Revision of the New World Ceratoculicoides Wirth & Ratanaworabhan (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Ceratopogonini) Author Fasbender, Andrew Rhithron Associates Inc., 33 Fort Missoula Road, Missoula, MT 59847, USA. afasbender@rhithron.com text European Journal of Taxonomy 2023 2023-06-26 875 159 202 journal article 54709 10.5852/ejt.2023.875.2147 3351d966-cbeb-42a8-ac49-627b5fc261c7 2118-9773 8083773 32FA008C-B35D-483C-9DBE-1DCCD0868FAC Ceratoculicoidesaliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005 Figs 7a–b , 10d–e , 11a Ceratoculicoidesaliciae Huerta & Borkent, 2005: 112 , figs 1–21. (in catalog). Ceratoculicoides aliciae – Borkent & Dominiak 2020: 157 (in catalog). Diagnosis Male Ceratoculicoides aliciae can be separated from congeners by the following combination of characters: femora and tibiae yellow; apices of parameres acute, tapering; aedeagus lateral margins parallel basally, tapering apically, posterior margin with acute medial notch, apical and posterolateral point adjacent, posterolateral point rounded ( Fig. 10e ). Female Only species of Ceratoculicoides with the following combination of characters: FR 1.48; femora and tibiae yellow; wing length ~ 1.1 mm ; 2 major spermathecae, largest 70–76; medial margin of 9 th sternite deeply concave. Fig. 4. Male heads I. a . Ceratoculicoides confusus sp. nov. b . C. pacificus sp. nov. c . C. confusus (Colombia) . d . C.virginianus ( Wirth, 1951 ) . Scale bars = 100 μm. Type material Holotype MEXICO • ♂ ; Jalisco , Biology Station Chamela ; 6–11 Jul. 1992 ; A. Rodriguez leg.; Malaise trap ; InDRE . Not examined in this study. Material examined Paratypes MEXICO • 2 ♀♀ ; same collection data as for holotype; CNCI CAIMCrt/lam-01103 , CAIMCrt/lam-01109 . Description (female) MEASUREMENTS (n = 2). Head width 280–332; flagellomeres (n = 1) 32, 20, 24, 27, 31, 31, 32, 35, 50, 47, 50, 52, 61; AR (n = 1) 1.12; FR (n = 1) 1.48; wing length 1.0– 1.1 mm ; wing width 0.42–0.43 mm ; costal ratio (n = 1) 0.58; spermathecal length 71–76; spermathecal width 53–59; spermathecal neck 8–10; spermatheca/neck ratio 0.16. THORAX . Legs with femora and tibiae yellow. GENITALIA ( Fig.11a ).9 th sternite anterior branch blunt and poorly sclerotized medially, apices nearly touching; posterior branch curving towards tip, tapering near apex to acutely pointed tip. 2 major spermathecae. Fig. 5. Male heads II. Ceratoculicoidesmoravicus group. a . C. sp. M1. b . C.moravicus Knoz, 1987 . c . C.propinquus sp. nov. d . C.grogani sp. nov. e . C.borkenti sp. nov. Scale bars = 100 μm. Distribution Jalisco ( Mexico ) ( Fig. 13 ). Remarks As I did not examine the holotype , I cannot provide a full description of this species, but I did have the opportunity to examine the two female paratypes . Based on the description and illustrations of the male in Huerta & Borkent (2005) , this species belongs in the C.moravicus group, similar to C. sp. M1, C.moravicus and C.propinquus sp. nov. , based on the presence of accessory spines between the apical and posterolateral points of the aedeagus. Males of C.aliciae ( Fig. 10e ) can be recognized by the straight margins of the aedeagus narrowed conspicuously beyond their midpoint, the posterior margin with a distinct acute notch, and the apical and posterolateral points being adjacent. The females can be recognized by the largest spermatheca being 70–76 μm, a feature found only in C. moravicus and an undescribed Colombian morphospecies ( C. F2, Figs 7b , 12d ; see taxonomic notes on C.confusus ). Females of C.aliciae can be distinguished by the posterior branch of the 9 th sternite tapering to an acute point, unlike the broadly rounded posterior branch of C. sp. F2. Both species are distinguished from C.moravicus by the presence of two major spermathecae.