Ceratoculicoides borkenti Fasbender 2023, sp. nov.

Ceratoculicoidesborkenti sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 545F2DF7-08BE-4ACD-B8D8-B18BC4F57A7D Figs 5e, 7c, 9d–f, 11b Diagnosis Male Ceratoculicoides borkenti sp. nov. can be separated from congeners by the following combination of characters: femora and tibiae brown; apices of parameres acute, tapering distally; aedeagus lateral margins an evenly concave arc, nearly entire medial portion of aedeagus hyaline, expanding anteriorly (Fig. 9f). Female Only species of Ceratoculicoides with the following combination of characters: FR 1.41–1.47; femora and tibiae brown, wing length 1–1.2 mm; 2 major spermathecae, largest 52–67; medial margin of 9 th sternite deeply concave. Etymology This species is named in honor of Art Borkent for encouraging my study of Ceratopogonidae, including suggesting this project after I collected a specimen of this species. Material examined Holotype USA • ♂; Arizona, Santa Cruz Co., 24 km W of Nogales; 1 May 1987; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI. Paratypes USA • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; CNCI. Other material CANADA • 1 ♂; British Columbia, 25 km W of Lake Cowichan; 8 Jul. 1991; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI. USA • 3 ♂♂; Arizona, Santa Cruz Co., 11 km SW of Patagonia; 29 Apr. 1987; A. Borkent leg.; CNCI • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; Portal; 23 Apr. 1987; CNCI • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; Yavapai Co., 19 km S of Sedona; 8 May 1987; CNCI • 1 ♂; California, Riverside Co., Philip L. Boyd Deep Canyon Desert Research Center, Horsethief Creek; 5 Apr. 1970; L. Lapre leg.; USNM • 2 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; Thousand Palms; 3 Apr. 1955; W.R. Mason leg.; USNM • 1 ♂; Idaho, Idaho Co., Clearwater National Forest, Imnamatnoon Creek; 46.5149° N, 114.7635° W; 15 Jul. 2017; A. Fasbender leg.; AFPC • 1 ♂; Montana, Missoula Co., Lolo National Forest, East Fork Lolo Creek at US 12; 46.7125° N, 114.5324° W; 26 Jun. 2021; A. Fasbender leg.; AFPC. Description Male MEASUREMENTS (n = 5). Head width (n = 3) 293–305(305); flagellomeres 34–48(45), 22–28(26), 23– 29(25), 22–25(24), 20–27(24), 24–27(25), 25–27(25), 23–30(27), 21–29(25), 21–32(25), 65–86(68), 53–64(56), 55–65(58); AR 0.65–0.76(0.69); FR (n = 1) 1.49; wing length 0.95–1.0(0.97) mm; wing width 0.35 mm; costal ratio (n = 1) 0.50; GCR 2.13–2.62(2.42); GSR 0.82–0.89(0.86); aedeagus ratio (n = 3) 3.33–3.67(3.65). THORAX. Dorsocentral punctations inconspicuous, present only at posteriormost portion of dorsocentral setae near scutellum, may be absent in some specimens. Legs with femora and tibiae brown. GENITALIA (Fig. 9d–f). Distal portion of parameres tapering gradually to acute apex. Aedeagus lateral margins concave, smoothly rounded, apical point posterolaterally directed, triangular with adjacent lateral obtuse spur-like posterolateral point without accessory spines, posterior margin emarginate, hyaline, hyaline medial incision extensive, margins parallel to lateral margins and basal arch. Female MEASUREMENTS (n = 4). Head width (n = 3) 253–278; flagellomeres (n = 3) 26–28(27), 15–17(15), 18–20(20), 20–28(21), 21–25(24), 17–24(24), 24–27(25), 25–31(30), 39–41(40, 35–43(42), 40–46(40), 30–40(38), 41–50(43); AR 1.08–1.15; FR 1.41–1.47; wing length 0.97–1.19(1.13) mm; wing width 0.40–0.52(0.45) mm; costal ratio (n = 1) 0.55; spermathecal length 52–67(61); spermathecal width 37–49(43); spermathecal neck 9–16(14); spermatheca/neck ratio 0.22. THORAX. Legs with femora and tibiae brown. GENITALIA (Fig. 11b). 9 th sternite anterior branch acutely pointed, apices of each half touching medially or not; posterior branch evenly curving towards apex, spiniform, tip acute to rounded. 2 major spermathecae. Distribution British Columbia (Canada); Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana (USA) (Fig. 13). Remarks Ceratoculicoidesborkenti sp. nov. is one of the most distinctive species of Ceratoculicoides in the adult male life stage. As member of the C.moravicus group, the lateral margins of the aedeagus are heavily sclerotized, deeply concave, and taper in a smooth arc to a narrow apex (Fig. 9f). The median portion of the aedeagus is so hyaline as to be nearly transparent, and unlike any other Ceratoculicoides the hyaline incision expands above the basal arch subtrapezoidally, leaving only the lateral and anterior margins of the aedeagus sclerotized. The females of C.borkenti sp. nov. (Fig. 11b) fall into a group of several species with the length of the largest spermathecae <70 μm. Of the described species, it can be differentiated from C. grogani sp. nov. by the medial margin of the 9 th sternite being deeply concave and rounded (vs nearly straight and sinuous, Fig. 11e) and C.virginianus (Fig. 12c) by the 9 th sternite’s acute or triangular anterior branch (vs rounded or truncate) and evenly curved posteromedially directed spiniform posterior branch (base of branch directed posteriorly, curving medially in apical half in C. virginianus, usually tapering only in apical portion). However, there are a number of unassociated female specimens which display a similar morphology, including a species from Colombia (C. sp. F1, Fig. 12c) and another from Costa Rica (C. sp. F3, Fig. 12e). The Costa Rican C. sp F3 differs in having the base of the posterior branch directed posteriorly, vs evenly curving along the whole length in C.borkenti, but C. sp. F1 from Colombia cannot be reliably differentiated by the 9 th sternite. C.borkenti has a lower flagellum ratio (FR <1.5) than either of these provisional species. As there is only a limited sample of reliably associated females, and there are two male morphospecies without a female association sharing the range of C.borkenti (C.propinquus sp. nov. and C. sp. M1), the characters cited above may prove non-diagnostic upon examination of a broader range of material.

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