Pseudosmittia Edwards, 1932

Andersen, Trond, Saether, Ole A. & Mendes, Humberto F., 2010, Neotropical Allocladius Kieffer, 1913 and Pseudosmittia Edwards, 1932 (Diptera: Chironomidae) 2472, Zootaxa 2472 (1), pp. 1-77 : 23-24

Pseudosmittia Edwards

Pseudosmittia Goetghebuer, 1932: 126 (as subgenus of Smittia Holmgren, 1869: 47 ), nomen nudum. A type species was not designated in the original work contrary to Article 13b of the Zoological Code.

Pseudosmittia Edwards, 1932: 141 , pro parte. Edwards described the genus by inference (ICZN Article 13a (ii) and designated an eligible type species. Following ICZN Article 50a, Pseudosmittia must be credited to Edwards (1932). See Spies and Reiss (1996) and Spies and Saether (2004).

Pseudosmittia Edwards ; Ferrington and Saether (in manuscript).

Orthosmittia Goetghebuer, 1943: 110 in Goetghebuer (1940 –50) (as subgenus of Smittia Holmgren, 1869: 47 ). Orthosmittia has mistakenly been synonymized with Smittia both by Freeman (1956: 346) and Saether (1981: 25). Syn. n.

Ancylocladius Sublette & Wirth, 1972: 5 . Syn. n.

Type species. Spaniotoma (Smittia) angusta Edwards, 1929 , by subsequent designation of Edwards (1932: 141).

Diagnostic characters. The imagines are separable from other Orthocladiinae with bare eyes, wings and squama, by having 2 short, biserial acrostichals on mid-scutum without additional tubercle, hump or microtrichial tuft; non-extended, non-protruding eyes; costa not to moderately long extended; VR high to extremely high; Cu 1 sinuate, curved or straight; wing often with additional vein caused by bifurcation of postcubitus. Male anal point absent or placed forward on tergite IX with microtrichia often reaching to apex; single, plate- or spine-like, median virga; male gonostylus not double but occasionally furcate. Female genitalia with gonocoxite IX long and low with characteristic sclerotized margin against tergite IX, small dorsomedian lobe, large ventrolateral lobe, and spermathecal duct with loop.

The pupae can be separated from other orthoclads by lacking a thoracic horn and a precorneal tubercle, having a reduced or smoothly rounded anal lobe without or with fine hair-like setae; three precorneals and two median antepronotals all fine and hair-like, and usually conjunctives both dorsally and ventrally armed with spinules.

The larvae are separable from all other orthoclads except Camptocladius van der Wulp , Allocladius and a new genus (Ferrington & Saether in manuscript) by having broad, bifid S I and S II, reduced antenna and no procerci. They differ from Camptocladius by having premandible with brush, and reduced to relatively well developed posterior parapods, usually with claws. From Allocladius and the new genus they differ by having the antennal blade extending beyond flagellum about 2–4 times as long as width of basal segment and posterior parapods with 0–6 claws, except in P. mathildae Albu with 8 claws.