Forcipomyia (F.) pyrenaica, Szadziewski & Dominiak & Withers, 2020

Szadziewski, Ryszard, Dominiak, Patrycja & Withers, Phil, 2020, Two New Species Of Biting Midges From France And Algeria (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Annales Zoologici 70 (1), pp. 113-120 : 113-116

Forcipomyia (F.) pyrenaica sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 )

Diagnosis. The new species can be easily distinguished by having very low tarsal ratio of hind leg TR(3) 0.45, palpomere 3 enlarged on proximal 1 / 3, parameres separated, stout on proximal 2 / 3 and filamentous on distal 1 / 3, aedeagus with triangular median projection and distinct lateral shoulders. Female unknown.

Description. Male. Body dark brown with pale parts of legs and abdomen ( Fig. 2a ). Head dark brown. Eyes bare, touching at distance of 6 ommatidia. Frons with distinct tubercle bearing stout, black spine-like seta (with a barb) in submedian position ( Fig. 1c ). Flagellum with 13 flagellomeres ( Fig. 1a ), length 1.10 mm, AR 1.11, distal flagellomeres 10–13 elongated, plume on flagellomeres 2–10 well developed, flagellomere 10 about 2.45 times longer than flagellomere 11. Palpus 5-segmented ( Fig. 1b ); palpomere 3 with distinct sensory pit on enlarged basal 1 / 3, length 0.14 mm, PR 4.0; palpomere 4 about 1.4 times longer than palpomere 5.

Thorax including scutellum dark brown ( Fig. 2a ). Wing with two darker patches at anterior margin, on first radial cells and on radial fork ( Fig. 2b ); length 1.55 mm, CR 0.45; first radial cell slit-like, second one small; wing membrane with scale-like slender macrotrichia. Legs pale brownish, femur of hind leg brown ( Fig. 2a ), tarsomeres 4 distinctly longer than tarsomere 5, claws long, empodium well developed, TR (1) 0.63, TR(2) 0.36, TR(3) 0.45.

Abdomen dark brown with pale caudal margins of tergites ( Fig. 2a ). Genitalia dark brown with pale gonostyli ( Fig. 3a ). Caudal margin of sternite 9 slightly convex with broad and shallow median incision. Gonocoxite without modified setae, gonostylus almost straight. Aedeagus shield-shaped, well sclerotized with well developed long triangular median projection and distinct lateral shoulders ( Fig. 3b ). Parameres separat- ed, stout, rod-like on proximal 2 / 3 and narrow, filamentous on distal 1 / 3 ( Fig. 3c ).

Female unknown.

Material examined. Forcipomyia (F.) pyrenaica sp. nov., holotype male, France, Pyrenees-Orientales, RNN foret de la Massane, Malaise trap, about 600 m a.s.l., 9.09.2008, P. Withers. The holotype is deposited in the Museum of Amber Inclusions , University of Gdańsk , in the Collection of Extant Invertebrates .

Etymology. The specific name refers to the Pyrenees mountains (Latin Pyrenaei) where the species was collected.

Discussion. The new species is a typical member of the subgenus Forcipomyia s. str. ( Alwin and Szadziewski 2013). The subgenus including almost 350 extant species is distributed worldwide ( Borkent 2016). The low hind tarsal ratio (less than 0.5) is known among a few species of Forcipomyia s. str. outside of Europe. European species of the subgenus have higher hind TR, usually about 0.8–1.2 ( Goetghebuer 1934, Remm 1962, 1980, Szadziewski 1983, Navai and Szadziewski 2016).

In the holotype the tubercle of the frons in sub- median position has stout black spine-like seta with a distinct barb ( Fig. 1c ). In all, known for us, adults of biting midges this tubercle is devoid of setae and we treat this character as a developmental aberration. Similar setae (forked, with serrations, barbs or spurs) are known in immature stages (larvae and pupae) of Forcipomyia ( Lewańczyk et al. 2009) .

Figures

Figure 1. Forcipomyia (F.) pyrenaica sp. nov., male; a – flagellum, b – palpus, c – frons with spine-like seta.

Figure 2. Forcipomyia (F.) pyrenaica sp. nov., male; a – total habitus, without head and genitalia, b – wing.

Figure 3. Forcipomyia (F.) pyrenaica sp. nov., male genitalia; a – ventral aspect, b – aedeagus, c – parameres.