Description of Pintomyia (Pifanomyia) brazilorum sp. nov. a new fossil species from the Dominican Republic (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae)

Abstract

A sand fly fossil was found in amber, a vegetal resin, which allows all the external phlebotomine structures to be seen. The piece that contains the new species is 14 mm long <FONT FACE=Symbol>&acute;</FONT> 8 mm wide <FONT FACE=Symbol>&acute;</FONT> 3 mm high. All the structures from the head, thorax, and abdomen were examined under the microscope and measured with a calibrated micrometric eye-piece. The morphological aspects of the new species suggest its inclusion in the Pintomyia genus, Pifanomyia subgenus though it is not possible to include it in any of the series known for this subgenus. The presence of two atrophied spines on the gonostyles and gonocoxites without tufts of setae permit the exclusion of the new species from the other species of the subgenus Pifanomyia. The new species is named Pintomyia (Pifanomyia) brazilorum sp. nov

Description of a new species, Pintomyia dissimilis nov. sp., a phlebotomine fossil from Dominican Republic amber (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae)

“…Of 14 male fossil species described, 10 belong to the genus Pintomyia [ 5 ]. Pintomyia paleopestis (Peñalver & Grimaldi, 2005) and Pintomyia brazilorum Andrade Filho, Galati & Falcão, 2006 present only two developed spines in the gonostyle [ 7 , 8 ] while in Pintomyia falcaorum Brazil & Andrade Filho, 2002, Pintomyia killickorum (Andrade Filho, Falcão, and Brazil, 2004) Pintomyia filipalpis (Peñalver & Grimaldi, 2005), Pintomyia paleotownsedi Andrade Filho, Falcão, Galati, and Brazil, 2006, Pintomyia paleotrichia Andrade Filho, Brazil, Falcão, and Galati, 2007, and Pintomyia dominicana Andrade Filho, Galati & Brazil, 2009 this structure has four spines [ 5 , 7 , 9 - 12 ]…”

Lutzomyia adiketis sp. n. (Diptera: Phlebotomidae), a vector of Paleoleishmania neotropicum sp. n. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in Dominican amber

“…Four different configurations of the Sc vein exist in sand flies [ 9 ]. The Sc vein can be free, with the distal end not connected to either the costa or R1, as occurs in the Dominican amber Pintomyia paleotownsendi Andrade Filho et al [ 10 ] and Pintomyia falcaorum Brazil et al [ 11 ], Sc can meet the costa vein, as in the Dominican amber P. paleotrichia Andrade Filho et al [ 12 ] or the Sc can meet R 1 , as in the Dominican amber Pintomyia brazilorum Andrade Filho et al [ 13 ], P. killickorum Andrade Filho et al [ 14 ] and all five species described by Peñalver & Grimaldi [ 15 ]. The fourth condition, where Sc forks distally, uniquely occurs only on L. adiketis , among the described Dominican amber fossils.…”

Arthropods and Parasites Found in Amber

“…With the growing interest in amber with insect inclusions, various fossil Phlebotominae have been studied. Our group described a new species based on the first description of a sand fly from Dominican amber (Brazil & Andrade Filho, 2002;Andrade Filho, Galati & Falcão, 2006). The majority of the fossil species described in amber from the Dominican Republic belong to genus Pintomyia, subgenus Pifanomyia, while only one sand fly species (Trichopygomyia killickorum) from the Dominican Republic falls outside this group (Andrade Filho, Falcão & Brazil, 2004).…”