Ceratoculicoides grogani Fasbender 2023, sp. nov.

Ceratoculicoidesgrogani sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: D295FBE0-C019-4CA5-A608-C4EA7525D529

Figs 5d, 7d, 9g –i, 11e

Diagnosis

Male

Ceratoculicoides grogani sp. nov. can be separated from congeners by the following combination of characters: femora and tibiae yellow or lightly infuscate; apices of parameres acute, tapering distally; aedeagus lateral margins straight, posterolateral point an acute spine directed laterally (Fig. 9i).

Female

Only species of Ceratoculicoides with the following combination of characters: hind femur infuscate, other femora and tibiae brown, wing length ~ 1.4 mm; 2 spermathecae, largest 60; medial margin of 9 th sternite weakly concave, sinuous.

Etymology

This species is named in honor of William L. Grogan Jr., who provided specimens for this project and guidance in my initial foray into ceratopogonid taxonomy.

Material examined

Holotype

USA • ♂; Oregon, Benton Co., 6 km NW of Corvallis; 3 Aug. 1989; M. Dietrich leg.; CNCI.

Paratypes

USA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; CNCI • 1 ♂; California, Napa Co., N side of Howell Mountain, 2 mi. NNE of Angwin; 5–8 Jun. 1978; H.B. Leech leg.; USNM • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 7 Jun. 1978; USNM.

Description

Male

MEASUREMENTS (n = 3). Head width 332–347(334); flagellomeres 48–50(49), 27–34(30), 27–34(29), 26–31(28), 24–31(29), 21–33(33), 27–37(34), 29–34(33), 35–39(37), 33–48(37), 99–115(111), 69– 82(80), 80–93(81); AR 0.70–0.90(0.81); FR 1.74–1.83(1.83); wing length 1.21–1.29(1.24) mm; wing width 0.36–0.39(0.37) mm; costal ratio 0.48–0.55(0.55); GCR 1.73–2.33 (2.02); GSR 1.01–1.12(1.06); aedeagus ratio 2.3–2.46(2.4).

THORAX. Legs with femora and tibiae yellow or very lightly infuscate.

GENITALIA (Fig. 9g –i). Distal portion of parameres tapering gradually to acute apex. Aedeagus broad posteriorly, tapering anteriorly; lateral margins forming a smooth, shallow arc, divergent posteriorly, curving outward to acute laterally directed posterolateral point at apex, forming a smooth concave arc medially to triangular posteriorly directed apical point; posterior margin weakly concave, hyaline medial incision broad posteriorly, tapering anteriorly.

Female

MEASUREMENTS (n = 1). Head width 306; flagellomeres 32, 23, 26, 27, 32, 33, 36, 36, 48, 52, 61, 59, 68; AR 1.18; FR 1.74; wing length 1.42 mm; wing width 0.52 mm; costal ratio 0.52; spermathecal length 60; spermathecal width 49; spermathecal neck 11; spermatheca/neck ratio 0.17.

THORAX. Legs with hind femur infuscate, other femora and tibiae yellow.

GENITALIA (Fig. 11e). 9 th sternite anterior branch broadly triangular, apices rounded, widely separated; posterior branch broadly triangular, apex directed posteriorly, tip triangular with ridge along medial margin. 2 major spermathecae.

Distribution

California, Oregon (USA) (Fig. 13).

Remarks

This species belongs to the C.moravicus group. It can be differentiated from C.moravicus (Fig. 10h) and C.aliciae (Fig. 10e) by the aedeagus not conspicuously narrowing midway along its length, and from C. sp. M1 (Fig. 10c) and C.propinquus sp. nov. (Fig. 10k) by having the posterolateral point elongate and spiniform. It is readily distinguished from C.borkenti sp. nov. (Fig. 9f) by the weakly developed hyaline incision of the aedeagus.The female of this species is the most readily recognizable of any Ceratoculicoides, as the medial apex of the 9 th sternite is only weakly concave, instead of deeply emarginate (Fig. 11e).