Full redescription and first record of Dasyhelea bifida Zilahi-Sebess (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Mexico Author Huerta, Heron Author Romero, Daniel I. Author Díaz, Florentina text Journal of Natural History 2023 2023-11-06 57 29 - 32 1464 1471 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2023.2257386 journal article 284350 10.1080/00222933.2023.2257386 99ec77cb-1a67-4dc5-becb-e48b435c8d6f 1464-5262 10594326 Dasyhelea bifida Zilahi-Sebess, 1936 ( Figures 1–2 ) Dasyhelea fasciigera var. bifida Zilahi-Sebess 1936: 44 (male, figure; Hungary ). Zilahi-Sebess 1940: 48 (male description, figure; Hungary ). Dasyhelea bifida Zilahi-Sebess : Remm 1967: 21 (male, figure; Azerbaijan ); Damian-Georgescu 1975: 97 ( Pseudoculicoides subgenus; male description, figure; Romania ); Remm 1988: 80 (catalogue Palaearctic; distribution); Szadziewski 1991: 106 ( Poland ); Navai 1994: 364 (male description; figure; Afghanistan ); Borkent and Wirth 1997: 52 (catalogue world species of biting midges); Yu et al . 2006: 237 (male description, figure; China ); Dominiak et al . 2007: 260 ( Pseudoculicoides subgenus; male, figure; Israel ); Dominiak and Szadziewski 2010: 7 (comments on synonymy with D. furva Remm , distribution Poland , Ukraine ); Dominiak 2012: 268 (male, female, diagnosis, description, key, figures, biology, distribution; synonymy with D. excellentis ; Poland ); Dominiak and Alwin 2013: 137 (distribution, Lebanon ); Stur and Borkent 2014: 114 ( Pseudoculicoides subgenus; male; DNA barcoding; Norway ); Salmela et al . 2015: 60 (distribution, male figure; Finland ); Borkent and Dominiak 2020: 43 (catalogue of the biting midges of the world). Dasyhelea excellentis Borkent, 1996 , p. 91 (male, female, figures; USA : Hawaii ). Figure 1. Dasyhelea bifida Zilahi-Sebess. (A–E) adult male, (F–K) adult female. (A, F) head; (B, G) flagellum; (C) thorax and legs; (D, J) wing; (E) gentalia; (H) palpus; (I) scutellum; (K) abdominal segment 8–9. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. Figure 2. Dasyhelea bifida Zilahi-Sebess. (A–B, D–F) adult male, (C) adult female. (A), genitalia, lateral view; (B), genitalia, ventral, view; (C) abdominal segment 8–9, lateral view; (D) genitalia, dorsal view; (E) paramere; (F) aedeagus. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. Diagnosis. The only species of the fasciigera complex with males with outer gonostylus distinctly bent at midlength; inner gonostylus divided into unequal and slightly divergent arms; gonocoxite with subapical tubercle; distal portion of paramere near the posteromesal margin of gonocoxite; aedeagus H-shaped, with basal arms slightly divergent; apicolateral processes of tergite 9 finger-like, close to each other. Females uniformly dark brown, except lighter pigmented scutellum than scutum and a small (40 μm × 30 μm), ovoid spermatheca. Male. ( Figures 1A–E , 2A–B, D–F ) Head . Dark brown ( Figure 1A ). Eyes densely pubescent, contiguous by width of 4 ommatidia. Antennal flagellum ( Figure 1B ) with flagellomeres 2– 9 short, rhomboidal, flagellomeres 10–13 elongate, cylindrical, 13 shorter than 12; AR 0.95 (0.94–0.97, n = 2). Clypeus with 2 pairs of setae. Palpus ( Figure 1A–B ) pale brown; segment 3 as long as segments 4 + 5, with scattered capitate sensilla; PR 4.5 (4.3–4.8, n = 2). Thorax . Scutum ( Figure 1C ) dark brown; scutellum pale brown with 6 setae. Wing ( Figure 1D ) length 1.12 mm , width 0.35 mm ; CR 0.45. Halter white. Genitalia . ( Figures 1E , 2A–B, D–F ). Dark brown. Tergite 9 ( Figures 1E , 2A–B, D ) with posterior margin rounded, that extends to apices of gonocoxites; apicolateral process finger-like, divergent, stout with apical short seta; cercus very small, rounded with minute setae. Sternite 9 ( Figures 1E , 2D ) length 0.50 of greatest width; distal portion triangular, greatly tapering, apex rounded tapered with regular margins and slender, rounded apex. Gonocoxite ( Figures 1E , 2A, D ) stout, straight, 1.9× longer than broad, with subapical, mesal, rounded process with long seta, distal margin with tuft of long setae. Gonostylus ( Figures 1E , 2A, D ) bifurcate; outer gonostylus distinctly bent at midlength, with subbasal lobe with apical seta; inner gonostylus subdivided, outer arm shorter than inner arm, with weak, subapical seta; inner arm curved, wider than outer arm, widest basally, tapering to apex, with strong, apical seta. Gonocoxal apodemes and paramere ( Figures 1E , 2D–E ) in form of asymmetrical structure; gonocoxal apodemes heavily sclerotised, right gonocoxal apodeme stout, curved, broadly fused with paramere; left apodeme much longer, moderately broad, recurved, extreme apical section narrowly fused to paramere; paramere broad proximally, nearly straight, tapering to pointed tip. Aedeagus H-shaped ( Figures 1E , 2D, F ) 0.30 length of greatest width; basal arch slightly sclerotised, shallow, extending 0.25 of total aedeagus length, distal margin concave; basal arm, heavily sclerotised, divergent, small, rounded; posterolateral arm heavily sclerotised, distal portion with a small, pointed tooth; apex with recurved tip. Redescription of female. Head . Dark brown ( Figure 1F ). Eyes contiguous for a distance equal to length of 3–4 ommatidia. Antennal flagellum ( Figure 1G ) with flagellomeres 2–8 vasiform, 9–13 vasiform, slightly longer than 2–8; AR 0.91. Clypeus ( Figure 1G ) broad with broad, detached wing-like proximal portion; distal portion narrow with 3 pairs of setae. Palpus ( Figure 1H ) pale brown; segment 3 longest, with 2–3 capitate sensilla on mesal surface; PR 3.4. Thorax . Scutum dark brown; scutellum ( Figure 1I ) paler with 6 setae. Femora, tibiae dark brown, tarsi slightly paler; hind tibial comb with 7 spines; prothoracic tarsal ratio 2.28; metathoracic tarsal ratio 2.22. Wing ( Figure 1J ). Membrane hyaline, covered with dense macrotrichia; 2nd radial cell reduced. Abdomen . Dark brown ( Figures 1K , 2C ). Subgenital plate of the available specimen is mounted laterally and apparently with broad lumen; posterolateral arms slender, recurved. Spermatheca ( Figure 1K ) small (40 μm × 30 μm), ovoid, heavily sclerotised, with neck short. Material examined. MEXICO , Ciudad de México , Coyoacán , July 1944 , Leg . A. Dampf, (MF 9792) in CAIM , light trap , 3 males , 1 female mounted on slides . Distribution. This species is distributed in the Paleartic region in Europe and Argelia , and in the Nearctic region in Canada ( Yukon territory ) and Hawaii. The species is herein recorded for the first time from Mexico .