Monohelea coimbrai Santarem & Felippe-Bauer, 2022

Alves Santarem, Maria Clara, Aragao Cardoso, Erick, de Souza Pinto, Israel & Felippe-Bauer, Maria Luiza, 2022, New species and new records of Monohelea Kieffer (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) from Brazil, ZooKeys 1136, pp. 175-185 : 175

Monohelea coimbrai Santarem & Felippe-Bauer sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4

Holotype.

Male, on microscope slide labeled "Holotype Monohelea coimbrai Santarém and Felippe-Bauer", "Rio Cascatinha, sessão de 2ª ordem (acima da represa) 1470 m, drift Caledônia, Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, BRASIL, 24.VIII.1995, Fittkau, UFRJ, IOC [leg.]." (CCER#3075).

Diagnosis.

Male adult: The only Neotropical species of Monohelea with legs pale, hind femur with large basal band slightly infuscated, mesal brown stripe, subapical ventral brown spot; gonostylus broad basally, tapering distally, deeply curved in distal 1/2; parameres stem swollen on proximal portion, curved, gradually tapering, internally directed, with small mesal pointed process, posteriorly directed arising from the swollen portion of the parameres. Female adult: unknown.

Description.

Male. Head (Fig. 3C ): eyes separated medially by a distance of 2 ommatidia. Antenna (Fig. 3B ) pale brown; antennal ratio 1.09. Palpus pale brown; 3rd segment with small, shallow, sensory pit; palpal ratio 1.50.

Thorax. Scutum (Fig. 3E ) brown, pale brown laterally, two median pale strips. Legs (Fig. 3D ) pale; coxae and trochanters pale; hind femur with large basal band slightly infuscated, mesal brown stripe and subapical ventral brown spot; hind tibia with mesal brown stripe, apical brown band; tibiofemoral joints yellowish; hind tibial comb with 7 bristles. Tarsi pale; fore-, hind tarsomere 1 with one basal, one apical spine; midtarsomere 1 with 2 basal, 2 apical spines; apical spines of tarsomeres 2-4 of fore-, mid-, hind legs: 1-1-1, 2-2-2, 1-1-1; basal spines absent; fore-, mid-, hind tarsal ratios 2.12, 2.34, 1.91; claws small, paired, equal-sized, 0.38-0.42 × as long as 5th tarsomeres. Wing (Fig. 3A ): infuscated, macrotrichia restricted to costa; microtrichia absent; 2nd radial cell nearly 2 × longer than 1st; wing length 0.92 mm, width 0.35 mm; costal ratio 0.81. Halter pale brown.

Abdomen. Yellowish. Genitalia (Figs 3F , 4A-C ) yellowish: sternite IX spiculate except on basal portion, posterior margin with a short, convex, median lobe with 4 long setae; tergite IX tapering, with a pair of short apicolateral processes, each with 3 setae. Gonocoxite (Fig. 4A ) moderately stout, nearly 2 × longer than basal width; gonostylus (Fig. 4A ) broad basally, tapering distally, distal ½ deeply curved, apex blunt, 0.74 length of gonocoxite, moderately pilose on basal 1/2. Parameres (Fig. 4B ) as long as aedeagus, fused at trilobed base, stem swollen, sclerotized on proximal portion, curved, gradually tapering, internally directed, with small inconspicuous mesal pointed process, tooth-shaped, posteriorly directed, arising from the swollen portion of the parameres. Aedeagus (Fig. 4C ) triangular, composed of 2 pointed ventral plates, with slightly sclerotized dorsal structure, which arises in the middle way to aedeagus base and produced beyond the apices of ventral plates, ending as an apical projection; basal arms slender, broadly expanded laterally.

Female. Unknown

Distribution and bionomics.

This species is known only from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has been found in forested areas near rivers, up to 1470 m above sea level.

Etymology.

This species is named in honor of Dr Adelmar Coimbra-Filho (1924-2016), a biologist and primatologist. He was an enthusiast of biodiversity conservation and acted on several strategies to protect the biodiversity of Atlantic Forest, where this species has been found.

Taxonomic discussion.

This species has pale legs with a pattern of brown patches and mesal processes in the parameres. It keys to couplet 19 in the key to Neotropical Monohelea by Lane and Wirth (1964), but it can be easily distinguished from M. brasiliensis Lane, M. maculipennis (Coquillet) and M. poncai Lane & Wirth by the presence of a unique, small inconspicuous mesal process of the parameres, tooth-shaped, posteriorly directed and arising from the swollen proximal portion. Monohelea coimbrai sp. nov. has a single deeply curved gonostylus that is unique in the Brazilian species of this genus.

New records

Figures

Figure 3. Monohelea coimbrai sp. nov., male A wing B antenna C head, anterior view D fore-, mid-, hind legs (left to right), lateral view E thorax, dorsal view F genitalia, ventral view.

Figure 4. Monohelea coimbrai sp. nov., male A terminalia, ventral view B parameres, ventral view C aedeagus, ventral view.