Culicoides pseudoreticulatus Santarem, Felippe-Bauer & Castellon, sp. nov.

Culicoides pseudoreticulatus Santarém, Felippe-Bauer & Castellón sp. nov.

Figs. 7 A–F; Fig. 9

Diagnosis. Female: This species is easily distinguished by the following combination of characters: palpus 3rd segment with a shallow, round sensory pit in middle portion of segment, with no well-defined contours on distal ½; PR 2.0–2.7; proboscis moderately long; mandible with 19 teeth.

Female. Head. Brown. Eyes bare, (Fig. 7 B) narrowly separated, smaller than ½ ommatidium. Pedicel brown; flagellum pale brown, first eight flagellomeres paler on proximal ½; AR 0.90–1.04 (0.98, n=4) (Fig. 7 C); sensilla coeloconica on flagellomeres 1, 6–8; two on 1, 6 and 7 and three on 8. Palpus (Fig. 7 E) brown, 3rd segment slightly swollen, with a shallow, rounded sensory pit in middle portion of segment, with no well-defined contours on distal ½; PR 2.0–2.7 (2.4, n=6). Proboscis moderately long; P/H ratio 1.0–1.06 (1.03, n=4); mandible with 19 teeth.

Thorax. Dark brown. Scutum without distinct pattern in slide mounted specimens. Wing (Fig. 7 A) with contrasting pattern: second radial cell including dark spot; pale spot over R-M extending from M1 to the costal margin, subdivided; r3 with four small and separated pale spots; first, rounded, between the second radial cell and M1; second, poststigmatic, extending behind second radial cell, abutting wing margin; third, rounded, in middle of cell, similar to the second one; fourth, distal pale spot slightly reaching wing margin; m1 with two pale spots, the distal one far from wing margin and greater than proximal one; m2 with four pale spots: one proximal, faint, near CuA, two between the medial and mediocubital forks, a distal one not reaching wing margin; cua1 with a rounded pale spot in the middle of cell; anal cell with a faint basal pale area and a distal pale spot near mediocubital fork; wing base with a pale spot on M; M1, M2 and CuA1 with pale apex; macrotrichia scarcely distributed on the distal third of wing; wing length 0.80–0.90 (0.86, n=7) mm; breadth 0.35–0.45 (0.42, n=7) mm; CR 0.61–0.66 (0.63, n=7). Halter knob brown in middle, stem pale. Legs (Fig.7 D) mostly brown; femora with subapical pale bands, tibiae with subbasal pale bands; hind tibia pale apically; hind tibial comb with four spines, the one nearest the spur longest.

Abdomen. Brown. Two slightly unequal ovoid spermathecae (Fig. 7 F), measuring 49.5 µm (n=5) by 35 µm (n=5) and 43.2 µm (n=3) by 35 µm (n=3), with sclerotized ducts measuring 6.25 µm (n=3); long, slender, rudimentary third spermatheca (15 µm) present in some specimens.

Male. Unknown.

Type data and depository. Holotype female, BRAZIL, Roraima, Maracá, 28.VII.1987, CDC light trap, "mata 10m ", E. Castellon & S. Gomes cols. (CCER); paratypes, six females, same data except: one, 23.VII.1987, "mata 5m " (CCER); two, 30.VII.1987 (MNRJ; ILMD); one, 24.VII.1987, "mata 5m " (ILMD); one, 31.VIII.1987, "mata 1m " (ILMD); one, Amazonas, Rio Pardo, 21-22.VI.2010, CDC light trap, "galinheiro", F. Pessoa col. (ILMD).

Distribution and bionomics. This species is restricted to Brazilian states of Roraima and Amazonas (Fig.9). It was associated with forest environments far from coastal regions.

Etymology. The name of this species is related with its similar congener, C. reticulatus Lutz (Greek—pseudo = false; Latim—reticulatus = reticulated).