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

description: Parabezzia Malloch
(Figs. 16A–B, 20K–L, 25H, 30E, 33A, 37B, 44R–S, 50B, 62B–C, 74L, 75A)
DIAGNOSIS: Only pupa of Ceratopogonidae with a well-developed prothoracic extension (Fig. 25H) and the mesonotum with only 2 setae (D-1-T, D-2-T) and D-3-T (campaniform sensillum) (Fig. 30E). Also, only pupa of Ceratopogonidae with a well-developed prothoracic extension (Fig. 25H) and the abdominal segment 4 with 9-10 sensilla (Figs. 62 B-C) (lacking D-3-IV, L-1-IV, L-4-IV, V-7-IV and, in some, D-9-IV).
DESCRIPTION: Total length = 1.50–2.59 mm. Without larval exuviae retained on abdomen. Exuviae with flagellum appressed against lateral margin of face, midleg, wing (Figs. 16A–B, 33A). Ecdysial tear medial to antennal base (as in Figs. 15D, 79D) or tearing into eye, either posteriorly or posterolaterally (Figs. 16A–B, 79F). Head: Dorsal apotome (Figs. 20K–L), without 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. 25H) with mandible well-developed, lacinia absent; palpus extending posterior to posterolateral margin of labium; labium entire (not divided medially); apex of antenna (Fig. 37B) equal to posterior to, posterior extent of midlength portion of midleg (portion lateral to mesosternum), narrowed posteriorly; sensilla: dorsal apotomals (Figs. 20K–L)—1 short seta, 1 campaniform sensillum; dorsolateral cephalic sclerite sensilla—1 very short seta, 1 campaniform sensillum or 2 setae (only in P. petiolata); clypeallabrals (Fig. 25H)—absent or 1 short peg; oculars (Fig. 25H)—1 campaniform sensillum. Thorax: Prothoracic extension (Fig. 25H) wide, well-developed, extending from palpus to antenna; mesonotum with or without welldeveloped moderately sized tubercles, not extending posteromedially, with or without slight protuberance, not dividing metathorax medially (Fig. 50B); respiratory organ (Figs. 44R–S) length/width = 1.95–2.82, short, squat, somewhat flattened dorsoventrally, with pores closely abutting at apex of respiratory organ, arranged in single row, outer surface with some wrinkles, with or without short, wide pedicel, base with short posteromedial apodeme, membranous base of respiratory organ short, tracheal tube straight to slightly curved along length, with annulations to half length; wing (Fig. 37B) with apical tubercle lateral to apex of hind leg, separated medially by fore-, midlegs; halter apex and hind leg (Fig. 33A) broadly abutting; halter apex abutting anterolateral knob-like extension of tergite 2; legs (Fig. 37B) with lateral margin of foreleg near midlength of wing with abrupt angle or evenly curved; hind leg visible at lateral margin of wing (Fig. 33A); with apex of foreleg slightly to moderately anterior to apex of midleg; apex of hind leg abutting apex of midleg laterally; sensilla: anteromedials—1 very short seta, 1 campaniform sensillum; anterolaterals—1 short seta; dorsal setae (Fig. 30E)—D-1-T, D-2-T peg-like setae, D-3-T campaniform sensillum; D-2-T, D-3-T on single tubercleor closely approximated tubercles; supraalar 2—campaniform sensillum; metathoracics (Fig. 50B)—2 campaniform sensilla; M-3-T near anterior margin of metathorax. Abdomen: with 2 spots medially on tergites 1-7 or tergites 1-3 and fading posteriorly, segment 2 as wide or slightly wider than segment 3, segments with undivided, peg-like or thin to thick setae, with rounded to pointed or apically toothed, short to moderately elongate tubercles, tergites or sternites entire, not membranous or sternites 4-7 or 4-8 each with narrow membranous disc; segment 9 (Figs. 74L, 75A) not strongly modified, terminal processes closely approximated basally, each projecting nearly posteriorly to posterodorsolaterally, tapering to pointed apex; sensilla: tergite 1 (Fig. 50B) with 5 setae, 2 campaniform sensilla or 7 setae, 2 campaniform sensilla, including 4 lateral sensilla, D-2-I present, D-3 absent, D-7-I situated anterolaterally near L- 1-I; segment 4 (Figs. 62 B-C)—D-2-IV peg-like seta on short to moderately elongate tubercle, D-3-IV absent; D-5- IV peg-like seta, D-8-IV, D-9-IV (when present) short setae; only D-8-IV on short tubercle or D-5-IV, D-8-IV, D-9- IV on moderately elongate, separate tubercles, posterior dorsal sensilla in transverse row, arranged medially to laterally: D-5-IV, D-4-IV, D-8-IV or D-5-IV, D-4-IV, D-8-IV, D-9-IV; L-1-IV absent, L-2-IV, L-3-IV short setae on pointed or toothed tubercles, L-4-IV absent, V-5-IV, V-6-IV short setae, V-5-IV without tubercle or on short toothed tubercle, V-6-IV on short toothed or pointed tubercle,V-7-IV absent; segment 8 without D-3-VIII, without L-1-VIII; segment 9 (Figs. 74L, 75A)—with D-5-IX, D-6-IX campaniform sensilla.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT: The genus Parabezzia is known from 40 species from nearly every Region worldwide but absent from most of the Palaearctic (only in north Africa) and the Australasian Region (Borkent 2014). Pupae have been collected on the edges of streams, rivers and ponds. Grogan & Wirth (1977a) reported that P. alexanderi pupae were the most common of all ceratopogonids at a lily pond in Maryland, USA.
TAXONOMIC DISCUSSION: There are seven species of Parabezzia known as pupae (Tables 2–3). There are two quite different types of pupae in this genus. One has numbers of rounded tubercles (Figs. 33A, 62B), the other, called the alexanderi group, has sharp tubercles (Fig. 62C) and abdominal sternites with membranous discs (e.g. P. alexanderi, P. balseiroi).
All species of Parabezzia have reduced numbers of sensilla on every part of the body (see diagnosis). Some species have no clypeal-labral setae (P. bystraki, P. stagni) while others have a single peg (P. huberti, P. alexanderi, P. downesi, P. petiolata, P. balseiroi), a condition unique in the family.
Grogan & Wirth (1977a) provided a key to the pupae of the four Nearctic species known at that time and Wirth & Grogan (1981) included a key to three species at Plummer's Island, Maryland, USA, including the newly described pupa of P. bystraki.
Harris (1981) and Elson-Harris (1990) described the pupa of " Ceratopogon sp. n. 1" from Australia which would fit the diagnosis and distinctive description of Parabezzia here (the reared adult was not subsequently described). The described presence of eight sensilla on abdominal segment 4 (she likely missed the small campaniform sensilla D-4-IV and D-7-IV, hence a total of 10) is unique within the Ceratopogoninae for Parabezzia. However, at present there are no Parabezzia otherwise known from the Australasian Region. One potential candidate may be Heteroceratopogon, a genus related to Parabezzia and present in Australia. Unfortunately, the original material has been lost (Marlene Elson-Harris, pers. comm. 1993).
If Harris (1981) correctly associated the larvae with the pupa and the above reidentification is correct, she provides the only larval description of a species of Parabezzia (or the only known larva and pupa of Heteroceratopogon).
Grogan & Wirth (1977a) illustrated the dorsal apotomes of species of Parabezzia with DA-2-H being a very short seta but reexamination of original material indicates that these are campaniform sensilla, as in nearly all other Ceratopogonidae. Previous descriptions (Table 2) missed D-7-IV (campaniform sensillum) on abdominal segment 4.
MATERIAL EXAMINED: P. alexanderi: 1 pupal exuviae, Lakeland Pond, College Park, Prince George’s County, Maryland, USA, 11-VI-1975 (USNM); 3 pupal exuviae, as previous locality, 27-V-1975 (2 WLGC, 1 CNCI); 2 pupal exuviae, as previous locality, 30-V-1975 (1 USNM, 1 CNCI). P. balseiroi: 2 pupal exuviae (of paratypes), Santa Ana, Entre Rios, Argentina, 9-XI-1984 (MLPA). P. bystraki: 1 pupal exuviae, Patuxent Wildlife Rescue Center, Prince George’s County, Maryland, USA, 20-VII-1976 (USNM). P. downesi: 9 pupal exuviae (of paratypes), Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada, 8-VI-1960 (3 CNCI, 6 USNM). P. eupetiolata: 1 pupal exuviae (of paratype), 1 pupal exuviae (of allotype), Glenfield, Independence River, Lewis County, New York, USA, 22-VI- 1963 (USNM). P. huberti: 1 pupal exuviae, Patuxent Wildlife Rescue Center, Prince George’s County, Maryland, USA, 20-VII-1977 (USNM); 4 pupal exuviae (of paratypes), Falls Church, Virginia, USA, 22-VII-1951 (USNM); 2 pupal exuviae (of paratypes), Mount Solon, Virginia, 4-VII-1951 (USNM). P. stagni: 1 pupal exuviae (of holotype), Doornpan, Bulge River, North Transvaal, South Africa, 6-XI-1973 (NMSA). P. sp.: 1 pupal exuviae, 5 km E of Dandy, Vermont, USA, 25-VI-1986 (CNCI).
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 72-73, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3879.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4949051