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New species of Ablabesmyia Johannsen (Diptera, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae) from the Neotropical Region, with description of male adults and immature stages

Nova espécie de Ablabesmyia Johannsen (Diptera, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae) da região Neotropical, com descrição do adulto macho e estágios imaturos

Abstracts

A new species of genus Ablabesmyia is described. The larvae were collected associated with aquatic macrophytes in ponds from the Southeast of Brazil. In laboratory, the larvae were reared to obtain pupae and adults.

Ablabesmyia oliveirai sp. nov.; Brazil; taxonomy


É descrita uma nova espécie do gênero Ablabesmyia. As larvas foram coletadas associadas a macrófitas aquáticas de lagoas no Sudeste do Brasil. No laboratório, foram criadas para a obtenção das pupas e adultos.

Ablabesmyia oliveirai sp. nov.; Brasil; taxonomia


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New species of Ablabesmyia Johannsen (Diptera, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae) from the Neotropical Region, with description of male adults and immature stages

Nova espécie de Ablabesmyia Johannsen (Diptera, Chironomidae, Tanypodinae) da região Neotropical, com descrição do adulto macho e estágios imaturos

Caroline S. N. Oliveira; Alaíde A. Fonseca-Gessner

Departamento de Hidrobiologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Caixa Postal 676, 13565-905 São Carlos, São Paulo, Brasil. Email: cneubern@yahoo.com.br; gessner@power.ufscar.br

ABSTRACT

A new species of genus Ablabesmyia is described. The larvae were collected associated with aquatic macrophytes in ponds from the Southeast of Brazil. In laboratory, the larvae were reared to obtain pupae and adults.

Key words:Ablabesmyia oliveiraisp. nov.; Brazil; taxonomy.

RESUMO

É descrita uma nova espécie do gênero Ablabesmyia. As larvas foram coletadas associadas a macrófitas aquáticas de lagoas no Sudeste do Brasil. No laboratório, foram criadas para a obtenção das pupas e adultos.

Palavras-chave:Ablabesmyia oliveiraisp. nov.; Brasil; taxonomia.

The genus Ablabesmyia Johannsen, 1905 is cosmopolitan, except for Antarctica. The genus was established by JOHANNSEN (1905), based on Tipula monilis Linnaeus, 1758. It was first treated as a subgenus of Pentaneura Philippi, 1865 by EDWARDS (1927) and JOHANNSEN (1946), called Group A; posteriorly, FREEMAN (1955) and ROBACK (1959) yet considering it as a subgenus of Pentaneura, but then already bearing the name Ablabesmyia. FITTKAU (1962) recognized the generic status, thus elevating the subgenus to genus (see also ROBACK 1971).

None of the eight species described to Neotropics have been recorded from Brazil (see SPIES & REISS 1996, for the catalogue). However the larvae have been recorded from many ecological studies (TRIVINHO-STRIXINO & STRIXINO 1995, TAKEDA et al. 1997, FONSECA-GESSNER & GUERESCHI 2000, ROQUEet al. 2003). Recently, Ablabesmyia reissi Paggi & Suarez, 2000 was described from Argentina and Ablabesmyia electrohispaniolana Grund, 2005 was described from amber of the Dominican Republic.

Due to the lack of information an all life stages, the identification to species level of the Ablabesmyia material is very difficult. The present paper describes and figures all life stages of a new species, Ablabesmyia oliveirai.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The larvae of Ablabesmyia oliveirai sp. nov. were collected in small body waters of lentic systems in the São Paulo State, Brazil. They were brought to the laboratory and isolated in small vials with water from the place of collection, in order to obtain the associations between larva, pupa and adults as suggested by MENDES (2002).

The material was mounted in Euparal following the procedures outlined by PINDER (1983, 1986, 1989). The thorax and abdomen of the adults were cleared in a 10% KOH solution. The terminology follows those proposed by SAETHER (1980), ROBACK (1985), KOWALYK (1985) and LANGTON (1994); the measurements follow EPLER (1988), except for the length of the cephalic capsule of the larva, which was determined by measuring the ventral length from the anterior margin to the post-occipital margin.

The measurements are given as ranges followed by mean when four or more specimens were measured. Measurements are given in µm except when otherwise stated. The type material is deposited at Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZSP), São Paulo, Brazil, except for one paratype which is kept at Laboratório de Entomologia Aquática (LEA-UFSCar), Departamento de Hidrobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil.

Ablabesmyia oliveirai , sp. nov.

Figs 1-22





Type Material. Holotype (male): BRAZIL, São Paulo State: Luís Antônio (Estação Ecológica de Jataí, Lagoa Piaba), 30/VIII/1995, S. Trivinho-Strixino leg. Paratypes: 1 male, same data as holotype; 1 male, same data as holotype except for (Lagoa do Óleo), 25/VII/2003; 1 male, Brotas (Lagoa Dourada), 04/III/2004, L. Correia leg.; 1 male with pupal and larval exuviae, São Carlos (represa do Monjolinho), 18/X/2000, L. Correia leg. The paratype with the immature stages associated is deposited in the collection of LEA-UFSCar, the rest of the types are deposited in the MZSP.

Etymology. The new species is named in memory and honor of Dr. Sebastião José de Oliveira, in memoriam, Fundação Nacional do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to acknowledge his important contributions to the study of the Brazilian Chironomidae.

Diagnosis. Ablabesmyia oliveirai sp. nov., shares with Ablabesmyia monilis (Linnaeus, 1758), Ablabesmyia metica Roback, 1983 and Ablabesmyia reissi Paggi & Suarez, 2000, the spoon-shaped gonostylo megaseta; and with Ablabesmyia electrohispaniolana Grund, 2005, the third palpomere longer than the second; but can it be recognized by the combination of middle leg tibia with three spurs, one pectinated, one lyrate and a third, smooth; tarsomere 1 of hind leg with 6-12 spines linearly set along the inner margin and different volsellae; round superior volsella with abundant long terminal filaments, striated long median volsella with round apex, and inferior volsella in S-shaped.

The pupae can be recognized by the shape of the thoracic horn, with distinct reticulate pattern, sinuous aeropyle tube and club-shaped apex; abdominal setae distribution; and shape and pattern of shagreen.

The larvae can be recognized by the concave apices teeth of the ligula, the two-segmented maxillary palps and the posterior parapods with five hooked and two dark brown claws.

Male imago (n = 5).

Abdominal length 3.26-4.50 mm.

General coloration brown. Head and thorax (Fig. 1) brown. Wings (Fig. 3) membrane transparent, veins darker, with 11-13 brownish spots and five dark brown areas around the arculus, R2 and R3 and the tranversal veins r-m and m-cu. Legs yellow with brown bands (Fig. 7). Femur I with three to four bands, one sub-basal, one or two median bands and another pre-apical. Femurs II and III with three bands, one sub-basal, one median and another pre-apical. Tibiae I and II with four bands, one sub-basal, two median and one apical. Tibia III with three bands, one sub-basal, one median and another apical. Tarsomeres 1 with two bands, one median and another apical, tarsomeres 2-4 with one apical band and tarsomeres 5 pale. Abdomen pigmented (Fig. 2). Hypopygium yellow (Fig. 9), gonocoxite in apical region brown and gonostylus in basal region brown.

Head. Antennal flagellum = 1.34-1.49 mm, AR = 0.10. Lengths of palpomeres (in µm): 58-87, 101-136, 161-167, 160-167, 330-362. Thorax. Acrostichals divided into 59-60 anterior and 6-10 posterior; 25-35 dorsocentrals; 1 supra-alar; 1 pre-alar, 8 humerals. Scutellum with 16-28 setae in a double row. Wing. with macrotrichia, Length 1.70-2.35 mm, width 0.50-0.74 mm, WW = 0.29-0.31, costal extension 1.53-2.18 mm, squama with 28-30 setae. Legs. Fore leg: LR1 = 0.73; tibia with one pectinated spur of 52-67 µm and with three pseudospurs of 70-89, 150-153 and 159-164 µm (Fig. 4), tarsomeres 1 and 2 with two pseudospurs each of 64-72, 70-76, 64-70, 66-71 µm respectively and tarsomeres 3 with one pseudospur of 60-65 µm. Middle legs: LR2 = 0.88; tibia with three spurs, one pectinated spur of 59-63 µm, other in lyrated of 37-58 µm and one smooth spur of 29-32 µm (Fig. 5), tarsomeres 1 and 2 with two pseudospurs each of 63-73, 62-70 µm and 65-70, 60-69 µm respectively and tarsomeres 3 with one pseudospur of 63-70 µm. Hind legs: LR3 = 0.90; tibia with two pectinated spurs of 50-67, 65-89 µm (Fig. 6), tarsomeres 1 with two apical pseudospurs of 75-81, 75-83 µm and 6-12 spines linearly set along its inner margin of tarsomeres, tarsomeres 2 with two pseudospurs of 67-73, 60-72 µm and tarsomeres 3 with one pseudospur of 61-69 µm. Leg measurements and ratios (Tab. I).

Hypopygium (Figs 8-10). Tergite IX 84-93 µm and two or three dorsal setae, gonocoxite 140-200 µm, gonostylus 118-193 µm, megaseta 24-35 µm spoon-shaped, slender pre-apical seta, gc/gs = 1.0-1.1, transverse sternapodeme 25-69 µm, phallapodeme 63-80 µm, superior volsella 53-63 µm, median volsella 26-27 µm, inferior volsella 61-41 µm.

Pupa (n = 1)

General coloration yellowish. Thoracic horn with brownish respiratory atrium.

Cephalothorax. Wing sheath = 1.46 mm, oval thoracic horn (Fig. 11), length 537 µm, width 237 µm, reticulation of atrium respiratory distinct and homogeneous lumen, membranous apical nipple, ANi = 16 µm, ANi/TH = 0.029, aeropyle tube sinuate and apex club-shaped (Fig. 12), plastron plate present, basal lobe produced as conical evagination of the tegument, thoracic comb with 14-16 conic teeth, frontal apotome (Fig. 16).

Abdomen. Tergites entirely covered with shagreen, consisting of small spinules in convex arc (Fig. 14). All segments with abundant setae irregularly distributed. AIV (Fig. 13) with D1 median followed posteriorly by D3 and D5 respectively; D2 lateral to D4; L1 posterior to L2. AV-VII with a small prominence at dorsal surface. AVII with four taeniae, position LS1 = 162 mm of basal region, AVIII with five taeniae, position LS1 = 118 µm of basal region. Anal lobe (Fig. 15) elongate, triangular, length 450 µm, with two taeniae, position LS1 = 231 µm of basal region, inner margins with thin spinules. Genital sac (Fig. 15) elongate, conical, length 375 µm.

4th instar larva (n = 1)

General coloration yellow. Apex of mandible, ligula and postoccipital margin dark brown. Posterior parapods with two brown apical claws and the others yellow (Fig. 20).

Head capsule (Fig. 17). Elongate. I/C = 1.27. Chaetotaxy of cephalic setae as follows: Dorsal (S1-S5, S11): S1 located near anterior margin, S2 and S3 located in frontoclypeolabral apotome, S4 anterior to S5, both located on frontal apotome, seta coronal S11 antero-lateral pore coronal. Lateral (S6-S8): S6 postero-lateral to S3 followed posteriorly by S7, S8 postero-lateral to S7. Ventral (S9-S10, SSm): S9 antero-lateral to S10. Seta sub-mental SSm posterior S10. Ventral pore located between S10 and SSm. Dorsal pore near to S8. Coronal pore located near to postoccipital margin. Antenna: A1 550 µm, ring organ located 306 µm from base. Maxilla (Fig. 21): maxillary palps with two segments, P1/P2 = 1.0, ring organ located in P1 46 µm from base. Mandible (Fig. 22): length 153 µm, with three lateroventrals setae and one sensilium campaniforme located 118 µm at apice, basal tooth bifide with a seta subdentalis, A1/MD = 3.59. Mentum (Fig. 19): dorsomental teeth, pseudoradula uniformly granulate. Hypopharyngeal complex (Fig. 18): ligula 92 µm, with five teeth forming a concave toothed margin, tooth outcurved, basal third granulose, base as width as teeth width, It/O = 0.91, Mt/O = 0.88; paraligula 35 µm, bifid, pecten hypopharyngis with 21 small teeth in an arc. Abdomen: without lateral fringe, procercus 147 µm; with seven anal setae, length 825 µm; supra-anal setae simple, length 443 µm. Posterior parapods (Fig. 20) with apical claws serrated outer margin, five hooked claws and two dark brown and in region apical with hooklets.

DISCUSSION

ROBACK (1959) divided the subgenus Ablabesmyia into two groups, monilis and illinoensis. The major differences of the groups is the shape of the megaseta, which is spoon-shaped in the monilis group and slender in the illinoensis group. Later, in 1971, the same author created two subgenera by grouping the species of these groups, the subgenus Ablabesmyia for the monilis group and the subgenus Karelia for the illinoensis group. ROBACK (1983) proposed the subgenus Sartaia based only on adults, for the A. metica species from the Neotropical region. And in 1985, he proposed the subgenus Asayia for A. annulata (Say, 1823).

The division proposed by ROBACK (1959) and confirmed by MURRAY & FITTKAU (1989), states that the species with spoon-shaped megaseta belong in the subgenus Ablabesmyia, yet according to ROBACK (1985), larvae with two-segmented maxillary palps should be placed in the subgenus Karelia. The present species fits both subgenera, considering the larval and adult stages.

The pupae of Ablabesmyia oliveirai sp. nov. does not readily fit into any of the three subgenera proposed by ROBACK (1985), Ablabesmyia, Karelia and Asayia, as it shares sinuous aeropyle tube and club-shaped apex with Ablabesmyia and respiratory atrium with distinct reticulation with Karelia.

A similar problem was reported by PAGGI & SUAREZ (2000) for Ablabesmyia reissi. Probably Ablabesmyia oliveirai sp. nov., could be better included in the " reissi group" proposed by these authors, although the larvae of A. oliveirai sp. nov. lack the palpiger (membranous portion between P1 and P2), characteristic that defines this group.

Ecological notes

The specimens were collected in three ponds and in a reservoir, all of them located in three counties in the central São Paulo State, Brazil. The ponds Piaba and Óleo are located in the Ecological Station of Luís Antônio (21º36'S, 47º48'W), the pond Dourada in the county of Brotas and the Monjolinho reservoir in the county of São Carlos (21º53'S, 47º52'W).

The larvae of Ablabesmyia oliveirai were collected associated with aquatic macrophytes of the genera: Eichhornia, Egeria, Myriophyllum, Scirpus, and Cabomba of shallow lakes (0.4-2.9 m) with well-oxygenated water (6.8-7.2 mgL-1).

The larvae of genus Ablabesmyia are predators, feeding on small invertebrates, including other Chironomidae larvae. Generalist insectivore fishes can eat these larvae, for example of Crenicichla britskii (Perciformes, Cichlidae) (GIBRAN et al. 2001).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To Susana Trivinho-Strixino, Humberto F. Mendes, and Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Recursos Naturais (PPG-ERN/UFSCar).

Received in 10.I.2006; accepted in 23.VIII.2006.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    09 Oct 2006
  • Date of issue
    Sept 2006

History

  • Accepted
    23 Aug 2006
  • Received
    10 Jan 2006
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