A New Neotropical Species of Monohelea Kieffer from Uruguay (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

A New Neotropical Species of Monohelea Kieffer from Uruguay (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

Vol. 93(1): 63-64

Maria Luiza Felippe-Bauer, Gustavo R Spinelli ^*

Departamento de Entomologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Av. Brasil 4365, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil * Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet", Casilla de Correo 712, 1900 La Plata, Argentina

A new species of Monohelea Kieffer, M. uruguayensis, is described and illustrated from a male specimen from Uruguay.

Key words: Neotropical predaceous midge - Monohelea uruguayensis sp.n. - Uruguay.

Studying material from light trap collection made by one of us (GRS) in the Department of Artigas, Uruguay, we found a male of an undescribed species of Monohelea Kieffer, which is here described and illustrated.

In our study we used the terminology explained in Monohelea revisions by Wirth & Williams (1964) for Northamerican species, Lane & Wirth (1964) for Neotropical species, and Ratana-worabhan & Wirth (1972) for Oriental species.

Monohelea uruguayensis Felippe-Bauer & Spinelli new species

Type locality: Colonia San Gregorio, Artigas, Uruguay.

Male Holotype: wing length 1.05 mm; breadth 0.41 mm.

Head: eyes black, bare, widely separated. Antenna (Fig.2) appearing pale brown in the slide mounted specimen; pedicel, distal half of flagellomere 12 and flagellomeres 13-15 brown, 4-11 somewhat barrel-shaped, 12 about 2,5 times as long as wide, 13-15 elongated; flagellomeres with lengths in proportion of 40-13-13-12-12-11-11-11-10-15-38-36-40; A.R. (12-15/3-11) 0.96. Palpus uniformly pale brown; segments compressed.

Thorax: without definite pattern in slide mounted specimen. Legs (Fig. 3) brown; coxae and trochanters dark brown; hind leg darker; proximal ½ of femora dark; femora with a narrow, oblique, dark brown stripe in middle, and a subapical, dorsal dark brown mark; knees yellowish; hind tibia with a dorsal dark brown mark basally and a dark brown stripe in middle; apices of tibiae dark brown; fore and mid tibiae slightly dark mesally; fore and hind tibiae with apical spur, longer in fore leg; hind tibial comb with 5-7 bristles; lengths of trochanters, femora and tibiae of fore, mid and hind legs in proportion of 12-74-70, 15-87-80, 18-95-90. Tarsi (Fig. 5) pale, pilose; hind basitarsus darker on proximal 1/2, with one row of ventral palisade setae; fore and hind basitarsi with one basal and one apical spine; mid basitarsus with 2 basal and 2 apical spines; apical spines of tarsomeres 2-4 of fore, mid and hind legs as follows: 1-1-1, 2-2-2, 1-1-1, basal spines absent; lenghts of fore, mid and hind tarsomeres in proportion of 38-19-15-11-11, 48-22-15-11-11, 46-26-19-15-12; fore, mid and hind tarsal ratios 2.0, 2.1, 1.7; claws paired, equal-sized, about 0.4 times as long as 5th tarsomere. Wing (Fig. 1): with irregular dark areas and spots, defining the hieroglyphic pattern ; macrotrichia absent; 2nd radial cell nearly twice as long as 1st; costal ratio 0.74. Halter missing.

Abdomen: pale brown. Genitalia (Fig. 7): Ninth sternum spiculate except on basal portion; 9th tergum tapered. Gonocoxite moderately stout, nearly 1.4 as long as basal wide; gonostylus curved in apical portion, gradually narrowed to apex, about 0.55 times as long as gonocoxite, moderatelly pilose basally. Aedeagus (Fig. 6) triangular, with 2 pointed ventral plates, and slightly sclerotized dorsal structure which arises in the middle way to aedeagus base, and produced beyond the apices of ventral plates. Parameres (Fig. 4) nearly 1.8 times as long as aedeagus, separated with trilobed base; each with a curved, strongly sclerotized, median hook-shape process which measure 0.62 times as long as distal portion of the paramere; basal arms greatly sclerotized; distal portion narrowing gradually and curved to blunt tip.

Female: unknown.

Distribution: known only from the type locality.

Type: holotype male, Colonia San Gregorio, Dept. Artigas, Uruguay, 20.X.1987, G. Spinelli col., CDC trap. In the collection of the Museo de La Plata, Argentina.

Etymology: This species is named after the Country of Uruguay, where the type was collected.

Discussion

Monohelea uruguayensis most closely resembles M. poncai Lane & Wirth by the wing and legs patterns. It can be readily distinguished from poncai by the distinct parameres with more stout apex; the median hook-shaped process is greatly sclerotized and measure 0.62 times as long as distal portion of parameres (0.37 in poncai).

Acknowledgements

To Genilton José Vieira and Rodrigo Mexas for assisteance in the wing photos.

⁺Corresponding author. Fax: [phone]

Received 4 April 1997

Accepted 23 June 1997

Fig. 1
: wing photograph of Monohelea uruguayensis sp.n.

• Lane J, Wirth WW 1964. The biting midge genus Monohelea Kieffer in the Neotropical Region (Diptera:Ceratopogonidae) Studia Ent 7: 209-236.
• Ratanaworabhan NC, Wirth WW 1972. The biting midge genus Monohelea Kieffer in the Oriental Region (Diptera:Ceratopogonidae) Pacif Ins 14:439-473.
• Wirth WW, Williams RW 1964. New species and records of North American Monohelea (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Ann Ent Soc Amer 57: 302-310.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  08 Oct 1998
• Date of issue
  Jan 1998

History

• Accepted
  23 June 1997
• Received
  04 Apr 1997