﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Issued 
  

  

  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION 
  

  

  U. 
  S. 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

   Vol. 
  103 
  Washington: 
  1953 
  No. 
  3320 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  BITING 
  MIDGES 
  OF 
  THE 
  HELEID 
  GENUS 
  

  

  MONOHELEA 
  

  

  By 
  Willis 
  W. 
  Wirth* 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  Monohelea 
  was 
  founded 
  by 
  Eaeffer 
  (1917) 
  for 
  a 
  new 
  

   species, 
  hieroglyphica, 
  from 
  Paraguay, 
  and 
  three 
  other 
  American 
  

   species 
  were 
  included: 
  Ceratopogon 
  seguax 
  Williston, 
  1896; 
  C. 
  macuLi- 
  

   pennis 
  CoquLllett, 
  1905; 
  and 
  C. 
  nebulosa 
  Coquillett, 
  1901. 
  Since 
  then 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  genus, 
  including 
  repre- 
  

   sentatives 
  from 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  world's 
  zoogeographic 
  regions. 
  However, 
  

   with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  Lee's 
  (1948) 
  treatment 
  of 
  the 
  eight 
  Australasian 
  

   species, 
  no 
  comprehensive 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  genus 
  has 
  yet 
  appeared. 
  

  

  A 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Monohelea 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  recognition 
  

   of 
  7 
  undescribed 
  species, 
  bringing 
  the 
  total 
  for 
  the 
  hemisphere 
  to 
  13. 
  

   No 
  doubt 
  many 
  more 
  await 
  discovery. 
  These 
  American 
  species 
  fall 
  

   in 
  four 
  distinct 
  groups, 
  each 
  with 
  characteristic 
  wing 
  and 
  leg 
  markings. 
  

   Within 
  these 
  groups 
  the 
  species 
  are 
  rather 
  difficult 
  to 
  separate, 
  for 
  the 
  

   characters 
  which 
  prove 
  useful 
  in 
  one 
  group 
  may 
  be 
  valueless 
  in 
  others. 
  

   These 
  groups 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  recognized 
  by 
  characters 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  geni- 
  

   talia, 
  which 
  offer 
  in 
  addition 
  good 
  specific 
  characters. 
  

  

  The 
  generic 
  position 
  of 
  Ceratopogon 
  seguax 
  Williston, 
  based 
  on 
  a 
  

   male 
  from 
  St. 
  Vincent, 
  cannot 
  be 
  determined 
  with 
  certainty 
  until 
  

   the 
  male 
  genitalia 
  or 
  the 
  female 
  are 
  studied. 
  According 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  

   description, 
  seguax 
  would 
  probably 
  fit 
  as 
  well 
  in 
  Stilobezzia. 
  Simi- 
  

   larly, 
  the 
  male 
  recorded 
  as 
  Monohelea 
  sp. 
  by 
  Floch 
  and 
  Abonnenc 
  

   (1942) 
  from 
  French 
  Guiana 
  could 
  be 
  either 
  Monohelea 
  or 
  Stilobezzia, 
  

   since 
  in 
  their 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  genitalia 
  the 
  aedeagus 
  is 
  omitted. 
  

  

  The 
  types 
  of 
  five 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  species, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  specimens 
  

   studied, 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum. 
  For 
  the 
  loan 
  or 
  donation 
  

  

  ' 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology 
  and 
  Plant? 
  Quarantine, 
  Agricultural 
  Research 
  Administration, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Depart- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  Agriculture. 
  

  

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