Dasyhelea rhopaloparamera, Grogan & Díaz & Spinelli & Ronderos, 2019

Grogan, William L., Díaz, Florentina, Spinelli, Gustavo R. & Ronderos, Maria M., 2019, The Biting Midges of the Caribbean island Curaçao (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) I. Species in the genus Dasyhelea Kieffer, Zootaxa 4700 (3), pp. 301-325 : 319-322

Dasyhelea rhopaloparamera n. sp.

( Figs. 42–51 , 67–69 )

Diagnosis. The only Neotropical species with the following combination of characters. Male antennal flagellum short with only flagellomeres 11–13 elongate; wing very broad, membrane hyaline without macrotrichiae; gonocoxal apodemes and paramere symmetrical; paramere elongate, club-shaped; aedeagus complex, composed of two sections, a heavily sclerotized H-shaped basal portion and a broad, hyaline membranous quadrate posterior portion attached to the distal section of the basal portion, the apex of which is broad with short, blunt apicolateral extensions and an apicocentral lobe; sternite 9 elongate, distal margin convex with a small, slender, sharply pointed apicocentral projection. Female with flagellomeres 2–12 moderately short, vasiform, 13 more elongate, antennal ratio 0.70; wing broad, membrane hyaline, macrotrichiae sparse, a few marginal ones in cells r 3 and m 1; subgenital plate subcircular posteromedian margin rounded, posterolateral arms stout, nearly straight; spermatheca ovoid, very heavily sclerotized with hyaline punctations, neck short, lightly sclerotized, elongate, very slender, slightly curved.

Male. Head ( Fig. 42 ). Brown. Eyes contiguous for a distance equal to the width of 3–4 ommatidia.Antennal flagellum short; flagellomeres 12–13 extending beyond apex of palpus; 2–12 with sculpturing, 2–10 rhomboid, 12–13 more elongate, 13 longest, broadest; 2–10 with single whorl of long sensillae chaetica comprising the dense plume that extends just beyond flagellomere 11; antennal ratio 0.58; flagellum length 0.44 mm. Frontal sclerite distorted and damaged during slide-mounting, but probably elliptical in shape. Clypeus with 4 pairs of setae. Palpus ( Fig. 43 ) brown; segment 3 slender, as long as 4+5 combined with scattered hyaline capitate sensillae on mesal surface; palpal ratio 3.00. Thorax. Brown; scutellum yellowish brown with 6 large, 2 smaller setae. Legs yellowish brown, tarsomeres 5 infuscated. Wing ( Fig. 44 ) nearly as broad as female wing; membrane hyaline, without macrotrichiae; veins brown; 2 nd radial cell short, poorly developed, with gap between apices of costa, radius; fork of CuA 1 just beyond level of apex of costa; anal lobe well developed; wing length 0.85 mm, width 0.32 mm; costal ratio 0.47. Abdomen. Dark brown. Genitalia ( Figs. 45 , 67–69 ). Tergite 9 short, mid-section thickest, distal 1/2 abruptly tapering to rounded apex; apicolateral process short, conical with stout apical seta; cercus conspicuous with 3–4 large setae. Sternite 9 ( Figs. 45 , 67 ) 0.44 length of greatest width; base curved antero-laterally; distal margin convex, with slen- der, sharply pointed apicocentral projection (partially folded in holotype). Gonocoxite very short, slightly triangular, 1.4 x longer than greatest (distal) width; gonostylus stout proximally, nearly straight, as long as gonocoxite, tapered distally with slightly curved, pointed tip. Paramere and gonocoxal apodemes ( Figs. 45 , 68 ) symmetrical; gonocoxal apodemes arcuate, heavily sclerotized, basal knob stout; paramere elongate, club-shaped, distal 2/3 lightly sclerotized. Aedeagus ( Figs. 45 , 69 ) basal portion heavily sclerotized, 0.50 length of greatest width, basal arch extending 0.3 of total length, basal arms nearly straight, with short, subapical outer tooth, and slender posterolateral arms that are heavily sclerotized basally, hyaline distally with convergent pointed apices; a broad, hyaline membranous quadrate posterior portion attached to the distal section of the basal portion, the apex of which is broad with short, blunt apicolateral extensions and a hyaline apicocentral lobe.

Female. Head ( Fig. 46 ). Dark brown. Eyes contiguous for a distance equal to the width of 3–4 ommatidia. Antennal flagellum with flagellomeres 2–12 vasiform, slightly longer than broad, 13 much longer than broad; antennal ratio 0.70; flagellum length 0.44 mm. Frontal sclerite distorted and damaged during slide-mounting, but probably elliptical. Clypeus ( Fig. 47 ) with 4 pairs of setae. Palpus ( Fig. 48 ) brown; segment 3 with capitate sensillae on entire mesal surface; palpal ratio 3.66. Thorax ( Fig. 49 ). Brown, humeral angles and prescutellar depression paler; scutellum yellowish brown with 6 large, 2 smaller setae. Legs pale brown, tarsomeres 5 infuscated; hind tibial comb with 5 spines; prothoracic tarsal ratio 2.73, mesothoracic tarsal ratio 3.66, metathoracic tarsal ratio 2.00. Wing ( Fig. 50 ) broad; membrane hyaline, macrotrichiae sparse, a few marginal ones in cells r 3 and m 1; 2 nd radial cell reduced to a suture; apices of costa, radius at slight acute angle; fork of CuA 1 at level of base of 2 nd radial cell; wing length 0.82 mm, width 0.35 mm; costal ratio 0.51. Halter brown. Abdomen. Brown. Subgenital plate ( Fig. 51 ) ribbon-like, arcuate, anteromesal margin heavily sclerotized; posterolateral arms stout, nearly straight. Spermatheca ( Fig. 51 ) large, ovoid, very heavily sclerotized with hyaline punctations; 67 x 60 µm; neck ( Fig. 51 inset) lightly sclerotized, elongate, very slender, slightly curved, length 27.5 µm.

Distribution. Curaçao.

Type material. Holotype male, allotype female labeled “ Curaçao, Piscadera Baai , 5-XII-2015, M. C. Thomas, Blacklight trap in mangroves” (deposited in FSCA).

Derivation of specific epithet. The specific epithet is a combination of two Greek terms, rhopalo (clubbed) and paramere, in reference to the club-shaped paramere of the holotype male of this new species.

Discussion. The holotype male of this species is similar to males of D. meloae Díaz & Spinelli, in Díaz et al. (2011) , D. pailemanensis Díaz & Spinelli, in Díaz et al. (2011) , and D. turnbowi Grogan, Díaz, Spinelli & Ronderos (2016) . Males of D. meloae differ from the holotype male of D. rhopaloparamera n. sp. in having slender, much longer flagellomeres 10–11; a clypeus with an angular, pointed base; a narrower wing with a poorly developed anal lobe; a shorter sternite 9 with a shallow marginal excavation and a pair of short, triangular submarginal extensions; longer gonocoxites with dense apicomesal patches of long setae and longer, broader gonostyli with broad blunt apices; longer, very slender gonocoxal apodemes and a very short slender paramere. The holotype male of D. pailemanensis differs from the holotype male of D. rhopaloparamera n. sp. in having slender, longer flagellomeres 10–11; a shorter wing (wing length 0.68 mm) with a shorter costa (costal ratio 0.41) and more numerous macrotrichiae in cells r 3, m 1 and m 2; a similar shaped sternite 9 without a slender, sharply pointed, apico-mesal triangular projection; longer gonocoxites with dense apicomesal patches of long setae and longer gonostyli with broader apices; and narrower, straighter gonocoxal apodemes and a shorter, slender paramere. The holotype male of D. turnbowi differs from the holotype male of D. rhopaloparamera n. sp. in having a very long antennal flagellum with slender, elongate flagellomeres 10–13; a narrower wing with a longer 2 nd radial cell; sternite 9 with a much broader, arrow-head shaped posterior extension; a much longer tergite 9 with longer, cylindrical apicolateral processes; longer gonocoxite and gonostylus; much broader bases of gonocoxal apodemes; and a very short, broader quadrate paramere.

Females of D. meloae and D. pailemanensis are unknown. Females of D. turnbowi differ from the allotype female of D. rhopaloparamera n. sp. in having a much longer antennal flagellum with slender, elongate flagellomeres 9–13; wing with dense macrotrichiae and a longer, broader 2 nd radial cell; a broader chalice-shaped subgenital plate with a broad U-shaped posterior margin; and a much smaller (diameter 42 µm vs. 67 x 60 µm in D. rhopaloparamera ) spherical spermatheca.

Figures

FIGURES 42–51. Dasyhelea rhopaloparamera n. sp. Holotype male, 42–45, allotype female, 46–51. 42, 46 head. 43, 48 palpus. 44, 50 wing. 45 genitalia. 47 clypeus. 49 thorax. 51 apex of abdomen and spermatheca. Scale bars = 0.05 mm.

FIGURES 52–69. Male Dasyhelea genitalia structures: sternites 9 (left column), gonocoxal apodemes and parameres (middle column), and aedeagi (right column). 52–54 D. aliciae n. sp., 55–57 D. recurva n. sp., 58–60 D. latiala n. sp., 61–63 D. cyrtostyla n. sp., 64–66 D. curacaoensis n. sp., 67–69 D. rhopaloparamera n. sp. Scale bars = 0.05 mm.