Pseudosmittia Edwards, 1932

Chamutiová, Tímea, Hamerlík, Ladislav & Bitušík, Peter, 2020, Subfossil chironomids (Diptera, Chironomidae) of lakes in the Tatra Mountains an illustrated guide, Zootaxa 4819 (2), pp. 216-264 : 242-243

Pseudosmittia Edwards ( Fig. 63 )

Head capsule yellow, occipital margin pale to brown. Antenna reduced (only ¼ length of mandible), with 4 segments. Premandible with 2 apical teeth and 1–2 inner more or less tooth-like projections can be present. Mandible with 3–4 inner teeth. One very broad median mental tooth with more or less obvious median projection and 4 pairs of lateral teeth gradually decreasing in size. Ventromental plates large, not extending beyond outermost teeth.

Remarks: The shape of mentum is distinctive among other Orthocladiinae with exception of Camptocladius , however its larvae are full terrestrial, so their presence in lake sediments is very unlikely. Pseudosmittia could be confused with Pseudorthocladius when its median mental teeth are worn but setae submenti is arising further below outermost lateral teeth compared to that of Pseudosmittia .

Only one head capsule was found.

Figures

FIGURES 60–65. Psectrocladius (Mesopsectrocladius) barbatipes-type: 60—head capsule. Psectrocladius (Psectrocladius) psilopterus-type: 61—head capsule, A—detail of mandible. Psectrocladius (Psectrocladius) sordidellus-type: 62—head capsule. Pseudosmittia: 63—head capsule. Smittia/Parasmittia: 64—head capsule. Smittia/Parasmittia: 65—mentum, A—Smittia antenna (a—basal segment, b—flagellum, c—blade).