Culicoides kayi Bellis & Dyce, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Bellis, Glenn
name: Dyce, Alan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ceratopogonidae
Culicoides
Culicoides kayi

description: Culicoides kayi Bellis & Dyce sp. nov.
(Figs 4, 10, 16, 22, 29, 36, 42, 48, 54)
Type material examined. Holotype Australia, WA, Collie-Darkam Rd, trucktrap, 1910–1940 hr, 29.x.1985, A.L. Dyce (female, ANIC). Paratypes, same data as holotype (8 females, 2 males ANIC); Collie-Darkam Rd, trucktrap, 1840–1910 hr, 29.x.1985, A.L. Dyce & W.W. Wirth (2 males ANIC); Young R, 13km N by W Shoalcape, 20– 21.ix.1981, I.D. Naumann & J.C. Cardale, (1 female ANIC); 19km SSW of Grass Patch, 19–20.ix.1981, I.D. Naumann & J.C. Cardale (1 female ANIC).
Diagnosis. Wing with 2 pale spots in cell M4, anterior spot rounded or triangular. Female with SCo distribution 3,(8–9),10–15, six to seven SCh on 4–10, two to three on 11–15; spermathecae with unsclerotised, pear-shaped body and short, sclerotised neck. Male with SCo distribution 3, (9),13–15; STl distribution 3–6 (7); STc distribution 4–7,(8–9); about seven SCh on 14; apical half of parameres strongly curved laterad, ventral membrane of ninth sternite with spicules present laterally, medially bare.
Female. Head. Eyes bare, separated by a distance of less than one facet (Fig 4), proboscis short. Palpus (fig 10) brown with five segments, segment 3 expanding apically then abruptly narrowed beyond a moderately shallow round pit with protruding capitate sensilla. Antennomeres (fig 16) 4–10 barrel shaped, 11–15 cylindrical, short.
Thorax. Legs (fig 22) dark brown with dark knees, fore and mid femora pale basally and with conspicuous pale subapical band; hind femur with apical pale band less conspicuous; all tibiae with conspicuous pale sub-basal band and diffusely pale subapically. Wing (fig 29) strongly patterned with two ovoid pale spots in cell M4.
Abdomen. Three developed, pear-shaped spermathecae, body unsclerotised and difficult to see in most specimens but necks strongly sclerotised and conspicuous, (fig 36). Ducts short, about as long as spermathecae; sclerotised ring usually tapered.
Male. Head. Eyes bare. Palpus similar to female with shallow pit on segment 3. Antenna (Fig 42) with single row of plume verticils on antennomeres 3–12; antennomeres 13–15 elongate subcylindrical and narrow.
Genitalia. (fig 48) Ninth tergite with caudal margin flat to slightly convex. Ninth sternite with deep, U-shaped caudomedial excavation, ventral membrane with a narrow anterior band of spicules interrupted medially by a narrow bare area. Gonocoxite short and broad, longer than wide, dorsal root long; ventral root moderately long, simple and pointed. Gonostylus slender, distally curving gently to a pointed apex. Aedeagus with distal process short with a slight apical rounded expansion. Parameres separate, with straight basal arms angled sharply to weakly swollen stem, narrowing gradually to simple sharp-tipped distal portion curved lateroventrad.
Immatures. Unknown.
Distribution. Known only from the south of WA.
Biology. Unknown. Label data suggests crepuscular adult activity.
Etymology. Named for Dr. Brian Kay in appreciation of his long term collaboration with field studies of midge biology.
Remarks. This species is very similar to C. parvimaculatus and can be distinguished from other species in Marksomyia by the same combination of characters as discussed for C. parvimaculatus. Males can be distinguished from C. parvimaculatus by the straight bases to the parameres which contrast to the curved bases in C. parvimaculatus. Females can be distinguished from C. parvimaculatus and C. zentae by the presence of SCo on segment 10. The wing of this species was illustrated by Dyce et al (2007) under the name Marksi gp sp no 2.
description: Published as part of Bellis, Glenn & Dyce, Alan, 2011, Marksomyia, a new subgenus of Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from the Australasian biogeographic region with descriptions of two new species, pp. 35-38 in Zootaxa 3014 on pages 46-47, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.204428