Culicoides (Avaritia) pusilloides Wirth and Blanton

Huerta, Rodríguez, Ana M., William L. Grogan, Jr. & Ibáñez-Bernal, Sergio, 2012, New records of biting midges of the genus Culicoides Latreille from Mexico (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Insecta Mundi 2012 (211), pp. 1-20 : 2

Culicoides (Avaritia) pusilloides Wirth and Blanton

Culicoides pusilloides Wirth and Blanton, 1955: 104 ( Panama) .

Culicoides (Avaritia) pusilloides: Wirth 1974: 21 (in New World Catalog south of the USA; distribution); Borkent and Spinelli 2000: 28 (in New World catalog south of USA; distribution); Borkent and Spinelli 2007: 63 (in Neotropical Catalog; distribution).

Discussion. This species is widely distributed in the Neotropics and was previously known from Guatemala and Belize to Panama ( Borkent and Spinelli 2000, 2007). Two other very similar species in the subgenus Avaritia Fox also occur in Mexico, C. pusillus Lutz and C. boydi Wirth and Mullens. Culicoides pusilloides differs from C. boydi by the 2 nd radial cell that is distinctly pale on its apical half, a shorter proboscis (Proboscis/Head ratio 0.50) and the short, broad aedeagus with sides strongly bowed outward. We provide the first records of C. pusilloides from Mexico.

New records. Chiapas, El Vergel, 30 April 1935, light trap, M. F. Alfonso Dampf, 4525 ft, 1 female, 1 male. New country record.