Culicoides (Hoffmania), Fox, Fox

Sarkar, Ankita, Banerjee, Paramita, Sinha, Shuvra Kanti & Mazumdar, Abhijit, 2023, A taxonomic revision of the Indian species of the ‘ Aterinervis’ group of Culicoides Latreille Subgenus Hoffmania Fox (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Zootaxa 5258 (4), pp. 405-428 : 408

Subgenus Hoffmania

Diagnosis (modified after Wirth & Hubert, 1989). Eyes bare, usually contiguous. Female antenna with sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1, 9–13. Second hind tibial spine long, 1 st and 2 nd radial cell unequal; 2 nd radial cell long, broad, at least distal half included in poststigmatic pale spot; proximal pale spots in cell m 1 and m 2 confluent; base of Cu fork often pale bordered. Two ovoid spermatheca, tubular rudimentary one with short necks; sclerotized ring present. Male genitalia with small or without apicolateral processes. Gonocoxite with dorsal root; ventral root absent. Gonostylus curved usually with rounded or hooked tip. Aedeagus usually with basal arm and anterior margin often with sclerotized rim, narrow stem and slender distally. Parameres with short basal arm often joined medially and distally with minute fringing setae.

Aterinervis group Majumdar1972:40;Majumdar & Das Gupta, in Majumdar, Das Gupta & Gangopadhyay1997:29

Included species: Culicoides aterinervis ; C. isoregalis ; C. neoregalis ; C. pararegalis ; C. pseudoregalis ; C. quasiregalis ; C. regalis ; C. subregalis

Diagnosis. The following features distinguish species in the Aterinervis Group from all other species of C. subg. Hoffmania :

Medium to large size. Basal half of proximal flagellomeres whitish, distal half brownish, distal segments brown. Third palpal segment without sensory pit, scattered sensilla on palpal segments. Fore femora with apical bands, mid femora with basal, apical pale bands, fore and mid tibiae with basal pale bands, hind femora with basal pale bands, hind tibiae pale on both ends. Spur tip frayed. Wing with pale spot over r-m crossvein meeting anterior wing margin and including proximal half of 1 st radial cell, distally extending to cell m. Macrotrichia scant. Halter pale. Cerci whitish, discoidal. Parameres separate, terminating in a filamentous spinose tip with 3–4 fringing setae.