Leehelea brevidensis, Nandi, Mou, Mazumdar, Abhijit & Chaudhuri, Prasanta K., 2012

Nandi, Mou, Mazumdar, Abhijit & Chaudhuri, Prasanta K., 2012, Biting midges of the genus Leehelea Debenham (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in India, Zootaxa 3399, pp. 53-60 : 53-55

Leehelea brevidensis sp.n.

(Fig. 1A–J)

Type material. Holotype Ƥ, India, West Bengal, Saktigarh, 23°21ʹN, 87˚97ʹE, 11 August 1967, Coll. P.K. Chaudhuri. Paratypes: 2Ƥ, India, West Bengal, Burdwan 23°14ʹN, 87°39ʹE, 12 July 2002, Coll. S. Nandi.

Etymology. The name comes from the Latin words brev, meaning short, in reference to the small proximal teeth of the mandible.

Diagnosis. The species is diagnosed by the color and structure of flagellomeres, 10 capitate sensilla on palp segment III, outer margin of mandible with 14 denticules, scutellum with 20 bristles, color pattern of hind tibiae, 11 spines of the hind tibial comb, fore and mid tarsomere V with 12 and hind tarsomere with 13 batonnets, 1st radial cell more than 3.0 times the length of 2nd and whitish knob of halter.

FIGURES. 1A–J. Leehelea brevidensis sp.n.: Female: A–A1: antenna: A. proximal flagellomeres with pedicel, A1. distal flagellomeres, B: maxillary palp, C: mandible, D–F: fore, mid and hind femur with tibiae, G: hind tibial comb, H: fore tarsomere V with claws, I: wing, J: spermathecae.

Description. Female.

Head. Dark brown. Eyes bare, broadly contiguous dorsally. Antenna. (Figs. 1A–A1) proximal eight flagellomeres (Fig. 1A) slender, sub cylindrical, with light brown basal halves and brown distal halves, distal five flagellomeres (Fig. 1A1)dark brown and pale basally, length 1.82–1.826, AR 1.81–1.86; Maxillary palp. (Fig. 1B) brown, segment III with 10 capitate sensilla, V small, with 4 apical setae, length 0.281–0.284, PR 2.4–2.6; Mandible. (Fig. 1C) with 6 distinct teeth, proximal tooth smaller than others, outer margin bearing 14 denticules.

Thorax. Scutum brown with infuscated caudal and lateral areas; scutellum dark brown with 20 long bristles, postscutellum and pleuron brown. Legs. (Figs. 1D–F). Coxae brown; trochanters yellow; fore femur yellow in basal half with dark brown broader subapical band and dark brown apex, armed with 14–15 ventral thick setae, tibiae yellow with dark brown bases, tarsomere IV longer than others, V with 12 batonnets, length ratio of fore leg 33: 33: 12.5: 8: 4: 3: 6; mid femur yellow basally, with narrow subapical band and dark brown apex, femur with 12 ventral thick setae, tibia with same color pattern as in fore, tarsomere I with 2 median and 2 apical setae, tarsomere V (Fig. 1H) with 12 batonnets, length ratio of mid leg 34: 24.5: 11: 5: 3: 2: 5; hind femur also yellow basally with intense dark brown broad subapical band followed by a pale area with narrow dark brown apex, femur with 11–13 ventral thick setae, tibiae with brown narrow subapical band followed by a small pale area, tarsomere V with 13 batonnets, length ratio of hind leg 38: 28.5: 16: 6.5: 3: 2: 5, hind tibial comb (Fig. 1G) with 11 long spines, fourth one longest, TR of hind leg 2.42–2.49. Wing. (Fig. 1I). Length 3.13–3.16 (n=3), breadth 0.93–0.98 (n=3). Pale, with fine microtrichiae on costa, veins r–m and M brown, costal length 2.91–2.96, 1st radial cell more than 3.0 times of 2nd (8: 26.5), R2+3 distinct, CR 0.92–0.95. Halter with whitish knob.

Abdomen. Tergites brown with many long setae, segment VIII with tuft of 5–6 setae, pleural membrane and cerci pale brown. Spermathecae (Fig. 1J) highly sclerotized, large, oval, rudimentary third comma-like.

Male. Unknown.

Discussion. The new species shows similarities with L. fuscilateralis sp.n. In number of spines of hind tibial comb but differs in dark band at middle of hind tibia, 10 capitate sensilla and varying number batonnets. It shows closeness with L. magnidentata sp.n. in leg color band pattren but differs in number of batonnets, size and number of mandibular teeth and denticules, number of capitate sensilla on palp segment III, spines in hind tibial comb and ratio of 1st and 2nd radial cells. This species is close to L. pervicapsula sp.n. in possession of 10 capitate sensilla on palp segment III but differs in capitate sensilla on palp segment IV. The species shows similarities with L. hollandiensis Tokunaga (1966) and L. wasseli Debenham (1974) in color and structure of flagellomeres, dark brown scutum, white knob like halter and rudimentary spermatheca. It also bears similarities with L. leucophaeta Debenham (1974) in color pattern of basal flagellomeres and lateral margin tergites but differs in color of palp segment III, small segment V with apical setae, number of denticules in outer margin of mandible, dark brown scutum, scutellum with 20 long bristles, color pattern of femur and tibia, 11 long spines on hind tibial comb and 2nd radial cell more than 3.0 times of length of 1st radial cell (8: 26.5).