Dibezzia Kieffer
Creators: name: Borkent, Art
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ceratopogonidae
Dibezzia

description: Dibezzia Kieffer
(Figs. 12B, 21A, 26E, 30J, 38A, 45G, 51A, 64B, 75I)
DIAGNOSIS: Only pupa of Ceratopogonidae with a well-developed prothoracic extension (Fig. 26E) and an elongate seta (D-5-IX) on the base of the terminal process (Figs. 12B, 75I).
DESCRIPTION: Habitus as in Fig. 12B. Total length = 4.03 mm (5.5 mm from Mayer 1934c). Without larval exuviae retained on abdomen. Exuviae with flagellum appressed against lateral margin of midleg, wing (as in Figs. 16B, 33B). Ecdysial tear uncertain anteriorly; present along prothoracic extension. Head: Dorsal apotome (Fig. 21A), with partial ventral line of weakness, without dorsomedial tubercle, without central dome; dorsolateral cephalic sclerite (as in Fig. 13H) fused to scutum, each side separated medially by dorsal apotome in whole pupa; mouthparts (Fig. 26E) with mandible well-developed, lacinia absent; palpus extending posterior to posterolateral margin of labium; labium entire (not divided medially); apex of antenna (Fig. 38A) posterior to posterior extent of midlength portion of midleg (portion lateral to mesosternum), narrowed posteriorly; sensilla: dorsal apotomals (Fig. 21A)—1 elongate seta, 1 campaniform sensillum; dorsolateral cephalic sclerite sensilla—1 seta, 1 campaniform sensillum; clypeal-labrals (Fig. 26E)—2 slender setae; oculars (Fig. 26E)—2 setae, 1 campaniform sensillum. Thorax: Prothoracic extension (Fig. 26E) wide, well-developed, extending from palpus but narrow dorsolaterally, extent to antenna uncertain; mesonotum without tubercles, not extending posteromedially, not dividing metathorax medially (Fig. 51A); respiratory organ (Fig. 45G) length/width = 3.11–3.61, moderately elongate, with blunt apex, somewhat flattened apically, with pores closely abutting at apex of respiratory organ, arranged in single row, outer surface with plates with very fine spicules, without pedicel, base with elongate posteromedial apodeme, membranous base of respiratory organ short, tracheal tube straight to slightly curved along length, with spirals restricted to base, plates to 3/4 length; wing (Fig. 38A) without apical tubercle or angle, separated medially by fore-, midlegs; halter apex and hind leg (as in Fig. 33A) broadly abutting; halter apex abutting anterolateral knob-like extension of tergite 2; legs (Fig. 38A) with lateral margin of foreleg near midlength of wing evenly curved; hind leg visible at lateral margin of wing (as in Fig. 33C); with apex of foreleg moderately anterior to apex of midleg; apex of hind leg abutting apex of midleg laterally; sensilla: anteromedials—2 elongate setae (as in Figs. 31L–M); anterolaterals—1 moderately long seta; dorsal setae (Fig. 30J)—D-1-T, D-2-T, D-4-T setae, D-5-T broken or absent, D-3-T campaniform sensillum, D-3-T lateral to D-4-T; supraalar 2—campaniform sensillum; metathoracics (Fig. 51A)—1 campaniform sensillum; M-3-T distant from margin of metathorax (at least 1/3 length of metathorax). Abdomen: without pigmentation pattern, segment 2 as wide or slightly wider than segment 3, segments with undivided, thin to thick setae, with rounded to pointed, short to moderately elongate tubercles, tergites or sternites entire, each without membranous disc; segment 9 (Fig. 75I) not strongly modified, terminal processes closely approximated basally, each projecting nearly posteriorly, elongate, slender, tapering to pointed apex; sensilla: tergite 1 (Fig. 51A) with 6 setae, 2 campaniform sensilla, including 3 lateral sensilla, D-2-I, D-3-I closely approximated, D-7-I situated anteriorly near D-3-I; segment 4 (Fig. 64B)—D-2-IV, D-3-IV short to moderately elongate setae, D-2-IV on short tubercle; D-8-IV, D-9-IV moderately elongate setae, D-5-IV, D-7-IV absent (or perhaps not visible); D-8-IV, D-9-IV on elongate, single tubercle, posterior dorsal sensilla in transverse row, arranged medially to laterally: D-4-IV, D-8-IV, D-9-IV; L-1-IV short seta without tubercle, just anterior of base of tubercle with L-2-IV; L-2-IV, L-3-IV, L-4-IV moderately elongate setae on elongate tubercles, V-5-IV, V-6- IV, V-7-IV moderately elongate setae, without tubercles, all closely approximated; segment 8 without D-3-VIII, without L-1-VIII; segment 9 (Fig. 75I)—with D-5-IX elongate seta, D-6-IX campaniform sensillum.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT: The genus Dibezzia is known from five species in the Oriental and Afrotropical Regions (Borkent 2014, additional species below). The two species were reared from either "bamboo peat" (Johannsen 1932) in Indonesia or a tree hole in Singapore (Wirth & Ratanaworabhan 1981a).
TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION: The pupae of this genus are known from two species (Tables 2–3). Originally described as Johannsenomyia prominens by Johannsen (1932), Mayer (1934a:244, 1934c) described the pupa of this Indonesian species as (?) Homohelea prominens, based on the pupal exuviae from which the male holotype of this species was reared. Wirth (1973) placed the species in Mallochohelea as a new combination but did not identify it as such or give any justification for doing so and this is where it has remained since. The descriptions by Mayer (1934a, 1934c), however, clearly indicate the presence of the elongate seta at the base of the terminal process, a feature of Dibezzia and unique within the Ceratopogoninae. In addition, Mayer (1934c) noted the presence of "breiten Schuppen" (broad scales) on the surface of the respiratory organ, which is what the fine scales appear as in D. debenhamae. This feature is unique within the Heteromyiini + Sphaeromiini s. lat. + Palpomyiini + Stenoxenini. I therefore remove the name from Mallochohelea and consider it a member of Dibezzia as follows: Dibezzia prominens (Johannsen) 1932: 435 (Johannsenomyia). new combination.
Dibezzia prominens, as illustrated by Mayer (1934c), has D-5-IV represented as a small campaniform sensillum or perhaps a very small seta and D-7-IV located posterolateral to D-3-IV (like other members of Heteromyiini + Sphaeromiini s. lat. + Palpomyiini + Stenoxenini; see character 64). I could not find either on the single, dirty, and distorted specimen of D. debenhamae I examined.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: D. debenhamae: 1 pupal exuviae (of allotype), Singapore, VI-1959 (USNM).
description: Published as part of Borkent, Art, 2014, The Pupae of the Biting Midges of the World (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), With a Generic Key and Analysis of the Phylogenetic Relationships Between Genera, pp. 1-327 in Zootaxa 3879 (1) on pages 80-81, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3879.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4949051