Parakiefferiella mishigami, Namayandeh & Hudson, 2022

Namayandeh, Armin & Hudson, Patrick L., 2022, Two new Orthocladiinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) collected in overlooked places of Midwest USA, Zootaxa 5099 (1), pp. 120-128 : 125-127

Parakiefferiella mishigami sp. nov.

Fig. 3

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:33D7B56A-63BF-4F0E-88B5-DDD24DC2C870

Type material. Holotype ♂; 19.V.1991; USA, Michigan, Chippawa Co., Neebish Island, St. Marys River , Downbound channel; 46.292, -84.218; leg. Patrick Hudson; deposited at ARC.

Diagnostic characters. The new species can be separated from other Parakiefferiella species by a combination of the following characters: AR 1.1; costa of wing not well-extended; LR 1 0.42; anal point shallow, broadly triangular; virga with two short spines; inferior volsella bilobed with dorsal lobe smaller, anterior to a larger, roundly projecting ventral lobe.

Etymology. The new species is named after the state of Michigan. The name mishigami is Ojibwe, meaning a “large lake”.

Description. Male (n=1).

Total length 2.9 mm. Wing 2.1 mm long and 0.51 mm wide.

Coloration of mounted specimen. Head, thorax, halter and tergites brown. Legs and sternites light brown. Wing greyish-brown

Head ( Fig. 3a ). Antenna with 13 flagellomere, last flagellomere with 12 sensilla chaetica, 2 nd –3 rd segments each with 2 sensilla chaetica, groove starts at 4 th segment, AR 1.1. Eyes bare, without dorsomedial extension, temporal setae with 4 inner verticals in single row ( Fig. 3a ). Tentorium narrow with large tentorial pit close to apex ( Fig. 3a ), tentorium 141 μm long. Clypeus rectangular, 71 μm long and 123 μm wide, bearing 7 setae, setae 59–77, 67 μm long. Palpal segments lengths (in μm): 56, 37, 80, 83, 117.

Thorax. Dorsocentrals 5, prealars 4, scutellars 6 in single row. Median tuft of setae in centre of scutum ( Fig. 3b ). Humeral pit vestigial. Antepronotal lobes developed, narrowing anteriorly, with small gap and bearing 3 setae.

Wing. Brachiolum bare. Squama bare. R and R 1 apparently bare, other veins without setae. Costa not well-extended. Anal lobe rounded. Fine punctation visible at 40 x magnification.

Legs. Femur and tibia of all legs with long beard. Pulvilli vestigial. Fore tibia spur 40 μm long, mid tibia spurs 11 μm long, hind tibia spurs 38 and 15 μm long, hind tibia comb with around 18 spines. Lengths and proportions of legs as in Table 3.

Hypopygium ( Fig. 3c ). Anal point shallow, broadly triangular, bearing around 10 simple setae, anal point 20 μm long and 46 μm wide. Virga consists of two spines, 21 μm long. Sternapodeme slightly arched with large oral projections, sternapodeme 98 μm long. Phallapodeme large, 51 μm long. Inferior volsella consist of two lobes, the dorsal lobe smaller, digitiform, located anteriad to the larger, roundly projecting ventral lobe. Gonostylus bent, tapered posteriorly, gradually expanding anteriorly, gonostylus 82 μm long, crista dorsalis receded. Gonocoxite 193 μm long. HR 2.3, HV 3.4.

Remarks. Combination of a tuft of setae in centre of scutum, eyes bare and without dorsomedial extension, a bare wing with bare squama, and vestigial pulvilli places this specimen in Parakiefferiella . This species can be separated from the species of Epoicocladius Zavřel, 1924 based on its relatively short apical palpal segment and a median bent in its gonostylus. The presence of a well-separated bilobed inferior volsella can be seen in some species of Parakiefferiella , more prominently in Parakiefferiella bilobata Tuiskunen 1986 . However, P. mishigami differs from these species in that the posterior lobe is much more prominent than the anterior lobe, and it also differs in shape.

Ecology and habitat. The single adult collected in the vicinity of St. Marys River, Michigan, suggesting the larvae inhabiting large running waters.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Parakiefferiella mishigami sp. nov., male. a. head; b. centre of scutum tuft of setae; c. hypopygium.