Parabezzia fluminensis Felippe-Bauer & Spinelli

Felippe-Bauer, Maria Luiza & Spinelli, Gustavo R., 2015, New species and new records of the predaceous midge genus Parabezzia Malloch (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Brazil, Zootaxa 3915 (3), pp. 390-402 : 399-400

Parabezzia fluminensis Felippe-Bauer & Spinelli , sp. nov.

Figs. 21–27

Diagnosis. The only Neotropical species of the Parabezzia alexanderi group in which the females present small wing lenght (0.98 mm), basal swelling not prominent, beginning at the level of basal arculus, fore and mid tarsomere 5 with delicate ventral swelling, tarsal claws long and sligthly unequal on fore and mid legs, small and nearly equal on hind leg, spermathecae ovoid, slightly unequal to subequal.

Female. Head brown. Eyes separated by V-shaped space equal to diameter of 2.4 (n=2) ommatidia at level of interocular setae ( Fig. 25 ). Antennal flagellum pale brown ( Fig. 22 ); pedicel brown; antennal ratio 1.12 (n=2). Clypeus with 9–12 (n=2) slender setae. Palpus pale brown ( Fig. 23 ); segment 3 with few capitate hyaline sensilla on inner mesal surface; palpal ratio 3.0–3.3 (3.2, n=2). Mandible with 9 teeth.

Thorax brown. Scutum with 4–5 presutural, 5 posterolateral setae; scutellum with 8–10 (4 stout, 4–6 delicate) setae. Wing (Fig. 21) length 0.98 (n=2) mm; breadth 0.40–0.43 (0.41, n=2) mm; membrane slightly infuscated; Sc, M, r-m, R1 and R3 brown; wing sections lenght 480–390–140µ, one seta on costa proximad of basal arculus; costal fringe moderately long in the entire margin of costa; R3 ending at 0.90 of wing lenght; costal extension reaching 0.70 the length from tip of R3 to tip of M1. Halter pale brown. Legs yellowish brown ( Fig. 26 ), hind femur darker; trochanters, apical portion of femora and entire tibiae paler; mid femur slightly swollen basally, hind femur slightly swollen distally; hind tibial comb with 9 spines; tarsi paler ( Fig. 27 ), palisade setae in single row on hind tarsomere 1; fore and mid tarsomere 5 with delicate ventral swelling; tarsal claws long and sligthly unequal on fore and mid legs, small and nearly equal on hind leg, lenghts of larger and smaller talons of fore, mid and hind claws:179/134 – 168/131 – 49/41µ (n=2); longest talon of fore and mid leg claws longer than lenght of their respective tarsomeres 5, LC/T ratios of fore, mid and hind legs 1.32–1.32–0.70 (n=2); hind tarsal ratio 2.7 (n=2).

Abdomen brown. Two slightly unequal to subequal ovoid spermathecae ( Fig. 24 ) with very short necks, measuring 75 X 60µ and 63 X 51µ (n=2).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Brazil (Rio de Janeiro).

Types. Holotype ♀, BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro, Casimiro de Abreu, Union Biological Reserve (22° 25′ 35″ S, 42° 2′ 4″ W), 28.XII.2012 – 31.I.2013, “ Biota Diptera Fluminense ” team col., malaise trap (CCER). Paratype 1 ♀, same data as holotype (CCER).

Etymology. This species is named after the originairies of the state of Rio de Janeiro, where the specimens were collected.

Taxonomic discussion. Parabezzia fluminensis differs from the other New World species of the alexanderi species group by its smaller wing lenght (0.98 mm) (1.04 mm in P. blantoni , 1.30 mm in P. c os t al i s and P. spangleri , 1.23–1.34 mm in P. b al s e i roi and 1.02–1.32 mm in P. alexanderi ), by the presence of wing basal swelling beginning at the level of basal arculus (wing basal swelling beginning before the level of basal arculus in the remaining species), by the fore and mid tarsomere 5 with delicate ventral swelling (prominent ventral swelling on fore and mid tarsomere 5 in P. c o s t a l i s, ventral swelling absent on fore tarsomere 5 in P. alexanderi and P. balseiroi , on all tarsomeres 5 in P. spangleri , ventral swelling on tarsomeres 5 not described in P. blantoni ).

FIGURE 21. Parabezzia fluminensis sp. nov., female. A. Wing; B. Wing base, showing costa; C. Wing apex, showing r3.

Figures

FIGURES 22 – 27. Parabezzia fluminensis sp. nov., female. 22. Antenna; 25. Eyes separation, anterior view; 23. Palpus, lateral view; 24. Spermathecae; 26. Legs (left to right) of fore, mid- and hindlegs, lateral view; 27. Tarsi (top to bottom) hind, mid-and fore tarsomeres, lateral view.