Palpomyia Meigen

Paul, Nilotpol, Harsha, Rupa & Mazumdar, Abhijit, 2014, A new species of Palpomyia Meigen (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) described in all life stages from Shillong plateau, India, Zootaxa 3755 (4), pp. 368-378 : 377

Key to Indian species of Palpomyia Meigen

[Modified after Das Gupta et al. (2008)]

*Kieffer types are considered lost, hence types of these species were not seen.

1. Wing membrane pale brown to dark brown................................................................. 2

- Wing membrane hyaline, with deep and light veins...........................................................7

2. Scutum with anteromedial bristles and without tubercle....................................................... 3

- Scutum without anteromedial bristles and with tubercle....................................................... 4

3. Male with narrow sternite 9 having a deep caudomedian excavation, hind tibia with a thumb like inwardly curved spur............................................................................................. P. crassipalpis ♂

- Male with broad sternite 9, without caudomedian excavation; hind tibia without a curved spur.......... P. deminutipalpis ♂

4. Mid and hind femora with dark brown apical band, mid tibia with one apical spine.................................. 5

- Mid and hind femora pale, mid tibia without apical spine...................................................... 6

5. Apical sensory pit of palpal segment 3 without sensillae; TR of hind leg <2.5, Hind tibial comb with 7 spines................................................................................................. P. pseudorivularis ♀

- Apical sensory pit of palpal segment 3 with two sensillae; TR of hind leg> 2.5, Hind tibial comb with 8 spines.................................................................................................... P. simplitheca ♀

6. Inflated forefemur bearing 8–10 ventral spines on entire length........................................ P. magna ♀

- Slender forefemur bearing 3–4 apical spines...................................................... P. stella ♂, ♀

7. All femora armed with stout spines...........................................................* P. leucopogon ♂

- Only fore femora armed with stout spines..................................................................8

8. Palpal segment 5 blackish brown; mid trochanter with 2 long tubercle like projection; 19–21 stout spine on fore femur; fore tibial apex forms a flap like process with a long spur and comb; hind tibial comb with 11 spines.... P. sohraensis sp. n. ♂, ♀

- Palpal segment 5 pale; mid trochanter without tubercle like projection; fore tibial apex simple; hind tibial comb with <11 spines...............................................................................................9

9. Thorax shining read, bearing a pair of mediolateral spinules........................................* P. hi m al a y ae ♀

- Thorax either dark brown or black and devoid of spinules..................................................... 10

10. Female dark brown with pale halter.......................................................... * P. albiditarsis ♀

- Female black with dark brown halter.......................................................... * P. rivularis ♀