BITING MIDGES — WIRTH AND BLANTON 471 



Male genitalia: Ninth sternum with a broad, rounded, caudo- 

 median excavation; ninth tergum broad, short and tapering to very 

 small apicolateral processes. Basistyle with ventral root foot-shaped 

 but with very slender ankle and the heel developed nearly as long as the 

 anterior toe, dorsal root slender; dististyle greatly curved from near 

 base, with slender pointed tip. Aedeagus with a stout transverse 

 bridge bearing a posteroventral, curved, pointed hook from the mid- 

 portion; a long, nearly straight dorsal, rodlike sclerite passes the dorsal 

 side of midportion of the basal bridge, the pointed anterior end extend- 

 ing well proximad of the bridge, the broad, rounded, flattened posterior 

 end only slightly longer than the anterior hook. Parameres each with 

 large, laterally directed, basal knob, the stem abruptly bent at base of 

 the straight midportion, gradually tapered and distally curved 

 ventrad in a fihform, simple tip. 



Distribution: St. Vincent; Brazil; Ecuador (Palmar, Guayas); 

 French Guiana; Honduras; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Puerto 

 Rico; Trinidad; Venezuela; Virgin Islands. 



Panama records: 



Canal Zone: Fort Kobbe, Fort San Lorenzo, Loma Boracho, Mandinga River, 



Mindi Dairy, Mojinga Swamp. 

 Cocl6 Province: Puerto Farall6n, Rio Hato. 

 Col6n Province: Chagres River, Pifia, Puerto Farall6n, Salud. 

 Darien Province: Garachin^, Jaqu6, Punta Patino. 

 Panama Province: Arraijan, Camaron, Chame, Isla Taboga, San Carlos, 



Tocumen, Vique Cove. 

 Archipi^lago de las Perlas: Isla del Rey. 



Discussion: The undotted mesonotum will readily separate this 

 species from the closely related willistoni Wirth and Blanton. 



88. Culicoides willistoni Wirth and Blanton 



Figure 91 



Culicoides willistoni Wirth and Blanton, 1953, Ent. News, vol. 64, p. 116 (male, 

 female; Panama; fig. wing, palpus, male genitalia). 



Female: Length of wing 0.92 (0.86-0.99, n = 5) mm. 



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

 in proportion of 14:11:12:13:13:12:12:12:16:17:20:20:32, antennal 

 ratio 1.06; distal sensory tufts present on segments iii-x. Palpal seg- 

 ments in proportion of 10:21:31:10:12, third segment shghtly swollen, 

 2.6 (2.2-2.8, n = 5) times as long as greatest breadth, with sensoria 

 scattered over mesal side of distal half of segment. Mandible with 

 14 (14-15, n = 5) teeth. 



Thorax. — Mesonotum densely bluish gray pruinose, with promi- 

 nent pattern of scattered brown dots, each dot surrounding the base 

 of one of the stout, brown, mesonotal hairs; the brown areas often 



