. Holotype ♀ (ANIC).

DIAGNOSIS: Male adult: unknown. Female adult: only extant species of Corethrella from Australia with pale or very light brown body ( Fig. 37C), laterally elongate head (from an anterior view) (as in Fig. 7G), and with legs pale but with each tibia with apical light brown pigmentation ( Fig. 37C).

DESCRIPTION: Female adult. Descriptive statistics: see Tables 6–11. Head: Outline in anterior view laterally elongate (as in Fig. 8C) but possibly distorted. Coronal suture elongate, extending ventrally past ommatida (as in Fig. 16B). Two large setae on frons between ventromedial area of ommatida (as in Fig. 16B). Antenna pale; pedicel without distinctive, more elongate, stout, dorsal or dorsolateral setae; flagellomeres as in Fig. 25I, sensilla coeloconica distributed as in Table 1; flagellomere 13 with well-developed apical bifurcation. Mandible with small, pointed teeth. Clypeus ( Fig. 17C) squarish. Palpus ( Fig. 33C) pale; segment 3 of constant width. Thorax ( Fig. 37C): Entirely pale brown, with scutellum, mediotergite, antepronotum, propleuron slightly darker. Posterior portion of dorsocentral row with 2 elongate setae situated somewhat lateral to one another. Prescutal suture elongate, thick, uninterrupted, extending to near dorsocentral row of setae. Anterior anepisternum divided diagonally by sinuous suture, dorsal portion larger than ventral portion. Ventral portion of posterior anepisternum triangular, uniformly pale, with anterodorsal margin not thick. Wing (Fig. 66C): Apex of R 2 equal to apex of M 1. Very light pigmentation over fork of R 1 +Rs and r-m, midlength band restricted to area where R 1 meets C and fork of R 2+3; veins (other than wing margin) with slen- der scales. Halter paler than scutellum. Legs ( Fig. 37C): Nearly uniformly pale, fore femur, tibia with very slight subapical pigmentation. With only slender setae, lacking scales (except for some in patch of whip-like setae on posterior portion of hind tibia). Midleg without thick, subapical setae on each of tarsomeres 1–3. Claws of each leg equal to those of others; equal on each leg, simple (without inner teeth). Empodia slender. Abdomen: Tergites 2–6, sternites 2–6 each with anterior medium brown band; tergite 9 medium brown. Cercus pale.

Male and immatures. Unknown.

DISTRIBUTION AND BIONOMICS: Corethrella pallidula is known from eastern Queensland in Australia (Fig. 116A) at altitudes ranging from 112–510 m. Specimens have been collected using light traps .

TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION: The specimens were previously bleached in alcohol ( Colless 1994) and their strikingly pale appearance is likely, at least in part, artificial. The two paratypes studied here were not labeled as such and labels were added.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype, adult female on microscope slide, labeled “ Holotype Corethrella pallida Colless ANIC 6138", “Babinda, Q. 12 Apr. 1971, D.A. Duckhouse, Rainforest, Light, Holotype ”, “ANIC Database No. 29 014552” ( ANIC) . Paratypes: 1 ♀, Babindia , Queensland, 12-IV-1971 ( ANIC) ; 1 ♀, Mt. Spec National Park , Queensland, 1-IV-1971 ( ANIC) .

DERIVATION OF SPECIFIC EPITHET: The name pallidula , as a replacement name of pallida , refers to the pale pigmentation of adults of this species indicated by Colless (1994).