Sergentomyia phasukae Curler

Curler, Gregory R., 2011, Records of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) with a description of a new species of Sergentomyia França & Parrot from Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, Zootaxa 2806, pp. 60-68 : 63-64

Sergentomyia phasukae Curler sp. nov.

( Figures 1−14 )

Diagnosis. Adult: Male cibarium with horizontal teeth minute, barely distinguishable, pigment patch absent; terminalia with gonocoxite 7 times longer than wide, gonostylus with medial spines closer to apex than base. Female cibarium with four horizontal teeth medially, flanked by patches of minute vertical teeth, pigment patch absent; terminalia with spermathecae cylindrical, lightly annulated, about 4 times longer than wide, with common ducts more than 4 times longer than individual ducts.

Description. Adult Male ( Figs. 1−7 ): Measurements, (N=5) head length 0.34 mm (0.34−0.35), head width 0.36 mm (0.35−0.36), eye height 0.19 mm (0.19−0.20), eye width 0.11 mm (0.11−0.12), interocular distance 0.15 mm (0.15−0.16), labrum length 0.17 mm (0.16−0.18), flagellomere 1 length 0.50 mm (0.49−0.53), flagellomere 2 length 0.30 mm (0.28−0.31), flagellomere 3 length 0.30 mm (0.28−0.31); palpomere 1 length 0.03 mm (0.03−0.04), palpomere 2 length 0.09 mm (0.08−0.09), palpomere 3 length 0.12 mm (0.11−0.14), palpomere 4 length 0.10 mm (0.09−0.11), palpomere 5 length 0.24 mm (0.22−0.26); wing length 2.02 mm (2.00−2.03), wing width 0.53 mm (0.49−0.55), R2 (alpha) length 0.31 mm (0.29−0.32), R2+3 (beta) length 0.49 mm (0.46−0.52), R2+3+4 (gamma) length 0.32 mm (0.26−0.35), delta distance 0.11 mm (0.09−0.12); ejaculatory apodeme + bulb length 0.10 mm (0.09−0.10), ejaculatory ducts length 0.33 mm (0.32−0.34), gonocoxite length 0.35 mm, gonostylus length 0.21 mm (0.20−0.22), paramere length 0.16 mm (0.16−0.17), surstylus length 0.25 mm (0.24−0.26), cercus length 0.21 mm (0.20−0.22).

General body coloration light tan; body uniformly sclerotized. Head: pyriform in frontal view, vertex not enlarged; ratio of head length to width: 0.94; setae alveoli patches extending anteriorly at midline, meeting supraocular alveoli patches. Eyes prominent, with height equal to approximately twice the length of clypeus. Frons with interocular sutures equal in length to approximately three facet diameters. Labrum short, ratio of labrum length to head length: 0.5, ratio of labrum length to flagellomere 1 length: 0.34. Antenna with 16 segments, flagellum remarkably long; ratio of flagellomere 1 length to length of flagellomeres 2+3: 0.83; flagellomeres 1−13 each with one ascoid. Ascoid on flagellomere 1 inserted near apex, ascoids on flagellomeres 2−13 inserted near base; each with minute posterior branch, anterior branch extending nearly to apex of flagellomere. Palpus extending beyond flagellomere 1 in slide-mounted specimen; palpomere proportions: 1−3−4−3.33−8; palpomere 3 with patch of transparent digitiform sensilla inserted medially, covering approximately ½ of medial surface; other palpomeres without sensilla. Cibarium with three poorly developed horizontal teeth medially, flanked by paired minute horizontal teeth and patches of minute vertical teeth; pigment patch absent; cibarial arch lightly sclerotized; pharynx unarmed. Thorax: Wing about 3.81 times longer than wide. Terminalia: Gonostylus with slight bend approximately 0.06 mm from apex; four spines and subterminal seta inserted as follows: paired spines at apex, paired spines at bend (0.06 mm from apex, 0.12 mm from base); subterminal seta between spine pairs, closer to basal pair. Gonocoxite remarkably long, about 7 times longer than wide, with approximately 26 elongate setiform sensilla inserted ventromedially. Paramere simple, with beak-like apex, with numerous setiform sensilla inserted near apex. Ejaculatory ducts smooth, about 3 times the length of apodeme + ejaculatory bulb, with apices simple, digitiform. Surstylus typical of most Sergentomyia , bulbous at base, digitiform at apex, length about 0.71 times as long as gonocoxite. Cercus about ¾ as long as surstylus, widening at mid-length, tapering to apex.

Adult Female ( Figs. 8−14 ): Measurements, (N=5) head length 0.38 mm (0.36−0.39), head width 0.39 mm (0.39−0.41), eye height 0.21 mm (0.20−0.22), eye width 0.13 mm (0.12−0.14), interocular distance 0.15 mm (0.15−0.16), labrum length 0.20 mm (0.19−0.22), flagellomere 1 length 0.39 mm (0.38−0.41), flagellomere 2 length 0.20 mm (0.19−0.22), flagellomere 3 length 0.20 mm (0.19−0.20); palpomere 1 length 0.05 mm, palpomere 2 length 0.09 mm, palpomere 3 length 0.12 mm (0.11−0.12), palpomere 4 length 0.10 mm (0.09−0.11), palpomere 5 length 0.26 mm (0.26−0.27); wing length 2.36 mm (2.32−2.47), wing width 0.72 mm (0.70−0.75), R2 (alpha) length 0.50 mm (0.41−0.55), R2+3 (beta) length 0.51 mm (0.46−0.55), R2+3+4 (gamma) length 0.36 mm (0.35−0.38), delta distance 0.27 mm (0.17−0.32).

General body coloration light tan; body uniformly sclerotized. Head: pyriform in frontal view, vertex not enlarged; ratio of head length to width: 0.97; setae alveoli patches extending anteriorly at midline, meeting supraocular alveoli patches. Eyes prominent, as in male. Frons with interocular sutures equal in length to approximately three facet diameters. Labrum longer than in male, ratio of labrum length to head length: 0.52, ratio of labrum length to flagellomere 1 length: 0.51. Antenna slightly shorter than in male; ratio of flagellomere 1 length to length of flagellomeres 2+3: 0.98; flagellomeres 1−13 each with a pair of ascoids. Ascoids on flagellomere 1 inserted near apex, at slightly different levels ascoids on flagellomeres 2−13 inserted near base; each with minute posterior branch, anterior branch extending to or slightly beyond apex of flagellomere. Flagellomere 1 extending to mid-length of palpomere 4 in slide-mounted specimen; palpomere proportions: 1−1.75−2.19−1.81−4.81; palpomere 3 with patch of transparent digitiform sensilla inserted medially, covering approximately ½ of medial surface; other palpomeres without sensilla. Cibarium with four horizontal teeth medially, flanked by patches of minute vertical teeth; pigment patch absent; cibarial arch lightly sclerotized; pharynx unarmed. Thorax: Wing about 3.28 times longer than wide, longer and wider than in male. Terminalia: spermathecal ducts smooth, lightly sclerotized; individual ducts about 1.25 times as long as spermathecae; common duct about 0.66 times as long as individual ducts; spermathecae cylindrical to ovoid, weakly annulate, about 0.75 times as long as stem of genital fork, with inconspicuous apical knob.

Type material. Holotype [male]: THAILAND. NAKHON NAYOK PROVINCE: Khao Yai National Park, creek 6.2km up Khao Khieo road, 14°22’N 101°24’E, 17.ix.2009, coll. G.R. Curler, CDC trap. Specimen mounted in Canada balsam on slide, deposited USNM. Allotype [female]: same location as holotype, 25.iv −13.v.2001, coll. J. Phasuk and K. Damrak, Malaise trap; mounted in Canada balsam on slide, deposited USNM. Paratypes: same location as holotype and allotype, 5−20.viii.2000, [5 females]; 20.viii −2.ix.2000, [1 female]; 2−16.ix.2000, [3 females]; 30.ix −16.x.2000, [1 female]; 16−28.x.2000, [1 female]; 11−25.xi.2000, [6 males, 5 females]; 17−24.iv.2001, [2 females]; 25.iv −13.v.2001, [2 females]; 13−24.v.2001, [2 females]; 9−23.vi.2001, [1 female]; 23.vi −7.vii.2001, [1 female], all coll. J. Phasuk and K. Damrak, Malaise trap; 17.ix.2009, [1 female], coll. G.R. Curler, CDC trap. Paratypes deposited DNPT, KUIC, USNM, LACM.

Other material examined. THAILAND. NAKHON NAYOK PROVINCE: Khao Yai National Park, Huai Patabak, 14°19’N 101°21’E, 28.x −11.xi.2000, [1 female] coll. J. Phasuk and K. Damrak, Malaise trap; same location, 11−25.xi.2000, [3 females] coll. J. Phasuk and K. Damrak, Malaise trap; same location, 28.iv −13.v.2001, [1 female] coll. J. Phasuk and K. Damrak, Malaise trap; Huai Tadapoo above waterfall, 14°24’N 101°22’E, 20.viii −2.ix.2000, [1 female] coll. J. Phasuk and K. Damrak, Malaise trap.

Etymology. This species is named for Dr. Jumnongjit Phasuk, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Thailand. Dr. Phasuk played an important role in making the type series available for study, and has since assisited with many aspects of the author’s fieldwork in Thailand.

Phenology. In KYNP, S. phasukae is active from late April until late November. No specimens were captured from December through early April. Specimens were most numerous in a sample taken in late November, indicating that the species was most active during this time. Furthermore, all males collected by Malaise trap during this study were captured in late November.

Distribution. This species has only been collected from three locations in KYNP, central Thailand.

Comments. S. phasukae is not formally assigned to a subgenus (see discussion below), but it is morphologically similar and probably most closely related to Sergentomyia perturbans (de Meijere, 1909) and S. quatei Lewis, 1978 . S. phasukae is easily separated from similar species by comparing the following suite of characters: 1. number and arrangement of teeth, and presence or absence of a pigment patch in the male and female cibarium; 2. length of the gonocoxite; 3. length of the common spermathecal duct. Male and female cibaria of S. phasukae have few inconspicuous horizontal teeth flanked by patches of vertical teeth, and no pigment patch; the gonocoxite is 7 times longer than wide and the common spermathecal duct is about 2/3 the length of the individual ducts. In S. perturbans , the cibaria have eight or more conspicuous horizontal teeth, and a pigment patch; the gonocoxite is no more than 5.5 times longer than wide, and the common spermathecal duct is less than 1/3 the length of the individual ducts. In S. quatei , the cibaria have few conspicuous horizontal teeth and no pigment patch; the gonocoxite is about 5 times longer than wide, and the common spermathecal duct is nearly absent.

Other species of Sergentomyia (e.g. S. barraudi , S. bailyi and S. gomboki ) were collected with S. phasukae , but can easily be separated by comparison of the antennae, which are much longer in both sexes of S. phasukae . As suggested by Lewis (1978), the particularly long antennae of species such as S. perturbans , S. quatei and S. phasukae is probably an adaptation to life in dark environments. Dense canopy cover, and many dark microhabitats among large boulders in a hillside stream characterize the type locality of S. phasukae .

Figures

FIGURES 1 − 7. Sergentomyia phasukae Curler sp. nov., male. 1. Head, frontal view; left antennal flagellum and right palpus removed. 2. Wing. 3. Antennal flagellomeres 11 – 13. 4. Cibarium and pharynx, frontal view. 5. Genitalia, medial view; left side removed. 6. Right gonostylus ventromedial view. Scale bars = 0.05 mm (3 – 4, 6), 0.125 mm (5, 7), 0.25 mm (1), 0.5 mm (2).

FIGURES 8 − 14. Sergentomyia phasukae sp. nov., female. 8. Head, frontal view; right antennal flagellum and left palpus removed. 9. Wing. 10. Right palpomere 3, frontal view. 11. Antennal flagellomeres 11 – 13. 12. Cibarium and pharynx, frontal view. 13. Right maxilla (left) and mandible (right). 14. Genital fork and spermathecae. Abbreviations: f 1 – 2, flagellomeres 1 – 2; p 1 – 5, palpomeres 1 – 5. Scale bars = 0.05 mm (10 – 14), 0.25 mm (8), 0.5 mm (9).