416 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. io9 



Discussion: The resemblance of this species to pifanoi Ortiz, 

 which led Ortiz and Leon to describe it as a variety of that species, 

 is only a superficial one of the wing and mesonotal markings. The 

 wing markings are much more like those of castillae Fox, differing 

 only in the broad extension of the distal pale spot in cell R5 to the 

 wing margin, while the presence of only one spermatheca in castillae 

 provides an additional quick separation. 



64. Culicoides castillae Fox 



Figure 67 



Culicoides castillae Fox, 1946, Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer., vol. 39^ p. 251 (female; 



Puerto Castilla, Honduras; fig. mesonotum, wing). 

 Culicoides dasyophrus Barbosa (misident., not dasyophrus Macfie), 1947, Anais 



Soc. Biol. Pernambuco, vol. 7, p. 14 (Panama; fig. male genitalia). 

 Culicoides lichyi Ortiz and Mirsa (misident., not Floch and Abonnene), 1951, 



Rev. Sanid. Asist. Soc, vol. 16, p. 601 (female; Venezuela; fig. mesonotum, 



palpus, spermatheca, wing). 

 Culicoides Uochahonnenci Ortiz and Mirsa, 1952, Rev. Sanid. Asist. Soc, vol. 17, 



p. 267 (female; Venezuela; fig. palpus, spermatheca, wing). — Ortiz, 1953. 



idem., vol. 18, p. 801 (in key). — Ortiz and Leon, 1955, Bol. Inf. Cient. Nac. 



Ecuador, no. 67, p. 574 (male, female; Ecuador; fig. wing, palpus, sperma- 

 theca, antenna). New synonymy. 

 Culicoides gibsoni Wirth, 1952, Journ. Parasit., vol. 38, p. 246 (female; Guatemala; 



fig. wing, palpus, spermatheca); 1955, Proc Ent. Soc. Washington, vol. 



57, p. Ill (Guatemala; male, female; fig. male Genitalia). New synonymy. 



Female: Length of wing 0.84 (0.79-0.89, n=9) mm. 



Head. — Eyes moderately separated, with short interfacetal hairs. 

 Antenna with flagellar segments in proportion of 15:10:12:12:13:13: 

 13:14:18:19:21:22:30, antennal ratio 1.09 (1.02-1.15, n = 9); distal 

 sensory tufts present on segments iii, viii-xi. Palpal segments in 

 proportion of 6:18:22:7:8, third segment slightly swollen, 2.2 (2.0-2.3, 

 n= 10) times as long as greatest breadth, with a small, shallow, sensory 

 pit. Mandible with 15 (14-16, n=:7) teeth. 



Thorax. — ^Mesonotum very dark brown with a prominent pattern as 

 figured, the submedian elongate spots yellowish, the sublateral bands 

 intense black. Scutellum brown in middle, yellowish on sides. Legs 

 dark brown, fore and mid femora with subapical, and all tibiae with 

 subbasal, narrow white rings; hind tibial comb with four (n = 9) 

 spines, the one nearest the spur longest, a third as long as basitarsus. 



Wing. — Pattern as figured, the three pale spots in cell R5 arranged 

 in a triangle and well separated, the distal spot often irregularly 

 V-shaped; distal half of vein Mi pale-margined, two pale spots in cell 

 Ml and in apices of cells Mo and anal cell. Macrotrichia sparse in 

 apices of cells R5, Mi and M2; costa extending to 0.64 of distance to 

 wing tip. Halter pale, base of the knob darkened. 



