Claudiotendipes epleri new species

http://zoobank.org/ F16C55CF-A514-4379-B19D-50640527FE08

Type material: Holotype: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste, Guanacaste Conservation Area, Cerro Cacao, Rio San Josecito, 1000 m a.s.l., 4–5.v.1993, Malaise trap, T Andersen, 1 male (ZMBN).

Etymology: Named after Dr. John H. Epler for his many contributions to the taxonomy and ecology of chironomids from the New World.

Diagnostic characters: See key.

Description

Male (n = 1). Total length 1.73 mm. Wing length 1.02 mm. Total length / wing length 1.69. Wing length / length of profemur 1.91.

Coloration. Antenna and legs pale yellowish; head, thorax and abdomen whitish; wings hyaline without markings.

Antenna. AR 0.28. Ultimate flagellomere 96 µm long.

Head (Fig. 6A). Temporal setae 9 including 5 inner verticals, 2 outer verticals, and 2 postorbitals. Clypeus with 8 setae. Frontal tubercle barely indicated as pale area. Tentorium, stipes and cibarial pump as in Figure 6B. Tentorium 73 µm long, 18 µm wide. Stipes 61 µm long. Palp segment lengths (in µm): 16, 23, 64, 70, 107. Third palpomere with 6 sensilla, 4 of which in pit, longest 11 µm long.

Thorax (Fig. 6C). Antepronotum bare. Dorsocentrals 7; acrostichals 7, all decumbent, starting close to antepronotum; prealars 2. Scutellum with 6 setae, partly biserial.

Wing (Fig. 6E). VR 1.26. Brachiolum with 1 seta, R with 13, R 1 with 5, R 4+5 with 19 setae, other veins and cells bare. Squama bare.

Legs (Fig. 6D). Scale of fore tibia 11 µm long; spur of mid tibia 32 µm long, of hind tibia 35 µm long. Comb on mid tibia 10 µm long, of hind tibia 12 µm long. Width at apex of fore tibia 30 µm, of mid tibia 34 µm, of hind tibia 36 µm. Lengths and proportions of legs as in Table 2.

Hypopygium (Figs 6F, G). Tergite IX covered with microtrichia, with 2 setae to each side of base of anal point; anal tergite bands reaching base of anal point. Laterosternite IX with 1 seta. Anal point nearly parallel-sided, 19 µm long, 3 µm wide. Transverse sternapodeme 29 µm long, nearly straight. Phallapodeme 38 µm long. Gonocoxite 59 µm long. Superior volsella 27 µm long, 6 µm wide at base, 4 µm wide at apex, with 2 dorsal and 2 lateral setae. Median volsella with 1 seta. Inferior volsella 39 µm long, 13 µm wide at base, 3 µm wide at apex, with 2 simple setae and 1 stout apical seta on main branch and 4 simple setae on side-branch. Gonostylus 54 µm long. HR 1.08. HV 3.21.

Female and immatures. Unknown.

Distribution and ecology

This species is only known from Guanacaste Conservation Area in northwestern Costa Rica where it was collected in a Malaise trap at a small, shallow river with stony bottom at 1000 m altitude.