A new Culicoides ( Diptera : Ceratopogonidae ) of the Reticulatus species group from Brazilian Amazon Region

During entomological surveys in the state of Amazonas (AM) and Pará (PA), Brazil, collected specimens of Culicoides included an undescribed species very similar to a congener that belongs to the reticulatus species group, Culicoides paucienfuscatus Barbosa. C. paucienfuscatus is a neotropical widespread species which occurs between Costa Rica through Central and South America to Peru, including Trinidad, Venezuela, Bolivia and Amazon Region of Brazil (AM and PA) (Borkent & Spinelli 2007). The purpose of this paper is to describe a new species based on female and male specimens captured while biting humans and with CDC light trap and to supply taxonomic characters for separation of these two similar sympatric species.

online | memorias.ioc.fiocruz.br Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Vol. 105 (7): 863-865, November 2010 During entomological surveys in the state of Amazonas (AM) and Pará (PA), Brazil, collected specimens of Culicoides included an undescribed species very similar to a congener that belongs to the reticulatus species group, Culicoides paucienfuscatus Barbosa. C. paucienfuscatus is a neotropical widespread species which occurs between Costa Rica through Central and South America to Peru, including Trinidad, Venezuela, Bolivia and Amazon Region of Brazil (AM and PA) (Borkent & Spinelli 2007). The purpose of this paper is to describe a new species based on female and male specimens captured while biting humans and with CDC light trap and to supply taxonomic characters for separation of these two similar sympatric species.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The specimens are slide-mounted in phenol-balsam in the manner described by Wirth and Marston (1968). The new species is deposited in National Institute of Amazonian Research/Laboratory of Ethnoecology and Ethnoepidemiology (Invertebrates Collection) (INPA/LETEP), Emílio Goeldi Museum (Invertebrates Collection) (MPEG) and Oswaldo Cruz Institute (Ceratopogonidae Collection) (CCeIOC), Brazil. Diagnostic characters were illustrated using a camera lucida. Microphotographies of the wings were taken with a Nikon Eclipse E-800. The general terminology used is that employed for Culicoides by Spinelli et al. (2005). Terms for wing veins follow the system of the Manual of Nearctic Diptera (McAlpine et al. 1981), with modifications proposed by Szadziewski (1996). The measurements of the spermathecae are in micrometers and those of the wings are in millimeters. Meristic information is given as range, following by the mean and number of specimens examined.
(Figs 1-11) Diagnosis -Only species of the reticulatus species group with scutum with prominent pattern of oval yellowish patches, poststigmatic pale spot in cell r 3 inverted L-shaped, veins M 1 , M 2 , CuA 1 pale, CuA 2 pale with dark apex or entirely pale, male genitalia with a ventral lobe in the distal portion of the stem of the parameres.
Thorax: brown. Scutum with prominent pattern of oval yellowish patches; scutellum yellowish on sides; postscutelum brown. Legs mostly brown; femora with subapical pale bands, tibiae with subbasal pale bands; hind tibia pale apically (Fig. 9); hind tibial comb ( Fig. 8) with four spines, the two nearest the spur longest, subequal. Tarsi pale, tarsomeres of hind leg darkest. Wing (Figs 1, 2) with pattern as in photographs: second radial cell in dark spot; pale spot over cross vein r-m very large, extending from vein CuA to costal wing margin, poststigmatic pale spot in cell r 3 inverted L-shaped, nearly isolating a small dark spot behind second radial cell; distal pale spot in cell r 3 usually broadly abutting wing margin (Fig. 1), or nearly rounded and not reaching wing margin (Fig. 2); cell m 1 with two pale spots, proximal one merges into transverse pale band of wing, distal one usually large and meeting wing margin (Fig. 1) or smaller than proximal one and not meeting wing margin (Fig. 2); cell m 2 with a small rounded pale spot behind medial fork and two distal pale spots, the proximal one connected with the first pale spot of cell m 1 , the distal one abutting wing margin; cell cua 1 with a round pale spot nearly reaching wing margin; anal cell with two distal rounded pale spots; wing base with a broad pale spot extending from costal margin to anal cell; veins M 1 , M 2 , CuA 1 pale; CuA 2 pale with dark apex or entirely pale in some specimens; macrotrichia on distal half of wing, a few in cua 1 and anal cell; costal ratio 0.60-0.62 (0.61, n = 11). Halter pale.

Distribution -Brazil (AM, PA).
Etymology -This species is named in honor of the Kuripako Indians, inhabitants of the type locality in the Amazon Region.
Taxonomic discussion -C. kuripako sp. nov. is a typical member of the reticulatus species group. It is very similar to C. paucienfuscatus, also known to occur in AM, especially by the wing pattern and by the meristic characters. In the key to the Amazon species of Culicoides by Wirth and Blanton (1973), C. kuripako keys out to couplet 29 and can be distinguished from C. paucienfuscatus by the vein CuA 2 entirely pale or with dark apex (CuA 2 entirely in a dark spot in C. paucienfuscatus) and by the stem of the parameres with a distal ventral lobe (without ventral lobe in C. paucienfuscatus).