Culicoides grandensis Grogan & Phillips

Culicoides grandensis Grogan & Phillips (Fig. 4B) Diagnosis. The only species of C. (Monoculicoides) lacking spicules on the dorsal apotome (Fig. 4B). Description. Male. Unknown. Female. Total length = 2.77 mm (n=1). Light brown coloration throughout. Head: Dorsal apotome (DA) without spicules (Fig. 4B), DA length = 0.23 mm (n=1), ventral margin of the DA not extending past the DA–1–H apex; DA width = 0.20 mm (n=1); DAW/DAL = 0.87 (n=1). CL–1–H long, thin, CL–2–H not visible, O–4–H not visible. Thorax: 1.05 mm (n=1). Respiratory organ (RO), elongate, slender, with 3–4 subbasal pores, RO length = 0.30 mm (n=1); RO width = 0.04 mm (n=1); ROW/ROL = 0.13 (n=1), D–1–T, D–2–T stout, each on elongate, rounded tubercle,, D–5–T short, on small rounded tubercle Abdomen: Tergite 1 with long D– 3–I and D– 2–I, D– 7–I anterior, campaniform D– 4–I, thin D– 8–I, and long, thin D– 9–I posteriorly, L– 2–I, L– 3–I short separated medially by long, thin L– 1–I on lateral margin. Shagreen along the anterior margins of segments 2–9, without lateral shagreen. Chaetotaxy of tergite 2 difficult to discern. Chaetotaxy of segment 3 similar to that of segment 4. Tergite 4 with D– 2–IV on small tubercle, thin D– 3–IV on elongate, pointed tubercle, D– 5–IV, D– 4–IV, D– 7–IV, D– 8–IV, D– 9–IV in transverse row, arranged medially to laterally, minute D– 5–IV on small tubercle, D– 4–IV on small rounded tubercle, D– 7–IV on small rounded tubercle, D– 8–IV, D– 9–IV each long on elongate pointed tubercle, D– 8–IV seta thicker than D– 9–IV; lateral tubercles elongate with short, blunt apices, L– 1–IV long, stout seta on small rounded tubercle, L– 2–IV, L– 4–IV stout setae, each on elongate bifurcate tubercle, separated by thin L– 3–IV on elongate pointed tubercle,; sternite 4 with minute V– 5–IV on small rounded tubercle, V– 6–IV thin on small tubercle, V– 7–IV on small tubercle, ventral setae in transverse row. Chaetotaxy of segments 5–7 similar to that of segment 4. Segment 8 chaetotaxy with seven sensilla on reduced tubercle, without lateral shagreen, Segment 9 with anterior margin not strongly modified Taxonomic discussion. With only one pupal exuviae to examine, we cannot report any variation. For the available specimen, CL–2–H was not visible, and it was difficult to discern the shagreen and chaetotaxy of abdominal segment 2. There was a lack of overall shagreen compared to the other members of this subgenus, and it is the only member without any spicules on the dorsal apotome. The tubercles of L–1 on each segment are rounded whereas in all other species of C. (Monoculicoides) examined; these tubercles are pointed or bifurcate. The tubercles of L–2 and L–4 of each segment are similar to most members of the subgenus, contrasting the most with those of C. sonorensis whose lateral tubercle apices are elongate and slender. This species is known only from southeastern Utah. Material examined: ALLOTYPE female #3660 (USNM), USA, Utah, Grand Co, near Cisco, margin of alkaline stream, VI.30.1958, R.H. Jones.

Topic: Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
Subfield: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Domain: Life Sciences