Pseudosmittia spinispinata, Ferrington Jr & Saether, 2011

Ferrington Jr, Leonard C. & Saether, Ole A., 2011, A revision of the genera Pseudosmittia Edwards, 1932, Allocladius Kieffer, 1913, and Hydrosmittia gen. n. (Diptera: Chironomidae, Orthocladiinae) 2849, Zootaxa 2849 (1), pp. 1-314 : 161-163

Pseudosmittia spinispinata sp. n.

( Fig. 57 )

Type material: Holotype male, U.S.A., South Carolina, Williamsburg Co., Kingstree, Black River , 26.iv.1980, P. L. Hudson ( ZMBN Type No. 444).

Diagnostic characters: The male imago is easily separable from other members of the gracilis group by having a median virgal spine which is more than 3/4 as long as the gonostylus, and by having 7 slightly scalpellate sensilla clavata on palpomere 3. It also has reduced anal lobe of the wing, reduced median antepronotal lobes, reduced oral projections of the transverse sternapodeme, and a wing length of only 0.98 mm.

Etymology: From the Latin spina, spine, and spinatus, with spines, referring to the long median spine of the virga and the additional lateral row of spines of the virga.

Male imago (n = 1)

Total length 1.90 mm. Wing length 0.98 mm. Total length/wing length 1.94. Wing length/length of profemur 2.79. Coloration brown.

Head ( Fig. 57 B ). AR 1.01. Terminal flagellomere 311 µm long. Temporal setae 5, consisting of 2 inner verticals and 3 outer verticals. Clypeus with 7 setae. Tentorium 107 µm long, 16 µm wide. Cibarial pump and stipes as in Fig. 51 C . Stipes 114 µm long, 18 µm wide. Palpomere lengths (in µm): 21, 27, 55, 62, 96. Third palpomere ( Fig. 57 C ) with 7 slightly scalpellate sensilla clavata.

Thorax. Antepronotal lobes moderately narrowed medially, with 3 weak lateral setae. Dorsocentrals 10, acrostichals 2, prealars 3. Scutellum with 6 seta e.

Wing ( Fig. 57 A ). VR 1.25. Anal lobe reduced. Costal extension 27 µm long. R 4+5 ending slightly proximal to apex of M 3+4; Cu 1 curved. Brachiolum with 1 seta, other veins bare.

Legs. Spur of front tibia 41 µm long, spurs of middle tibia both 18 µm long, of hind tibia 33 µm and 18 µm long. Width at apex of front tibia 41 µm, of middle tibia 25 µm, of hind tibia 23 µm. Comb of 10 setae, 18–32 µm long. Lengths and proportions of legs as in Table 34.

Hypopygium ( Fig. 57 F ). Anal point 41 µm long, including 27 µm long base and 25 µm long apex with weak microtrichia to apex; tergite IX with 18 setae; laterosternite IX with 7 setae. Phallapodeme 59 µm long; transverse sternapodeme 73 µm long, with barely projecting oral projections. Virga ( Fig. 57 E ) consisting of 50 µm long median spine and about 20 lateral needle-like spinules near apex. Gonocoxite 146 µm long; superior volsella large and well developed, reaching to 0.41 gonocoxite length; inferior volsella and accessory lobe well developed and reaching to 0.58 and 0.70 gonocoxite length, respectively. Gonostylus 64 µm long; megaseta 9 µm long. HR 2.29, HV 2.97.

Female, pupa and larva

Unknown.

Distribution

The species is known only from the type locality, which is a river in South Carolina .

Figures

FIGURE 51. Hydrosmittia sp. “Northwest Territories”, larva. A—antenna; B—premandible; C—mandible; D—mentum.

FIGURE 57. Pseudosmittia spinispinata sp. n., male. A—wing; B—head; C—third palpomere; D—cibarial pump and stipes; E—virga; F—hypopygium, left dorsal aspect, right ventral aspect.