Culicoides parvimaculatus Lee & Reye
Creators: name: Bellis, Glenn
name: Dyce, Alan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Ceratopogonidae
Culicoides
Culicoides parvimaculatus

description: Culicoides parvimaculatus Lee & Reye
(Figs 5, 11, 17, 23, 30, 37, 43, 49, 55)
Culicoides parvimaculatus Lee & Reye 1953:391.
Type material. Holotype, Australia NSW, Leumeah, B. McMillan, 20.10.1951 (female ANIC); Paratypes, 6 females same data as holotype.
Non-type material examined. Warrah Lookout, Bred peaty pond, 19.Aug.1966, A.L. Dyce (3 males, 3 females and associated pupae, ANIC); Qld, Lansdown, Site 23, 1–7.viii.85, LT, D.S. Gibson (1 male, 1 female ANIC); 2km S of Horseshoe L/out, Blackdown Tableland, 23–24 Apr.1981, D.H. Colless, (2 females ANIC); Vic, Marlo Plains, 23.xi.65, A.L. Dyce & M.D. Murray (4 males, 1 female ANIC); Marlo Plains, 7.ii.66, A.L. Dyce, (2 females ANIC).
Diagnosis. Wing with 2 pale spots in cell M4, anterior spot rounded or triangular, all pale spots relatively small. Female with SCo distribution 3, 11–15, six SCh on 4–10, two to three on 11–15; spermathecae with unsclerotised, pear-shaped body and short, sclerotised necks. Male with SCo distribution 3, 13–15; STl distribution 3– 7,(8–10); STc distribution 4–7; about six SCh on 14; apical half of parameres strongly curved laterad, ventral membrane of ninth sternite spiculate. Pupal abdomen with all tubercules lacking spines, thorax with single spine on di and dii; prothoracic horn with scales covering basal 3/4.
Female. Head. Eyes bare, separated by a distance of less than one facet (Fig 5), proboscis short. Palpus (fig 11) brown with five segments, segment 3 expanding apically then abruptly narrowed beyond a shallow irregular pit with protruding capitate sensilla. Antennomeres (Fig 17) 4–10 barrel shaped, 11–15 cylindrical, short.
Thorax. Legs (fig 23) dark brown with dark knees, fore and mid femora pale basally and with distinct pale subapical band; hind femur without distinct pale markings; all tibiae with distinct pale sub-basal band and diffusely pale subapically. Wing (fig 30) strongly patterned with all pale spots generally smaller compared to other species of Marksomyia; two ovoid pale spots present in cell M4.
Abdomen. Three developed, pear-shaped spermathecae, unsclerotised but with strongly sclerotised necks (fig 37); ducts short, about as long as spermathecae; sclerotised ring tubular.
Male. Head. Eyes bare. Palp similar to female with shallow pit on segment 3. Antenna (Fig 43) with single row of plume verticils on antennomeres 3–12; antennomeres 13–15 elongate subcylindrical and narrow.
Genitalia. (fig 49) Ninth tergite with caudal margin flat to slightly convex. Ninth sternite with deep, U-shaped caudomedial excavation, ventral membrane a narrow transverse anterior band of spicules. Gonocoxite short and broad, longer than wide, dorsal root long; ventral root moderately long, simple and pointed. Gonostylus slender, curving gently distally to a pointed apex. Aedeagus with distal process short with a slight apical rounded expansion. Parameres separate, with distinctly curved basal arms angled sharply to weakly swollen stem lacking ventral lobe, narrowing gradually to simple sharp-tipped distal portion curved lateroventrad.
Distribution. (fig 67) Eastern Australia (Vic, NSW, Qld).
Biology. Debenham (1978) summarised the known biology of this species. Immatures live in the margins of streams. Adults feed on mammals, including humans, but have not been associated with transmission of any disease.
Remarks. Although both male and female C. parvimaculatus have consistently smaller pale spots on the wing than other members of Marksomyia, this is largely subjective. Male specimens of this species can be distinguished from all other members of Marksomyia excepting C. kayi by the relatively well-developed ventral root. From C. kayi it can be distinguished by the curved bases to the parameres which contrast with the straight bases in C. kayi. Females can be distinguished from C. marksi, C. dycei and C. pseudostigmaticus by the shape of the spermathecae and from C. zentae and C. kayi by the absence of SCo on proximal antennomeres. Pupae can be distinguished from other species of Marksomyia by the absence of lateral spines on lpm and lasm.
Antennomere mean (range)
character species 3 4 5 6 7 8
SCo dycei 2.5 (2–4) 0 0 0 0 0.1 (0–1)
pseudostigmaticus 2 (2) 0 0 0 0 0
parvimaculatus 2.22 (2–4) 0 0 0 0 0
marksi 4.05 (3–5) 0 0 0 0 0
zentae 2 (2) 0.2 (0–1) 0.4 (0–1) 0.3 (0–1) 0.85 (0–1) 0.3 (0–1) kayi 2.35 (2–3) 0 0 0 0 0.11 (0–1)
STl dycei 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) pseudostigmaticus 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) parvimaculatus 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) marksi 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) zentae 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) kayi 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2)
STc dycei 0 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) pseudostigmaticus 0 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) parvimaculatus 0.0 6 (0–1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) marksi 0 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) zentae 0 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) kayi 0 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1)
SCh dycei 6.95 (6–7) 6 (6) 5.85 (4–6) 6 (6) 5.95 (5–6) 5.95 (5–6) pseudostigmaticus 7 (7) 6 (6) 5.95 (5–6) 5.3 (5–6) 5.8 (5–6) 5 (4–6) parvimaculatus 7.08 (6–8) 6.21 (6–7) 6 (5–7) 6 (5–7) 5.89 (5–6) 5.95 (5–7) marksi 7 (7) 6 (6) 6 (6) 6 (6) 6 (6) 6 (6) zentae 6.27 (6–7) 6 (5–7) 6 (6) 6.05 (6–7) 6.05 (6–7) 6 (6) kayi 7.13 (6–8) 6.56 (6–7) 6.16 (6–7) 6.21 (6–8) 6.16 (6–7) 6.16 (6–7)
continued.
Antennomere mean (range)
character species 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
SCo dycei 0.15 (0–1) 0.15 (0–1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 0.95 (0–1)
pseudostigmaticus 0 0 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) parvimaculatus 0.05 (0–1) 0 1.05 (1–2) 1.32 (1–2) 1.05 (1–2) 2.05 (2–3) 1.16 (1–2) marksi 0 0.05 (0–1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1 (1) 1.95 (1–2) 1 (1) zentae 1 (1) 0 1 (1) 1.05 (1–2) 1.05 (1–2) 1.55 (1–2) 1 (1) kayi 0.26 (0–1) 1.37 (1–3) 1.26 (0–2) 1.16 (1–2) 1 (0–2) 2 (1–3) 1.06 (1–2) continued next page
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 47-52, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.204428