Culex (Culiciomyia)

Cornel, Anthony John, Mayi, Marie Paul Audrey, Kowo, Cyril, Foncha, David, Andongma, Esack, Anong, Damian Nota, Elad, Mirabel, Djomo, Charlene, Tchuinkam, Timoleon, Brisco, Katherine K. & Sehgal, Ravinder, 2020, New species of Culex (Culiciomyia) (Diptera: Culicidae) from Talangaye Forest in Cameroon and descriptions and identification keys for males of the Afrotropical species of the subgenus, Zootaxa 4858 (4), pp. 451-506 : 499-505

Key to males of Afrotropical Culiciomyia based on habitus and genitalia

Culex milloti is not included in this key as it is known only from the larva. Characters used in the key for those species that were not collected by us are taken from published descriptions and drawings. Arrows in the figures point to features mentioned in the couplets. Barbed setae on the subapical lobe of the gonocoxite, when present, are often quite difficult to see because they are very small, delicate and thin, and often obscured by setae.

1 Maxillary palpus 0.16 length of proboscis (Fig. 41A); São Tomé and Príncipe only........................ cambournaci

- Maxillary palpus longer than proboscis (Fig. 41B)........................................................... 2 2(1) Palpal comb with 4 scales; Madagascar only........................................................... pandani

- Palpal comb with more than 4 scales...................................................................... 3

3(2) Palpomere 4>0.5 length of palpomere 5 (Fig. 42A).......................................................... 4

- Palpomere 4 <0.5 length of palpomere 5 (Fig. 42B).......................................................... 6

4(3) Distinct apicolateral pale spots on terga 3–7; sterna with pale apical bands; palpal comb with 11–14 scales; no basal protrusion or arm on paraproct; subapical lobe of gonocoxite without barbed setae.................................... mongiro

- Apicolateral pale spots indistinct or absent on abdominal terga; sterna uniformly dark beige to grey and lighter than the darker terga (Fig. 43A); palpal comb with 6–8 scales (Fig. 43B); paraproct with distinct basal arm or protrusion; subapical lobe of gonocoxite with 2 barbed setae.......................................................................... 5

5(4) Palpomere 4 0.75 length of palpomere 5 (Fig. 44A); paraproct basal arm/protrusion>0.40 length of paraproct (Fig. 45A); gonocoxite with distinct ventrolateral patch of long piliform setae (Fig. 46A);................................. subaequalis

- Palpomere 4 0.50–0.65 length of palpomere 5 (Fig. 44B); paraproct basal arm/protrusion <0.40 length of paraproct (Fig. 45B); gonocoxite without obvious ventrolateral patch of setae, setae present are short (Fig. 46B)............. pseudosubaequalis

6(3) Gonostylus with single small recurved horn on upper margin; subapical lobe with a broad stout seta laterally separated from the other 2 stout rod-like setae (Fig. 47A)................................................................ macfiei

- Upper margin of the gonostylus with “spinelets” forming a crest; bases of the 3 rod-like setae more or less equally close to each

other (Fig. 47B), except for Cx. cinereus , which has 1 rod-like seta more distally positioned from the other 2 rod-like setae..................................................................................................... 7

7(6) Palpal comb scales spatulate with rounded apices (Fig. 48A)......................................... semibrunneus

- Palpal comb scales with pointed apices that are often recurved (Fig. 48B)......................................... 8 8(7) Apex of gonocoxite with a patch of delicate setae (Fig. 49A)................................................... 9

- Apex of gonocoxite with a few setae in 1 or 2 rows (Fig. 49B)................................................. 10 9(8) Apical delicate setae on gonocoxite not borne on an obvious protuberance; large foliform seta g of subapical lobe not truncated (Fig. 50A).................................................................................. apicopilosus

- Apical delicate setae on gonocoxite borne on an obvious protuberance; large foliform seta g of subapical lobe truncated (Fig. 50B).......................................................................................... eouzani 10(8) Palpal comb scales all similar in shape but may vary in length (Fig. 51A)........................................ 11

- Palpal comb comprised of at least 2 clearly differently shaped groups or sets of scales (Fig. 51B)..................... 15 11(10) Gonostylus with crest extending to apex; lateral plate of phallosome very broad with a recurved basal tooth; ventral surface of lateral plate also broad, recurved and shagreened....................................................... harleyi

- Crest of gonostylus not extended to apex (Fig. 52).......................................................... 12 12(11) Subapical lobe with 2 or 3 barbed setae (Fig. 53)........................................................... 13

- Subapical lobe without barbed setae..................................................................... 14

13(12) Subapical lobe of gonocoxite with 2 slightly barbed subapical setae (Fig. 53); lateral plate of aedeagus with long slender smooth arm and 5 or 6 rounded tubercles basally, no distinct sharp tooth basally (Fig. 54A); mid-region of thoracic pleura pale, separating 2 darker stripes (Fig. 54B).................................................................... cinerellus

- Subapical lobe of gonocoxite with 2 or 3 slightly barbed subapical setae; lateral plate of aedeagus with small recurved anteromedial tooth, ventral surface recurved with 9 or 10 broad teeth reaching apex; upper region of thoracic pleura darker than lower half......................................................................................... liberiensis

14(12) Foliform seta of subapical lobe (seta g) very broad; lateral plate of aedeagus with numerous sharp denticles (sometimes in 2 rows) not reaching apex........................................................................... grenieri

- Foliform seta of subapical lobe of gonocoxite not very broad, 1 of 3 narrow setae on lobe bent apically; lateral plate of aedeagus with 6 strong tubercles basally, ending in long thin curved arm............................................. gilliesi

15(10) Both foliform setae of subapical lobe of gonocoxite nearly equally broad (Fig. 55A)........................... lanzaroi

- One foliform seta of subapical lobe much narrower than the other (Fig. 55B)..................................... 16

16(15) Palpal comb with 11–13 scales, those of proximal set spearhead-shaped with long fine pointed apices, scales of distal set small and lanceolate with very short straight fine apices....................................................... furlongi

- Palpal comb with more than 13 scales, scales of distal set with fine strongly recurved apices (Fig. 56)................. 17

17(16) Palpal comb without gap between proximal and distal sets of scales (Fig. 57A); base of subapical lobe of gonocoxite with patch of numerous delicate setae (Fig. 57E); lateral plate of aedeagus smooth except for single basal tooth (Fig. 57B)..... cinereus

- Palpal comb with gap between proximal and distal sets of scales (Fig. 57C); subapical lobe of gonocoxite without basal patch of setae (Fig. 57F); lateral plate of aedeagus with numerous sharp denticles (Fig. 57D)............................. 18

18(17) Subapical lobe of gonocoxite with slightly broadened barbed setae....................................... muspratti

- Subapical lobe of gonocoxite with 2 narrow and 2 slightly broadened barbed setae (Fig. 58)................... nebulosus