A new species of frog-biting midge from Papua New Guinea with a key to the described Corethrellidae of the Australopapuan region (Diptera, Corethrellidae, Corethrella)

By

Kvifte, Gunnar Mikalsen
Bernal, Ximena

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

795

Pages

39-48

Subjects

Culicoidea , Culicomorpha , Papua New Guinea , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.795.28543

 

Abstract

CorethrellaoppositophilaKvifte & Bernal,sp. n.is described based on one male and six female specimens collected at 2200 m a.s.l. on Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea. The species is the fourth species of frog-biting midge described from this country and appears similar toCorethrellasolomonisBelkin based on pigmentation of legs and abdominal tergites. It differs fromC.solomonis, however, in the shape of female flagellomeres I–III, and in the thorax which has a dark brown vertical stripe. The new species is named for its sexually dimorphic flagellomeres, which are short and squat in the female and elongate in the male. These differences in morphological characters are discussed in light of the likely sexual differences in functional uses of the antennae, as males use them for mating only whereas females use them both for mating and prey location. An emended key is presented to the described Australopapuan species of Corethrellidae.