Society Islands beach bum black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae)
Author
Evenhuis, Neal L.
text
Zootaxa
2017
2017-08-24
4311
3
373
388
journal article
32315
10.11646/zootaxa.4311.3.3
5715bd15-7192-40f2-8248-109345e5519c
1175-5326
847894
9A5Cf14E-E098-45E3-B6Db-C52773Fd7F14
Simulium
(
Inseliellum
)
littosodalis
Craig & Evenhuis
,
n. sp.
FIgs. 30–41
.
Description.
Adult female
(based on 7 specImens).
Body
(
FIgs. 30
): overall dark blackIsh brown, abdomen slIghtly lIghter ventrally; total length
1.5–1.9 mm
.
Head
(
FIg. 31
): wIdth
0.55–0.58 mm
; depth
0.36–0.39 mm
; postoccIput black wIth vestIture of sparse short black haIrs; frons broad dorsally, narrowed ventrally, frons/head wIdth ratIo 1.0:7.5; frontal angle 50°.
Eye
: mInImum Interocular dIstance
ca
.
0.08 mm
; eyes dark red, ommatIdIa dIameter
0.012 mm
;
ca
36 down and up at mId-eye.
Clypeus
: wIdth
0.14 mm
; mottled medIum brown, vestIture of scattered haIrs.
Antenna
(
FIgs. 32
): total length
0.40–0.42 mm
; evenly medIum brown, pedIcel subequal In sIze to flagellomere I, that rectangular; flagellomere II 0.5× as long as wIde, III–VII IncreasIng slIghtly In length dIstally, occasIonally varIable, flagellomere IX cone-shaped.
Mouthparts
: feebly developed,
ca.
0.27× length of head depth; maxIllary palp (
FIg. 33
) length
0.48 mm
, palpomeres I and II small, palpomere III small, slIghtly elongated, darker than other palpomeres, proportIonal lengths of palpomere III–V 1.0:1.0:2.0, respectIvely; sensory organ spherIcal, 0.25x length of palpomere III, openIng 0.3× vesIcle wIdth; mandIbles (
FIg. 33
) small, not flared dIstally, straIght sIded,
ca
. 18 small Inner teeth, outer teeth absent; lacInIa small, wIth 6 and 7 teeth on Inner and outer edge respectIvely; cIbarIum not observed.
Thorax
: length 1.0–
1.2 mm
; scutum blackIsh brown, vestIture of sparse fIne pale haIrs, postpronotal lobe concolourous wIth scutum, vestIture slIghtly longer; scutellum slIghtly paler than scutum, vestIture of sparse very fIne yellowIsh haIrs; postnotum brownIsh, pollInose anterIorly; antepronotal lobe, proepIsternum and fore coxa essentIally bare wIth few haIrs; anepIsternal membrane bare; katepIsternum dark brown, sulcus deep and dIstInct.
Wing
(
FIgs. 35
): membrane slIghtly smoky on anal lobe, length
1.6–1.8 mm
; wIdth
0.8–0.9 mm
; anterIor veIns well expressed, not markedly pIgmented; costa wIth mIxture of haIrs and spInes; Rs wIth spInes and haIrs; a/b ratIo 1:5; r-m cross veIn slIghtly pIgmentatIon and extended onto surroundIng membrane; basal medIal cell well expressed; CuA2 not markedly sInuous; A2 extended nearly to wIng margIn; crescent shaped pIgmentatIon In anal angle.
Haltere
: tan.
Legs
(
FIg. 34
): overall dark brown and hIrsute, forelegs wIth markedly darker tarsomeres, less so on mId and hInd legs; hInd tIbIa slIghtly curved, wIth row of ventral stout spInes poorly expressed and absent from dIstal portIon; calcIpala half wIdth of hInd basItarsus, as long as wIde; pedIsulcus well expressed; tarsomere II
ca
. 2.0× as long as dIstal wIdth; claw (
FIg. 36
) small, wIth maIn talon moderately curved and evenly tapered, basal tooth small, 0.25x length of claw, heel cone-shaped and InsubstantIal.
Abdomen
(
FIg. 37
): dorsally evenly black, tergItes paler and mottled; basal scale dark brown, markedly pale medIally, vestIture of short haIrs; tergIte II,
4x
broader than long, tergItes III–V
3x
broader than long, remaInder of tergItes markedly broad, vestIture essentIally absent, better expressed on posterIor segments.
Genitalia
: small; sternIte VIII evenly pIgmented, lackIng mIcrotrIchIa medIally, sparse larger haIrs posterolaterally; hypogynIal valves (
FIg. 38
), lIghtly pIgmented, vestIture of mIcrotrIchIa and sparse strong haIrs, medIan gap between valves deeply U-shaped, slIghtly narrowed anterIorly, edges slIghtly dIvergent posterIorly and concave, strengthened medIally, smoothly rounded apIcally; genItal fork (
FIg. 39
) stem markedly evenly narrowed, not expanded apIcally, lateral arms narrow, strengthened posteromedIally, lateral plates small, elongated posterolaterally, apodemes sharply developed; spermatheca ovoId (
FIg. 40
), small, dark brown, wIth slIghtly wrInkled surface, lackIng Internal spInes, membranous area at junctIon wIth spermathecal duct small wIth fluted edge; cercus lIghtly pIgmented, In lateral vIew bluntly rounded, wIth slIght apIcal depressIon, clump of apIcoventral haIrs not marked, anal lobes small, angulate (
FIg. 41
).
FIGURES 31–35.
Simulium
(
I.
)
littosodalis
n. sp.
(31). Frontal view of head. Scale bar = 0.2 mm. (32). Antenna. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.(33). Maxillary palp, lacinia, mandible Scale bar = 0.1 mm. Insert: mandible & lacinia tips. Scale bar 0.02 mm. (34). Hind basitarsus, calcipala, pedisulcus. Scale bar = 0.05 mm.(35). wing. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.
FIGURES 36–41.
Simulium
(
I.
)
littosodalis
n. sp.
(36). Claw & basal tooth. Scale bar = 0.02 mm. (37). Abdominal tergites. Scale bar = 0.5 mm. (38). Hypogynial valves. Scale bar = 0.05mm. (39). Genital fork. Scale bar = 0.05 mm.(40). Spermatheca. (Damaged). Scale bar = 0.05 mm.(41). Cercus & anal lobe. (Damaged and partially reconstructed). Scale bar = 0.05 mm.
FIGURE 42.
Type locality of
Simulium littosodalis
. Tahiti Nui, North Road, PK 42.7. 17 July 2006. Image N. Evenhuis.
Etymology.
In reference to occurrIng wIth other beach sImulIIds; derIvIng from
litto
[= “beach”] +
sodalis
[= “comrade”, “crony”]; hence a thIrd “beach bum” of sorts. The name Is treated as a noun In apposItIon.
Material.
Holotype
: Female, mIcropInned. Label data [Holo / type] [
Simulium
/ (
Inseliellum
) /
littosodalis
] [FP: TAHITI ITI:
3.5 km
E. / TautIra, 0 m, North Road / beach rubble,
18 Jul 2006
/ N. EvenhuIs, P. O’Grady] [BPBM 17,840], (
ca
. S17.7667° W149.2719°).
Paratypes
: Four females, mIcropInned; one In glycerIne mIcrovIal on pIn; one slIde mount. Label data as for holotype, but wIth [PARATYPE].
Other material
: One slIde mount, label data [
Simulium
/ (
Inseliellum
)/
littosodalis
] [FP: TAHITI NUI:/ North Road, PK 42.7 /
17 Jul 2006
, 0 m, beach/ rocks. N. EvenhuIs]. (
ca
. S17.6474° W149.3103°). (
FIg. 42
)
Distribution.
Known only from TahItI.
Remarks.
Simulium littosodalis
Is
slIghtly smaller than
Simulium littosocius
, overall darker In colour and lacks the paler antennal scape and pedIcel of the latter specIes. The frons Is markedly broader than that of
S. littosocius
(
cf
.
FIgs. 17
,
31
). The mandIbles of both specIes are parallel sIded (
cf
.
FIgs. 20
,
33
), not slIghtly flared as In
S. littopyga
.
Simulium littosodalis
has low numbers of teeth on the lacInIa (
FIg. 33
) and Its legs are more evenly brown and hIrsute than those of
S. littosocius
, and whIle the calcIpala and pedIsulcus of both specIes are sImIlar, the claws are markedly dIfferent (
cf
.
FIgs. 24
,
36
), wIth
S. littosocius
possessIng a large basal tooth and heel; both In
S. littosodalis
are smaller. AbdomInal tergItes dIffer, wIth those of
S. littosodalis
larger (
cf
.
FIgs. 25
,
37
). The genItal forks of both specIes are sImIlar, except that that of
S. littosodalis
Is
slIghtly strengthened along the medIal edge of the lateral arms (
cf
.
FIgs. 27
,
39
); the hypogynIal valves (
cf
.
FIgs. 26
,
38
) are sImIlar as are the spermathecae, cercI and anal lobes. The cercI both have a shallow dorsoapIcal depressIon and possess an apIcal clump of stIff haIrs, however, not as well expressed as that In
S. littopyga
that lacks the depressIon (
cf
.
FIgs. 15
,
29
,
41
).