Four new species of Mesoamerican biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Author Spinelli, Gustavo R. División Entomología, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s / n, 1900 La Plata, CCT-ILPLA, Argentina; e-mail: spinelli @ fcnym. unlp. edu. ar Author Huerta, Herón Laboratorio de Entomología, InDRE. Fco. P. Miranda N ° 177, Col. U. Lomas de Plateros, Del. A. Obregón, 01480, México, D. F. Author Cct-Ilpla Author InDRE text Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 2015 2015-12-31 55 2 811 824 journal article 10.5281/zenodo.5372815 0374-1036 5372815 773D2075-EB2D-4DF3-ADF0-3768DF78B376D Culicoides woodruffi sp. nov. ( Figs 4 , 29–33 ) Type material. HOLOTYPE : ♀ , MEXICO : MORELOS : nr. Tijalpa , 24.vi.1963 , R . E.Woodruff ,biting man ( FSCA ). PARA- TYPES : 108♀♀ , same data as holotype except 28.vi.1964 ( MLPA ) ( 10 in CAIM , 10 in MLP , 10 in USNM , 78 in FSCA ). Diagnosis. Only species in the C. mohave species group with sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1, 4–8, third palpal segment slender with subapical shallow sensory pit, proboscis long, poststigmatic pale spots small and separated, distal pale spots in cell m 1 well separated from the wing margin, with a distinct pale spot in cell m 2 lying posterior to the medial fork and with a brown halter. Description. Female ( Figs 4 , 29–32 ). Head ( Fig. 29 ) dark brown. Eyes bare, separated by distance equal to diameter of one ommatidium. Flagellum ( Fig. 30 ) uniformly brown; flagellomeres 1–8 vasiform, 9–13 subcylindrical, moderately elongate; AR 0.75–0.87 (0.82, n = 10); sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1, 4–8. Palpus ( Fig. 31 ) dark brown, third segment slender with subapical, shallow sensory pit; PR 2.90–3.20 (3.12, n = 10); P/H ratio 0.80–0.94 (0.85, n = 10). Mandible with 16–18 (17, n = 10) teeth. Thorax . Dark brown, scutum without definite pattern. Legs dark brown, knee spots blackish; faint narrow pale rings subapically on fore-, midfemora, subbasally on all tibiae; hind tibial comb with 4–5 spines, second from spur longest. Wing ( Fig. 4 ), length 1.15–1.24 (1.18, n = 10) mm; width 0.49–0.60 (0.54, n = 10) mm; CR 0.55–0.57 (0.56, n =10); pale spot over r-m crossvein distinct, barely reaching wing margin; poststigmatic pale spots small, separated (lower one very reduced in some specimens, nearly absent in others); distal pale spot in r 3 rounded, clearly separated from wing margin; m 1 with two pale spots, distal one well separated from wing margin; m 2 with distinct pale spot lying behind medial fork, indistinct narrow pale spot at level of pale spot in cua 1, pale spot at wing margin; cua 1 with large, rounded pale spot; anal cell with single distal pale spot. Macrotrichia numerous, extending proximad to base of anal cell. Halter brown. Abdomen . Dark brown. Two oval, unequal spermathecae ( Fig. 32 ) with slender necks, each measuring 51–57 (54, n = 10) by 34–41 (38, n = 10) μm, and 44–53 (49, n = 10) by 30–35 (32, n = 10) μm, including necks; rudimentary third present. With spermathecal duct ring present. Male . Unknown. Differential diagnosis. The poststigmatic pale spots small and separated, with the lower one reduced or even nearly absent, readily distinguishes this new species from the other species of the C. mohave group. Culicoides woodruffi sp. nov. is similar to C . hoguei Wirth & Moraes, 1979 from the coast of southern California , USA and the gulf coast of northern Baja California , Mexico . However, in C. hoguei the eyes are broadly separated, the sensilla coeloconica are distributed on flagellomeres 1, (5), 6–8, the third palpal segment is swollen distally with a large pit, the mandible has 13 teeth, and the spermathecae are equal in size. Figs 29–32. Culicoides woodruffi sp.nov. , holotype female:29 – head; 30 – flagellum; 31 – palpus; 32 – spermathecae and spermathecal duct ring. Scale basr: 19 = 0.16 mm; 20-22 = 0.04 mm. Abbreviations: Sbas, sensilla basiconica; Scoe, sensilla coeloconica; Schaet, sensilla chaetica; Stri, sensilla trichodea. Fig. 33. Distributions of described species. Square – Culicoides fortinensis sp. nov. ; circle – C. rulfoi sp. nov. ; triangle – C. woodruffi sp. nov. ; asterisk – C. pseudodecor sp. nov. Culicoides mohave Wirth, 1952 from the desert areas of southern California and Arizona , USA and the northern portion of Baja California , Mexico shares with C . woodruffi the distribution of sensilla coeloconica, but the flagellomeres 9–13 are more elongate, the third palpal segment is distinctly swollen, the proboscis is shorter, and the distal pale spot in cell m 1 clearly reaches the wing margin. The remaining species of the C. mohave group, C . bajensis Wirth & Moraes, 1979 mainly differs from C . woodruffi by the sensilla coeloconica distributed on flagellomeres 1, (5), 6–8, the third palpal segment greatly swollen, the wing pale spot very extensive, and the macrotrichia shorter and spine-like. Etymology. We are pleased to name this new species after the collector of the type-series, Robert E. Woodruff, in recognition of his important contribution of collecting Neotropical ceratopogonids. Distribution. Mexico ( Morelos ), known only from the type-locality ( Fig. 33 ).