Ceratoculicoidesaliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005

Fasbender, Andrew, 2023, Revision of the New World Ceratoculicoides Wirth & Ratanaworabhan (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Ceratopogonini), European Journal of Taxonomy 875, pp. 159-202 : 167-170

Ceratoculicoidesaliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005

Figs 7a–b , 10d–e , 11a

Ceratoculicoidesaliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005: 112 , figs 1–21. (in catalog).

Ceratoculicoides aliciae – Borkent & Dominiak 2020: 157 (in catalog).

Diagnosis

Male

Ceratoculicoides aliciae can be separated from congeners by the following combination of characters: femora and tibiae yellow; apices of parameres acute, tapering; aedeagus lateral margins parallel basally, tapering apically, posterior margin with acute medial notch, apical and posterolateral point adjacent, posterolateral point rounded ( Fig. 10e ).

Female

Only species of Ceratoculicoides with the following combination of characters: FR 1.48; femora and tibiae yellow; wing length ~ 1.1 mm; 2 major spermathecae, largest 70–76; medial margin of 9 th sternite deeply concave.

Type material

Holotype

MEXICO • ♂; Jalisco, Biology Station Chamela; 6–11 Jul. 1992; A. Rodriguez leg.; Malaise trap; InDRE. Not examined in this study.

Material examined

Paratypes

MEXICO • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; CNCI CAIMCrt/lam-01103 , CAIMCrt/lam-01109 .

Description (female)

MEASUREMENTS (n = 2). Head width 280–332; flagellomeres (n = 1) 32, 20, 24, 27, 31, 31, 32, 35, 50, 47, 50, 52, 61; AR (n = 1) 1.12; FR (n = 1) 1.48; wing length 1.0– 1.1 mm; wing width 0.42–0.43 mm; costal ratio (n = 1) 0.58; spermathecal length 71–76; spermathecal width 53–59; spermathecal neck 8–10; spermatheca/neck ratio 0.16.

THORAX. Legs with femora and tibiae yellow.

GENITALIA ( Fig.11a ).9 th sternite anterior branch blunt and poorly sclerotized medially, apices nearly touching; posterior branch curving towards tip, tapering near apex to acutely pointed tip. 2 major spermathecae.

Distribution

Jalisco ( Mexico) ( Fig. 13 ).

Remarks

As I did not examine the holotype, I cannot provide a full description of this species, but I did have the opportunity to examine the two female paratypes. Based on the description and illustrations of the male in Huerta & Borkent (2005), this species belongs in the C.moravicus group, similar to C. sp. M1, C.moravicus and C.propinquus sp. nov., based on the presence of accessory spines between the apical and posterolateral points of the aedeagus. Males of C.aliciae ( Fig. 10e ) can be recognized by the straight margins of the aedeagus narrowed conspicuously beyond their midpoint, the posterior margin with a distinct acute notch, and the apical and posterolateral points being adjacent. The females can be recognized by the largest spermatheca being 70–76 μm, a feature found only in C. moravicus and an undescribed Colombian morphospecies (C. F2, Figs 7b , 12d ; see taxonomic notes on C.confusus ). Females of C.aliciae can be distinguished by the posterior branch of the 9 th sternite tapering to an acute point, unlike the broadly rounded posterior branch of C. sp. F2. Both species are distinguished from C.moravicus by the presence of two major spermathecae.

Figures

Fig. 7. Female heads II.Ceratoculicoidesmoravicus group.a. C.aliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005. b. C. aliciae antenna. c. C. borkenti sp. nov. d. C.grogani sp. nov. e. C.moravicusKnoz, 1987. Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 10. Male genitalia III. Ceratoculicoides sp. M1: a. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. b. Parameres. c. Aedeagus. C.aliciaeHuerta & Borkent, 2005: d. Parameres (adapted from Huerta & Borkent 2005). e. Aedeagus (adapted from Huerta & Borkent 2005). C.moravicusKnoz, 1987: f. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. g. Parameres. h. Aedeagus. C. propinquus sp. nov.: i. Genitalia, aedeagus and parameres removed. j. Parameres. k. Aedeagus. Abbreviations: ALP = apicolateral point of epandrium; AP = apical point of aedeagus; BA = basal arch of aedeagus; CRC = cercus; GC = gonocoxite; GCA = gonocoxal apodeme; GNS = gonostylus; HI = hyaline incision of aedeagus; HYP = hypandrium; PA = paramere apex; PB = paramere base; PLP = posterolateral point of aedeagus. Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 11. Female sternite 9 I. a. Ceratoculicoides aliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005, paratype, Chamela Biological Station, Jalisco, Mexico. b. C. borkenti sp. nov., paratype, Nogales, Arizona, USA. c. C. confusus Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, Canada. d. C.confusus, paratype, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA. e. C.grogani sp. nov., paratype, Corvallis, Oregon, USA. f. C.moravicus Bornova, Izmir, Turkey. Linework has been added to make sternite 9 easier to discern. Scale bars = 100 μm.

Fig. 13. Distribution. a. Western North America. Solid star =Ceratoculicoides aliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005; solid circles = C.borkenti sp. nov.; open triangles = C.grogani sp. nov.; open star = C. longipennis (Wirth, 1952); open square = C. pacificus sp. nov.; solid triangle = C.propinquus sp. nov.; solid cross C. sp. M1. b. Eastern North America. Solid circles = C. confusus sp. nov.; open squares = C.virginianus (Wirth, 1951). c. Central and northern South America. Solid circle = C.confusus; open squares = C. sp. F1; open triangles = C. sp. F2; solid triangle = C. sp. F3.

Fig. 12. Female sternite 9 II. a. Ceratoculicoides pacificus sp. nov., paratype (CNCI), Carmanah Valley, British Columbia, Canada.b. C. pacificus paratype (CNCI), East Sooke Peak, British Columbia, Canada. c. C.virginianus (Wirth, 1951), Springwater Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada. d. Ceratoculicoides sp. F1, Tuparro National Park, Colombia. e. Ceratoculicoides sp. F2, Tuparro National Park, Colombia. f. Ceratoculicoides sp. F3, Rincon, Costa Rica. Linework has been added to make sternite 9 easier to discern. Scale bars = 100 μm.