First description of the pupa of the genus Neobezzia Wirth & Ratanaworabhan, with the description of the male of N. fittkaui W. & R. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

RONDEROS MM; BORKENT A; SPINELLI GR; FERREIRA-KEPPLER RL; MARINO PI

Natal

Congreso; XXIII Congreso Brasileiro de Entomologia; 2010

Sociedade Brasileira de Entomologia

Ceratopogonidae are one of the common of fly families in the World, presently known by 5989 extant species and 265 fossil ones. On the other hand, the knowledge on their immatures is scarse, with fewer than 15% of the named species for the Neotropics described in even one immature stage. The genus Neobezzia Wirth & Ratanaworabhan includes eight Neotropical species only known through adults. The purpose of this presentation is to fully describe for the first time the pupa of Neobezzia fittkaui Wirth & Ratanaworabhan, providing as well the first description of its male adult, from material collected during a recent survey of immatures of Ceratopogonidae in the Amazon river near Manaus, Brazil. The pupae of Neobezzia fittkaui were collected with pippete from macrophyte plants (Salvinia auriculata Aubl. Fam. Salviniaceae) in Ilha da Marchantaria, Município de Iranduba, Amazonas. The material containing the pupae was transported to the laboratory individually, in vials with a drop of water. Observations were done daily, until adult emergence. The pupa of Neobezzia is very similar to the one of the Holarctic genus Probezzia Kieffer by virtue of the abdominal tergites 1-7 with d.a.s.m. i and d.p.m i on short sclerotized tubercles, and the fourth abdominal sternite with v.p.m. iii on a bifid tubercle. However, Neobezzia is easily distinguished from Probezzia by the the fourth abdominal segment with the I.a.s.m. i bearing one medium-sized, thin seta on strong triangular tubercle (this seta short, thin, on small, apically rounded tubercle in Probezzia fuscipennis Wirth). The male genitalia of N. fittkaui differs from the one of N. amnicola (Macfie) by the stouter aedeagus and by the blunt tip of parameres (as a spatulate lobe in N. amnicola).