Holoconops, Kerteszi

Phillips, Robert A., 2022, Culicoides Latreille and Leptoconops Skuse biting midges of the southwestern United States with emphasis on the Canyonlands of southeastern Utah (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Insecta Mundi 2022 (907), pp. 1-214 : 19

Subgenus Holoconops, Kerteszi group

( Fig. 1 )

The definitive reference for the Kerteszi group in North America is Clastrier and Wirth (1978), which should be used if one is to do much work with this group. Few of the characters for distinguishing between the species within this group are consistent, and a best-fit determination involving several characters is often necessary for identification. Indeed, genetic methods would likely be faster and more reliable than morphological methods for identification of the species of this group.

The Kerteszi group of subgenus Holoconops is represented in Utah and the inland portions of the southwestern United States by six named and one unnamed species, formerly considered Nearctic representatives of the now strictly Palearctic L. kerteszi . Three other species of the Kerteszi group ( L. arnaudi Clastrier and Wirth , L. asilomar Clastrier and Wirth , and L. whitseli Clastrier and Wirth ) that are likely limited to coastal Central California beach and tideland habitats are not keyed or diagnosed; and Clastrier and Wirth (1978) should be consulted for their identification.

Unless otherwise indicated, all of the literature cited in the following Kerteszi group species accounts prior to 1978 misidentify the species as L. kerteszi or Holoconops kerteszi (Kieffer) . The L. kerteszi references that are not otherwise cited in the present work are omitted from the synonymies but can be found in Clastrier and Wirth (1978).

Larval ecology. Leptoconops americanus , L. foulki , and L. reesi Clastrier and Wirth are common in similar habitats around the Great Salt Lake, Utah. Indeterminate immature L. americanus or L. reesi have been collected from saltgrass ( Distichlis stricta ) soil in North Salt Lake City, Utah ( Rees and Smith 1950). Rees and Winget (1970) collected undifferentiated immature L. americanus , L. foulki , or L. reesi from moist alkaline sandy soil and sandy soil with clay and silt, with soil moisture from 5% to saturation with generally high salt content.

Adult behavior. Rees et al. (1969) reported L. kerteszi var. americanus (which could be L. americanus , L. foulki , or L. reesi ) biting can be extremely annoying April–June, with activity into September, and with flight ranges exceeding 16 km in some areas near the Great Salt Lake. Rees and Winget (1970) reported humans and horses attacked by L. kerteszi that could be L. americanus or L. reesi ; and Foulk (1969) reported burros as hosts for undifferentiated Leptoconops . In addition, Mullens et al. (1997a) collected a female “ L. ( Holoconops ) near knowltoni Clastrier and Wirth ” while appearing to feed on the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard ( Uma inornata ). Diurnal feeding activity can explain the poor light trap collections in the present study ( Table 4). CO 2 -baited trap collections show a late March to mid-October active season in southeastern Utah, peaking in August and September (Table 5).

Remarks. All of the male subgenus Holoconops collected were identified to species; however, because of the difficulty of slide-mounting and microscopic examination, only those females collected when biting and a small portion of females collected with traps were identified to species (Table 5). Furthermore, female L. (Holoconops) foulki , L. (Holoconops) knowltoni and L. (Holoconops) sublettei are especially challenging to distinguish because important key characters such as the setal arrangement on flagellomeres 4 and 13 are often ambiguous or difficult to see.

Figures

Figures 1–2. Female lateral habitus (in alcohol). 1) Leptoconops (Holoconops) Kerteszi group. 2) Culicoides (Monoculicoides) sonorensis.