Culicoides ostotlae, Huerta & Spinelli & Grogan Jr, 2025

Huerta, Herón, Spinelli, Gustavo R. & Grogan Jr, William L., 2025, An atlas of wing photographs and a key to species of the genus Culicoides Latreille from Mexico (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), including new records, new synonymy, two new species and new status of Culicoides neghmei Vargas and C. propinquus Macfie, Zootaxa 5566 (1), pp. 1-51 : 8-9

Culicoides ostotlae sp. nov.

( Figs. 71 , 93–98 )

Diagnosis. Distinguished by the pale spot over the r-m crossvein extending to anterior radial vein not extended to costal wing margin; two elongate, subequal-size sack-like spermathecae, without necks. Male unknown.

Description female. Head ( Fig. 93 ) dark brown. Eyes bare, narrowly separated by distance shorter than diameter of one ommatidium. Flagellomeres 1–13 uniformly dark brown; flagellomeres 1–8 vasiform, 9–13 subcylindrical; AR 1.35; sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1, 9–13. Palpus dark brown; third segment greatly swollen, with large, deep sensory pit opening with small pore; PR 2.1; P/H ratio 0.73. Mandible with 23 teeth. Thorax dark brown, scutum pattern not in position for description, taller than broad in lateral view ( Fig. 94 ). Legs dark brown ( Fig. 95–97 ), femoral and tibial joints blackish, fore and mid femora narrowly pale at base, tibiae with sub-basal narrow pale rings; hind tibial comb with four spines, the second from spur longest. Wing ( Fig. 71 ), length 1.49 mm; width 0.71 mm; CR 0.55. Second radial cell in a dark spot, slightly shorter than first radial cell; pale spot over crossvein r-m extending to anterior radial vein, not extending to costal wing margin; poststigmatic pale spots in cell r 3 fused in a single, transversal spot; distal pale spot large, transverse, with small, faint distal extension from posterior side; vein M 1 with faint pale spot in medial portion at the level of postsigmatic pale spot; cell m 1 with elongate pale spot near the wing margin; vein M 2 straddled by pale spot near its base; cell m 2 with pale spot near wing margin, a 2 nd lying anterior to cubital fork; cell cua 1 with pale spot at wing margin, extending to vein CuA 1; veins CuA 1 and CuA 2 dark to apex; anal cell with two oblique, well separated distal pale spots and two pale spots at base of cell; cell m 2 with elongate pale spot at base and another lying on base of cubital stem. Macrotrichia dense, long, extending to bases of medial and anal cells. Halter pale. Abdomen ( Fig. 98 ) dark brown. Two sub-elongate, subequal, sack-like spermathecae without necks, each measuring 0.062 by 0.027 mm, 0.042 by 0.027 mm; diminute sclerotized rings present.

Male. Unknown.

Remarks. Because only from female is known it is provisionally included in the Daedalus group, by vein m 2 with straddling pale spot, palpal pit broad, deep, and opening by a small pore and sensilla coeloconica present on flagellomeres 1, 9–13. It is distinguished from all other members of the Daedalus group by the two elongated sack-like spermathecae and a pale spot over the r-m crossvein limited to anterior radial vein, not extended to costal wing margin. Culicoides commatis Wirth & Blanton from Panama, also have the distal pale spot in cell r 3 with a faint distal extension from its posterior side; however, this a smaller species (wing length 1.02 mm), antenna with sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9–13, macrotrichia are more abundant and two rounded spermathecae with short necks.

Type material. Female HOLOTYPE. MEXICO, Chiapas, Locality Parque Natural “El Aguacero, Gruta El Encanto”, 6-jun-1926, A. Dampf, light trap, Mexican Fauna No. 162.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Nahualt language “ ostotlae ”, which means “cave or grotto”, in reference to the locality in Chiapas, Mexico.

Distribution. Known only from the type-locality in Chiapas, Mexico.

Figures

FIGURE 68–74. Wings, dorsal view. Female and male. Daedalus group: 68. Culicoides crescentis Wirth & Blanton, 69. Culicoides daedalus Macfie (male), 70. Culicoides pampoikilus Macfie, 71. Culicoides ostotlae sp. nov. Eublepharus group: 72. Culicoides eublepharus Macfie, 73. Culicoides propriipennis Macfie, 74. Culicoides rangeli Ortiz & Mirsa. Scale: 0.5 mm. Figs. 68 and 72, on a different scale.

FIGURE 93–98. Culicoides ostotlae sp. nov. Female. 93. Head, frontal view, 94.Thorax, lateral view, 95–97. Legs (fore, middle, hind), lateral view, 98. Last abdominal segments, ventral view. Scale: 0.1 mm. Abbreviations. Head: 1 to 13 flagellomeres, fla bas: basal flagellomeres, fla dis: distal flagellomeres; 2nd seg: second palpal segment; 3rd seg: third palpal segment; sen pit: sensory pit; PR: palpal ratio; P/HR: proboscis/head ratio. Leg: cx= coxa; fe= femur; ti= tibia; tr= trochanter; tsm 1= first tarsomere; tsm 5= fifth tarsomere. Abdomen: arrows indicate the position of the spermathecae.