Corethrella (Corethrella) lopesi Lane, 1942

Amaral, André P., Mariano, Rodolfo & Pinho, Luiz Carlos, 2023, Description of five new species of frog-biting midges (Diptera, Corethrellidae) from Brazil and examination of new morphological characters with utility for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies, European Journal of Taxonomy 874 (1), pp. 1-120 : 57-58

Corethrella (Corethrella) lopesi Lane, 1942

Fig. 26 ; Appendix 1

Material examined

BRAZIL – Santa Catarina State • 1 ♀, adult; Urubici, Parna São Joaquim , Alojamento, Brejo flores ; 28°08ʹ31ʺ S, 49°38ʹ07ʺ W; 1361 m a.s.l.; 24 Feb. 2014; A.P. Amaral and A. Parise leg.; frog-call tray; CE-MHS • 1 ♀, adult; Grão Pará, Parque Estadual Serra Furada ; 28°11ʹ28ʺ S, 49°23ʹ30ʺ W; 13 Oct. 2012; L.C. Pinho, A.C. Ganzer, L.S. Gomes, and A.G. Parise leg.; entomology net; CE-MHS • 1 ♂, adult; same collection data as for preceding, except CAPEA stream ; 28°11ʹ26ʺ S, 49°23ʹ30ʺ W; 6 Sep.–5 Oct. 2012; Malaise trap; CE-MHS • 1 ♀, adult; Porto Belo, Ponta do Araçá , “ Brejo de altitude ” [altitude marsh]; 27°07ʹ38ʺ S, 48°31ʹ20ʺ W; 115 m a.s.l.; 25 Jul. 2011; Ganzer and Fabris leg.; light trap; CE-MHS . – Rio Grande do Sul State • 1 ♀, adult; Derrubadas, “Parque Estadual do Turvo” [Turvo State Park], Riacho Salto ; 27°08ʹ21.6ʺ S, 53°52ʹ52.4ʺ W; 12 Feb. 2014; V. Caldart leg.; frog-call trap ( Physalaemus aff. gracilis ); CE-MHS . – Bahia State • 1 ♂, adult; Camacan, RPPN Serra Bonita , “Córrego Sede” [stream by the lodge]; 29 Jan. 2005; Calor et al. leg.; light trap; CE-MHS .

Description

Male and female adults (2 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀)

HEAD. Sensilla ( Fig. 26A ): Ocular row with 1 thick offset seta at ventral part, 13–18 setae extending to mid-posterior portion of head. Subocular row well-defined, with about 14 slender setae; vertex with a few additional slender setae. Postgenal row with 6–8 slender setae, ranging from posterior end of ocular row to ventromedially. With 2 thick ventromedial setae.

THORAX. Sensilla ( Fig. 26B ): Antepronotum with 3–4 thick/intermediate and 1–2 slender lateral setae. Postpronotum with 1 thick dorsal, 0–1 intermediate, and 3–4 slender, more posterior setae. Scutum, prescutal area with 3 thick setae dorsoventrally aligned near prescutal suture and about 6–10 intermediate setae grouped more anteriorly, reaching anterior portion of dorsocentral row. Antealar area with 4–5 thick/intermediate setae dorsoventrally aligned and 8–9 thick/intermediate setae more posteriorly, forming a U-shape; 5–7 slender setae scattered dorsally. Supraalar area with 2–3 thick setae, with 5–6 intermediate/slender setae more anteriorly.Dorsocentral row, posterior part with cluster of 3–5 thick and 1 slender setae; 21–28 thick/intermediate and approximately 14 slender setae filling row. Scutellum with 12–14 thick setae. Posterior anepisternum bare. Anepimeron with 12–15 slender setae.

WING. Male R 3 /R 1: 0.43–0.44; R 2+3 /R 2: 0.81–0.86. Female R 3 /R 1: 0.51 (0.48–0.55); R 2+3 /R 2: 0.72 (0.62– 0.79).

LEGS. Empodium ( Fig. 26C ) of intermediate length, slender, with 3 branches. Male Ta1/Ta2: 3.06–3.17; Ta3/Ta4: 0.73–0.82. Female Ta1/Ta2: 3.00 (2.89–3.11); Ta3/Ta4: 1.24 (1.18–1.30).

Distribution and biology

The examined individuals were collected via sweeping, and Malaise, light and frog-call traps (playing the calls of Boana faber , Physalaemus cuvieri , and P. nanus ) in Santa Catarina and Bahia states. Sampling areas consisted of marshes and the surroundings of small streams in the Atlantic forest, at altitudes ranging from 115 to 1356 m a.s.l.

Corethrella lopesi is also know from the Atlantic forest of the Brazilian states of BA, RJ, RS, SC, and SP, at altitudes ranging from 43 to 637 m a.s.l. ( Borkent 2008; Caldart et al. 2016; Ambrozio-Assis et al. 2018).

Remarks

In three different expeditions, using frog-call traps and Malaise traps, six individuals of a particular morphotype ( Corethrella sp. 1 in Ambrozio-Assis et al. 2018) have been collected along with typical specimens of Corethrella lopesi . Those midges key out to C. lopesi Lane, 1942 and reasonably match its description, but are discretely larger, more darkly pigmented, and have approximately 30 setae on the postgenal row. No further distinctive features were found in order to confidently separate the species; however, they are probably not conspecific. One male individual captured via light trap in Uruçuca, Bahia, keyed out to C. lopesi but was significantly smaller and had different proportions of the wing veins and tarsomeres. It could represent intraspecific variation but was left out of our analysis.

Figures

Fig. 26. Corethrella lopesi Lane, 1942, adult. A. Cranial setae, anterior and posterior views, and female clypeus in anterior view. B. Thoracic setae, lateral view. C. Hind leg claw and empodium, lateral view.