Additions and Corrections to the Nearctic Orthocladiinae (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Abstract

Five new species, Apometriocnemus beringensis, Cricotopus (Cricotopus) bifurcatus, Doithrix dillonae, Hydrobaenus piloculus, and Paratrissocladius lawrencensis, are described. The following new combinations are established: Bryophaenocladius astis (Roback 1951b); Compterosmittia nerius (Curran 1930); Parakiefferiella subaterrima (Malloch 1915); Paratrichocladius nitidus (Malloch 1915); Pseudosmittia nanseni (Kieffer 1926); and Zalutschia sivertseni (Aagard 1979). New genus name synonymies are Maricladius Sublette, 1970 with Parakiefferiella Thienemann, 1936; and Prosmittia Brundin, 1956 with Pseudosmittia Goetghebuer, 1932. New species name synonymies are Spaniotoma (Trichocladius) senex Johannsen, 1937 with Trichocladius nitidellus Malloch, 1915 (= Acricotopus nitidellus); Hydrobaenus traenis Roback, 1957b with Hydrobaenus astis Roback, 1957b (= Bryophaenocladius astis); Compterosmittia clavigera Saether, 1982 with Camptocladius nerius Curran, 1930 (= Compterosmittia nerius); Cricotopus flannagani Saether, 1971 with Cricotopus macraei Saether, 1971; Gymnometriocnemus marionensis Saether, 1969 with Metriocnemus subnudus Edwards, 1929 (= Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) subnudus); Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) acigus Saether, 1983 with Metriocnemus brumalis Edwards, 1929 (= Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) brumalis); Limnophyes spatulosus Saether, 1975 with Limnophyes borealis Goetghebuer, 1933; Limnophyes cristatissimus Saether, 1975 with Camptocladius fumosus Johannsen, 1905 (= Limnophyes fumosus); Limnophyes hudsoni Saether, 1975 with Limnophyes immucronatus Saether, 1969; Hydrobaenus hudsoni Saether, 1977 with Chaetocladius (Parachaetocladius) abnobaeus Wülker, 1959 (= Parachaetocladius abnobaeus); Parakiefferiella torulata Saether, 1969 with Camptocladius subaterrimus Malloch, 1915 (= Parakiefferiella subaterrima); Trichocladius helis Roback, 1957b with Orthocladius nitidus Malloch, 1915 (= Paratrichocladius nitidus); Syncricotopus fontinalis Saether, 1969 with Chironomus rufiventris Meigen, 1830 (= Paratrichocladius rufiventris); Pseudorthocladius (Lordella) comans Saether and Sublette, 1983 with Pseudorthocladius (Lordella) wingoi Saether and Sublette, 1983; Smittia triappendiculata Goetghebuer, 1931 with Camptocladius forcipatus Goetghebuer, 1921 (= Pseudosmittia forcipatus); and Psilometriocnemus cristatus Saether, 1982 with Psilometriocnemus triannulatus Saether, 1969. Major new distribution records are given for 49 species including 8 Nearctic and 32 Canadian. A key to adult males of Nearctic Limnophyes is given.

A review of Norwegian Gymnometriocnemus (Diptera, Chironomidae) including the description of two new species and a new name for Gymnometriocnemus volitans (Goetghebuer) sensu Brundin

“…The larger anal point will separate Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) marionensis (c. 38 µm long) from Gymnometriocnemus subnudus (c. 17 µm long). Cranston and Oliver (1988) synonymized Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) marionensis with Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) subnudus doubting the diagnostic value of the size of the megaseta and position of the end of R 2+3 (Fig. 5A).…”

“…There is some variation observed in the length of the virga in relationship with the length of the gonocoxite, one of the characters used to separate Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) acigus from Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) brumalis (Cranston and Oliver 1988; Sæther 1983), but we have not examined or barcoded a sufficient number of specimens to confidently conclude if the divergent genetic clusters in our Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) brumalis can be regarded as separate species. We have examined the male holotype and a male paratype of Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) acigus and can confirm that the species fits our and Cranston and Oliver’s (1988) interpretation of Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) brumalis. The species has a Holarctic distribution.…”

“…Two species in this subgenus were later described from Japan, but both Gymnometriocnemus kamimegavirgus Sasa & Okazawa, 1994 and Gymnometriocnemus tairaprimus Sasa & Okazawa, 1994 were diagnosed without considering Gymnometriocnemus volitans sensu Brundin (1956) and Sæther (1983) (Sasa and Hirabayashi 1993; Sasa and Okasawa 1994). Cranston and Oliver (1988) argued for a synonymy of the type species for Raphidocladius , Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) acigus, with Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) brumalis claiming that the characters used by Sæther (1983) to separate these species were not reliable and interspecifically variable even within the same population. This leaves four valid species in subgenus Raphidocladius in the World Catalogue of Chironomidae: Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) brumalis, Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) kamimegavirgus, Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) tairaprimus and Gymnometriocnemus (Raphidocladius) volitans (Ashe and O’Connor 2012).…”

“…Cranston and Oliver (1988) synonymized Gymnometriocnemus marionensis Sæther, 1983 with Gymnometriocnemus subnudus , leaving 11 valid species in subgenus Gymnometriocnemus the World Catalogue of Chironomidae: Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) ancudensis (Edwards, 1931), Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) benoiti (Freeman, 1956), Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) brevitarsis (Edwards, 1929), Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) johanasecundus Sasa & Okazawa, 1994, Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) lobifer (Freeman, 1956), Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) longicostalis (Edwards, 1931), Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) subnudus, Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) terrestris Krüger, Thienemann & Goetghebuer, 1941, Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) mahensis (Kieffer, 1911) Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) nitidulus (Skuse, 1889) and Gymnometriocnemus (Gymnometriocnemus) wilsoni Freeman, 1961 (Ashe and O’Connor 2012). …”

An annotated preliminary list of the Chironomidae (Diptera) of Zurquí, Costa Rica

“…The two species were supposedly separated by the absence of setae on R 1 , a weak inferior volsella and a "slight hump on tergite IX representing a reduced anal point" in L. vixlobatus. Cranston & Oliver (1988) reported L. vixlobatus from the Yukon Territory of Canada, and examined paratypes of L. glabalus and a sin- gle specimen (which they thought to also represent L. glabalus) from Braulio Carillo National Park in Costa Rica (the Zurquí site is adjacent to a portion of the huge park). They noted that the two species were difficult to separate because of variation in the supposedly diagnostic characters, but gave no reason why they assigned the Yukon specimen to vixlobatus, which following its description should lack any setae on R 1 , instead of assigning it to L. glabalus.…”