454 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. io9 



The pachymerus group 



This group consists of small species with tawny yellowish mesonotum 

 without prominent pattern, wing with pattern of oblique streaks and 

 spots, with pale poststigmatic pale spot often encroaching on distal 

 half of second radial cell; costa long, extending to 0.69-0.79 of distance 

 to wing tip, second radial cell long and narrow, in uniradialis fused 

 with the first radial cell; antenna with distal sensory tufts present 

 on segments in, viii-x; third palpal segment slender with small 

 pit; legs stout, the femora markedly swollen; four tibial spines, two 

 spermathecae ; male genitalia with ventral root of basistyle foot- 

 shaped; aedeagus stout; parameres with simple basal knob, long 

 slender stem with or without ventral lobe or subapical spines. 



Panama species: Four: almirantei, new species; caprilesi Fox; 

 pachymerus Lutz, and uniradialis Wirth and Blanton. Also, obnoxius 

 Fox from Venezuela apparently belongs to this group. 



81. Culicoides almirantei, new species 



Figure 84 



Female: Length of wing 0.79 (0.76-0.86, n = 8) mm. 



Head. — Eyes contiguous, bare. Antenna with flagellar segments in 

 proportion of 15:10:9:9:10:11:12:13:16:17:20:24:31, antennal ratio 

 1.25 (1.21-1.29, n = 6); distal sensorytufts present on segments iii, 

 viii-x. Palpal segments in proportion of 7:16:24:8:7, third segment 

 moderately swollen, 2.1 (2.0-2.4, n=10) times as long as greatest 

 breadth, with a broad, shallow sensory pit. Mandible with 15 (14-16, 



n = 5) teeth. 



Thorax.— Mesonotum pruinosc grayish brown; anterior margin and 

 two narrow longitudinal striae, each with broader lateral extensions 

 at midlength, dark brown. Scutellum pruinose brown, darker 

 narrowly in middle; postscutellum and pleuron dark brown. Legs 

 brown; fore and mid femora with subapical, all tibiae with subbasal 

 and hind tibia with apical, narrow pale rings; hind tibial comb with 

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



Wing.— Pattern as figured; large pale spot over r-m crossvein 

 extending broadly to costal margin ; poststigmatic pale spot in cell R5 

 with narrow anterior extension to wing margin past second radial cell, 

 greatly expanded and filling cell R5 behind second radial cell to anterior 

 side of vein M,; distal pale spot in cell R5 diamond-shaped, usually 

 extending anterodistally to wing margin, leaving a very narrow, 

 oblique dark mark proximad between it and poststigmatic pale spot ; 

 penultimate pale spots in cells Mi and M2 oval, largely filUng the 

 space between the adjacent veins; distal pale spot in cell Mj usually 

 broadly attaining wing margin ; distal pale spots in cells M2 and M4 



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