BITING MIDGES — WIRTH AND BLANTON 433 



curved, distal stem tapered to an apical rounded point with a pair of 

 small, sharp, subapical, lateral, sclerotized projections. Parameres 

 each with small basal knob; stem abruptly bent and slightly swollen 

 near base, slender and tapering distad, without ventral lobe; apex 

 tapering to sharp point without lateral barbs. 



Distribution: Venezuela; Guatemala; Honduras (Lancetilla, 

 Tela) ; Nicaragua (Villa Somoza) ; Panama. 



Panama records: 



BocAS DEL ToRO PROVINCE: Almirante. 



Canal Zone: Fort Davis, Loma Boracho, Mojinga Swamp. 



CocLE Province: Ri6 Hato. 



Dari^n Province: Punta Patino. 



Los Santos Province: Puerto Mensabe. 



Discussion: In pinned material females of gahaldoni are prac- 

 tically inseparable from leoni Barbosa and glabellus Wirth and Blanton, 

 although in gahaldoni the legs are paler and there may be a few more 

 hairs at the apex of the wing, arranged in rows. This resemblance 

 is also borne out in slide-mounted material by the similarity in the 

 series of antennal segments, the 11th and 12th segments being shorter 

 than the 10th, but leoni differs from the other two in having an an- 

 tennal ratio of only 0.75 and in having sensoria on segment vii as 

 well as on iii and viii-x. Females of leoni and glabellus differ from 

 gahaldoni in having only one spermatheca. The male genitalia of 

 gahaldoni can be recognized readily by the parameres being abruptly 

 bent and slightly swollen at the base, with simple, filamentous apex. 

 Culicoides imitator Ortiz also resembles gahaldoni but has macrotrichia 

 on the distal half of the wing, antennal segment xi is not shorter 

 than X and the third palpal segment does not bear a definite sensory 

 pit. Culicoides horticola Lutz also has a similar wing pattern but 

 lacks the pale spot lying behind the medial fork as well as the one 

 in front of the mediocubital fork. 



72. Culicoides spiirius, new species 



Figure 75 



Female: Length of wing 0.72 (0.69-0.79, n=10) mm. 



Head. — Eyes broadly separated, with short interfacetal hairs, the 

 interocular space not markedly narrowed below. Antenna with 

 flagellar segments in proportion of 14:10:12:13:13:13:13:13:13:14:16:15: 

 27, antennal ratio 0.84; distal sensory tufts present on segments in, 

 vii-x. Palpal segments in proportion of 7:14:17:7:8, third segment 

 very short and swollen, 1.8 (1.6-2.1, n=10) times as long as greatest 

 breadth, with a large, deep sensory pit opening by a small pore. 

 Mandible with 13 (12-14, n = 8) teeth. 



