Culicoides (Avaritia) spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971, is made a junior subjective synonym of C.
(A.) glabripennis Goetghebuer, 1935.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. 
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.lmchunu2014mn201

Meiswinkel, R.

The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. 
Adobe Acrobat XI Pro was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.Culicoides (Avaritia) spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971, is made a junior subjective synonym of C.
(A.) glabripennis Goetghebuer, 1935.lmchunu2014mn201

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Onderstepoort J. vet. Res., 56,287-288 (1989) RESEARCH COMMUNICATION AFROTROPICAL CULICOIDES: C. (A VARITIA) SPINIFER KHAMALA & KETTLE, 1971, A NAME BASED ON AN ARTEFACT (DIPTERA: CERATOPOGONIDAE) R. MEISWINKEL, Veterinary Research Institute, Onderstepoort 0110 ABSTRACT MEISWINKEL, R., 1989. Afrotropical Culicoides: C. (Avaritia) spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971, a name based on an artefact (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 56,287-288 (1989). Culicoides (Avaritia) spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971, is made a junior subjective synonym of C. (A.) glabripennis Goetghebuer, 1935. During studies on the Afrotropical species of the genus Culicoides subgenus A varitia the holotype of C. spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971, kindly loaned by Dr John Boorman of the British Museum (Natu-ral History), was examined. Khamala & Kettle de-scribed the species from a single male collected in a light-trap on the 10. X. 1966 at Kaimosi, Kenya, and so named it because 'from the centre of the aedeagus arises a long, nearly straight posteroventral process extending beyond the apex of the aedeagus'. Upon close examination of the genitalia at 1000 X masnification, it can be seen that C. spinifer draws Its name from an artefact. As shown in Fig. 2 and 3 the 'posteroventral process' of the aedeagus is in fact a very misleadingly positioned, finely striated, moth scale. A 2nd, thinner and slightly shorter moth scale can be seen lying obliquely across the 1st. In slidemounted specimens of bloodsucking midges it is not uncommon to find extraneous lepidopteran scales, especially in material caught in light traps. This is easily explained. The death throes of a free-flying male suddenly finding itself in a liquid medium are characterized by the rapid clasping and unclasp-ing of the genitalia. During these spasms it may come into contact with numerous other insects, es-pecially moths, which have previously entered the trap and died; the still-flailing newcomer will soon die perhaps clutching moth scales, legs or a stray antenna. These will subsequently find their way into slide preparations. FIG. 1 C. (Avaritia) spinifer. Wing, male holotype Having established the anomaly that is C. spinifer what then is its true identity? Firstly some remarks on the condition of the holotype, this followed by a brief redescription of C. spinifer. Condition: Head squashed, eyes not cleared of red pigment; only 1 antenna present its distal 3 segments collapsed; thorax broken up, flattened; 1 wing and all legs in good condition; male genitalia partially squashed. Redescription: Eyes rather strongly hairy between facets; 3rd palpal segment slender and nearly parallel-sided with a small discrete sensory pit, 3rd Received 30 June 1989-Editor 287 segment as long as 2nd segment; antenna with a sen-silla coeloconica distribution as follows: 2 coeloco-nica apically on segment III, 1 or 2 subapically to apically on each of segments XIII-XV; blunt-tipped sensilla trichodea distribution as follows: 2 long blunt-tipped trichodea on segment III, 2 long and 1 short on IV-VI, 1 long and 1 short on each of seg-ments VII-X with no long or short trichodea on seg-ments XI and XII. Male genitalia (Fig. 2 & 3): mem-brane of sternum 9 not spiculate in the fairly deep and wide excavated area; aedeagus normal for the FIG. 2 C. (Avaritia) spinifer. Genitalia, male holotype showing striated moth scales. \ ( ' I \_ FIG. 3 C. (Avaritia) spinifer: "Genitalia, male holotype AFROTROPICAL CULICOIDES: C. (AVARITIA) SPIN/FER, A NAME BASED ON AN ARTEFACT subgenus Avaritia in that it has basally a fairly high concave arch, not infuscate along its margin, and has a rather slender apical projection of short to mode-rate length that is parallel-sided and smoothly rounded apically; parameres also normal for the sub-genus in being separate and ending in fine, simple recurved tips; tergum 9 with apicolateral processes on each corner, these short and blunt with inner margins sloping at 45° to very broad bases, and are separated medianally by a small shallow excavation; basistyles with dorsal and ventral feet as typically seen in the subgenus Avaritia. Wing (Fig. 1) with a rather diffuse pattern of light and dark areas and few to no macrotrichia. In the Afrotropical region there are a number of species groups Within the subgenus Avaritia. Three character states squarely place C. spinifer within the grahamii group: diffuse wing pattern, hairy eyes, and characteristically shaped tergum 9. Only 3 de-scribed species constitute the grahamii group at pre-sent: C. grahamii Austen, 1909, C. glabripennis Goetghebuer, 1935 and C. spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971. C. glabripennis has been variously placed as a synonym of C. grahamii by Kremer, Rebholtz-Hirtzel & Delecolle (1975) and Wirth, De Meillon & Haeselbarth {1980), and of C. imicola (under the name of C. pallidipennis) by Khamala & Kettle, 1971. However, I agree with Itoua & Cornet {1986) who resurrected C. glabripennis to species status separating it from its congener C. grahamii on small but constant differences in wing pattern, wing macrotrichia, distribution of sensilla coeloconica on the female antenna and on the presence or absence of spiculae on the membrane of sternum 9 in the male genitalia. Furthermore, these morphological differences are upheld by important differences in biology; C. grahamii is strongly anthropophilic in west and central tropical Africa, being incriminated by Sharp {1927) as a vector of the filarial worm Man-sonella perstans (=Microfilaria perstans) in man. This has led to a number of intensive investigations into the biology and ecology of C. grahamii {Auriault 1977a,b; Itoua, 1984; Vattier-Bernard, Itoua, Trouillet & Lallemant, 1986). Though occurring sympatrically with C. grahamii, C. glabripennis is rarer and not a man-biting species (Itoua, Vattier-Bernard & Trouillet, 1987). The type localities of C. glabripennis and C. spinifer are Vitshumbi (00° 41' S, 29° 23' E) eastern Zaire, and Kaimosi {00° 12' N, 34° 57' E), western Kenya respectively, and are some 500 km apart. According to White {1983) both localities fall into or are bounded by vegetation types lla, 19 and 45. The 1st {lla) is a forest transition and mosaic more preci-sely described as a mosaic of lowland rain forest and secondary grassland of the Guineo-Congolian sub-type; the 2nd {19) is also a forest transition and mosaic but is an undifferentiated montane vegeta-tion of Afromontane affinity; the last ( 45) is a bush-land and thicket mosaic of East African evergreen bushland and secondary Acacia wooded grassland. The above brief description of C. spinifer shows it to be inseparable from the redescription given by Kremer et at. {1975) of the holotype of C. glabripen-nis. Furthermore, the character states established by Itoua & Cornet (1986) to be diagnostic for C. glabri-pennis perfectly fit those found in C. spinifer. Finally, that both C. glabripennis and C. spinifer have their type localities in identical vegetation zones on the equator, further supports their being one and the same taxon. C. (A) spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971, is accordingly here designated as a junior subjective synonym of C. (A) glabripennis Goetghebuer, 1935. REFERENCES AURIAULT, M., 1977a. Contribution a !'etude biolo~que et eco-logique de Culicoides grahamii (Austen), 1909 (D1ptera, Cera-topogonidae). I. Rhythme d'activite des feme!Jes . Cahiers office de Ia Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-mer, Se-rie Entomologie medicale et Parasitologie, 15, 171-176. AURIAULT, M., 1977b. Contribution a !'etude biologique et eco-logique de Culicoides grahamii (Austen), 1909 (D1ptera, Cera-topogonidae). II. Cycle trophogonique. Cahiers office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-mer, Serie Entomo-logie medicale et Parasitologie, 15, 177-184. GOETGHEBUER, M., 1935. Ceratopogonides recoltes par le Dr. De Wulf au Congo beige. Revue de Zoolgie et de Botanique Africaines,27, 145-181. ; !TOUA, A., 1984. Activite joumaliere et saisonniere de Culicoides grahamii Austen, 1909 dans le Mayombe Congolais (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae). Memoires Station de Recherches Bio-eco-logiques Forestieres de Dimonika (Stardi), Universite Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, 1-40. ITOUA, A. & CORNET, M. , 1986. Les Ceratopogonidae (Diptera) du Mayombe Congolais. III. Revue taxonomique des especes du genre Culicoides Latreille 1809. Cahiers office de U1 Re-cherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-mer, Serie Entomologie medicate et Parasitologie, 24, 233-250. ITOUA, A., VATTIER-BERNARD, G. & TROUILLET, J., 1987. Les Ceratopogonidae (Diptera) du Mayombe Congolais. II. Contri-bution a !'etude d'un peuplement de Cu/icoides. Annales de Parasitologie et Humaine Comparee, 62, 474-483. KHAMALA, C. P. M. & KETTLE, D. S., 1971. The Culicoides Latreille (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) of East Africa. Transac-tions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 123, 1-95. KR~MER, M., REBHOLTZ-HlRTZEL, C. & DELECOLLE, J. C., 1975. Etude des types de Culicoides (Diptera, Ceratopogoni-dae) de Goetghebuer et des autres Ceratopogonidae deposes au Musee de Tervuren. Revue de Zoo/ogie Africaine, 89, 769-820. SHARP, N. A. D., 1927. Development of Microfiwria perstans in Culicoides grahamii: a rreliminary note. Transactions of the Royal Society ofTropica Medicine and Hygiene, 21, 70. VATTIER-BERNARD, G., ITOUA, A., TROUILLET, J. & LALLEMANT, M., 1986. Les Ceratopo~onidae (Diptera) du Mayombe Congolais. I. Rhythme d'activltc journalier des fem-elles de Culicoides grahamii Austen, 1909. Annales de Parasito-logieet Humaine Comparee, 61,367-377. WHITE, F., 1983. The vegetation of Africa. A descriptive memoir to accompany the Unesco/AETFATIUNSO vegetation map of Africa, + Maps. Paris: Unesco. WIRTH, W. W., DE MEILLON, B. & HAESELBARTH, E ., 1980. Ceratopogonidae. Pages 150-175 in: CROSSKEY, R. W. (ed.). Catalogue of the Diptera of the Afrotropical Region. 1437 pp. British Museum (Natural History), London. Printed by the Government Printer, Private Bag X85, Pretoria, 0001 288 

Afrotropical Culicoides : C. (Avaritia) spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971, a name based on an artefact (Diptera : Ceratopogonidae)

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Afrotropical Culicoides : C. (Avaritia) spinifer Khamala & Kettle, 1971, a name based on an artefact (Diptera : Ceratopogonidae)

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