Monohelea mediterranea, 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 : 118-119

Monohelea mediterranea sp. nov.

( Figs 4–6 )

Diagnosis. The species is distinct in having second radial cell without dark spot, dark spot below first radial cell rectangular and uniformly dark, without pale spot or spots, legs with brown and pale rings and stripes, gonocoxite in male genitalia without ventral tubercle and apex of paramere T-shaped. Female unknown.

Description. Male. Body yellowish brown ( Fig. 4c ). Eyes bare, broadly separated by vertex and frons ( Fig. 4a ). Flagellum with well developed plume ( Fig. 4a ), length 0.80–0.83 mm, AR 0.93–0.95. Palpus 5-segment- ed ( Fig. 4b ); third palpal segment with small sensory pit, length 48–53 µm, PR 2.11–2.30.

Thorax brownish with indistinct ornamentation in slide mounted specimen, paratergite narrow, scutellum yellowish with 4 marginal bristles. Wing length 1.22–1.30 mm, CR 0.70–0.71. Both first radial cells well developed, macrotrichia restricted to few at wing tip. Wing pattern as in Fig. 5 ; second radial cell without dark spot; dark spot below first radial cell rectangular, uniformly dark, without pale spot or spots.

Fore and hind legs somewhat thickened, mid legs slender. Legs brownish, femora without spines; coxae brown; trochanter of fore leg yellow, of mid and hind legs brown; femur of hind leg yellowish with distinctly brown proximal portion, narrow brown ring at middle and ventral subapical dark spot; fore and mid femora with similar colour patterns, however paler and indistinct; hind tibia with distinct brown ring at mid length and apex, fore and mid tibiae paler, with less developed brownish patterns as in hind tibia; tarsomere 1 of fore leg straight, with 1 subapical and 1 apical spine; tarsomere 1 of mid leg straight, with 2 subbasal and 2 apical spines; tarsomere 1 of hind leg strongly bent at base, with one row of palisade setae and strong subbasal spine; tibial spur of hind leg short, tibial comb composed of 9 spines; tarsomeres 4 cylindrical; claws small, equal; TR(1) 1.85–1.92, TR(2) 2.00–2.17, TR(3) 1.67–1.71.

Genitalia brown ( Fig. 4d ). Gonocoxite stout, mesal margin without lobe or tubercle ( Fig. 6a ). Gonostylus with slightly curved, pointed dark tip. Aedeagus with sclerotized basal loop, a pair of pointed, oblique lateral sclerites ( Fig. 6b ). Parameres separated, with winglike basal apodeme and T-shaped apex ( Fig. 6c ).

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype male, North Algeria, Sahara, 30 km north of Biskra, 27 April 1981, collected by entomological net, R. Szadziewski; paratype male, France, Pyrenees-Orientales, RNN foret de la Massane, Malaise trap, 15.07.2009, P. Withers. The holotype and paratype are deposited in the Collection of Extant Invertebrates the Museum of Amber Inclusions, University of Gdańsk.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the Mediterranean region where the species was collected.

Discussion. The new species is very similar to Monohelea andersoni Wirth & Grogan, 1981 from North America ( Wirth and Grogan 1981). The latter species however, is smaller (wing length 0.9 mm), has darker legs, the aedeagus is longer and apices of parameres abruptly expanded in a cap-like lobe bent ventrally. The aedeagus and parameres of M. mediterranea sp. nov. are also somewhat similar to those of M. pallida Clastrier & Delécolle, 1990 from tropical Africa ( Clastrier and Delécolle 1990). However, the latter species has pale legs and second radial cell with dark spot.

Monohelea is a worldwide distributed genus, which includes 88 recent species ( Borkent 2016). Three species are currently known from western Palaearctic. In addition to the new species described above they are M. estonica Remm, 1965 (North and Central Europe) and M. hissarica Remm, 1980 (Tajikstan in Central Asia, only female). The latter two species have dark spot in the second radial cell which in M. mediterranea sp. nov. is totally pale ( Fig. 5 ). The European Monohelea estonica Remm reported from Russia, Estonia, Poland, Czechia, N. France ( Dominiak and Michalczuk 2009) differs also in having gonocoxites with a tubercle on mesal margin and simple pointed apices of parameres ( Remm 1965, Delécolle and Rieb 1995).

Figures

Figure 4. Monohelea mediterranea sp. nov., male; a – head of paratype, dorsal aspect, b – palpi of paratype, c – total habitus of paratype, without head and genitalia, d – genitalia of holotype, ventral view.

Figure 5. Monohelea mediterranea sp. nov., wing of male; a – holotype, b – paratype.

Figure 6. Monohelea mediterranea sp. nov., male genitalia; a – ventral aspect of holotype, b – aedeagus of holotype, c – parameres of paratype.