BITING MIDGES — WIRTH AND BLANTON 347 



only one pale line bordering the anterior side of vein Mi and lying 

 directly behind the poststigmatic pale spot in cell R5, and the hind 

 femora and tibiae lack the distal pale bands. The female of blantoni 

 is nearly identical with iriartei but the male paramere has a long 

 ventral pouch. C. evansi has male genitalia almost identical with 

 those of iriartei, but is a much larger species (wing 1.17 mm. ong) 

 and there are no pale spots lying adjacent to the anterior side of vein 



Ml. 



The Scopus group 



This group consists of large species with hairy wing; wing with 

 r-m crossvein infuscated, pale spots present straddling middle of 

 veins Mi and M2, apices of veins not pale; female antenna with sensoria 

 present on segments in. viii, x-xv; palpal pit broad and shallow; 

 two spermathecae; four tibial spines; male genitaha with ventral 

 root of basistyle simple, small and pointed, paramere with basal knob 

 not directed laterad but with distinct anterior process, the stem long 

 without ventral lobe and apex with fringing spines; tergum with deep 

 mesal cleft and large apicolateral processes. 



Panama species: One: scopus "Root and Hoffman. (C. dampjl 

 Root and Hoffman from Mexico also belongs to this group.) 



34. Culicoides scopus Root and Hoffman 



Figure 37 



Culicoides scopus Root and Hoffman, 1937, Amer. Journ. Hyg., vol. 25, p. 170 

 (male, female; San Jacinto, Mexico; fig. wing, male genitalia). 



Female: Length of wing 1.34 (1.15-1.78, n = 12) mm. 



Head. — Eyes narrowlv separated, bare. Antenna with flagellar 

 segments in proportion of 17:12:13:13:13:13:14:14:30:30:32:32:50, 

 antennal ratio 1.65 (1.57-1.76, n = 3); distal sensory tufts present 

 on segments iii, viii, x-xv. Palpal segments in proportion of 10:25: 

 31:10:12, third segment swollen toward apex, 2.1 (1.7-2.5, n = 9) 

 times as long as greatest breadth, with a broad, shallow, sensory pit. 

 Mandible with 15 (14-16, n = 9) teeth. 



Thorax. — Mesonotum golden brown pruinose, without prominent 

 pattern. Scutellum, postscutellum and pleuron dark brown. Legs 

 dark brown ; knees blackish ; fore and mid femora with subapical and 

 all tibiae with subbasal narrow pale rings; hind tibial comb with 

 four (n=10) spines, the one nearest the spur longest. 



Wing.— Pattern as figured; large pale area over wing base; r-m 

 crossvein blackish, in the middle of a large round pale spot broadly 

 meeting costal margin and extending past vein Mn.2 "ito cell Mj; 

 small round pale spot distal to end of costa at wing margin in cell R5. 

 distal pale spot in cell R5 transversely rectangular, extending from 



