Author Institution: Department of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohi

Boesel, M. W.

The Ohio Journal of Science

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HOLOCONOPS IN THE WESTERN LAKE ERIE REGION(DIPTERA: HELEIDAE)1M. W. BOESEL,Department of Zoology, Miami University,Oxford, OhioIn his generic synopsis of Heleidae, Johannsen (1943) listed two Nearcticspecies in the Leptoconops group, which includes Holoconops. Both of theseare from the western and southwestern states.Leptoconops torrens Townsend was described from New Mexico as belongingto the genus Tersesthes. The first specimens were taken at an elevation of 7000feet while biting horses, particularly around the eyes (Townsend, 1893). Hoffman(1926) reported and described L. carteri from the Sacramento Valley in California.There in late spring and early summer the gnats are vigorous biters, attackingexposed skin or crawling under clothing, and often causing severe itching andswelling. They are reported as being so abundant at times that work in thefields is almost unbearable. Freeborn and Zimmerman (1934) described the maleof L. torrens and presented evidence indicating that carteri is a synonym of torrens.They incidentally mention specimens from Texas, thereby extending the knownrange of the species. Johannsen (1943) also mentions the occurrence of torrensin Colorado.Holoconops kerteszi Kieffer was described in 1908 from Egypt. The specieswas subsequently reported from the mountainous region of Tunis and later fromlower altitudes. In his revision of the genus Leptoconops, Carter (1921) addeda variety, americanus, on the basis of specimens from Utah but freely admittedthe absence of good distinguishing characters. Later (1934), Freeborn and Zim-merman studied California specimens which seemed to unite americanus with thetypical kerteszi. In California, the species inhabits a district of wind-swept hills,salt marsh, dune, and beach (Freeborn and Zimmerman, 1934). The specimensfirst collected in Utah were recorded as "biting devilishly" (Carter, 1921).On a collecting trip in 1942 along the sandy beach of Lake Erie northwest ofLakeside, Ohio, between East Harbor and West Harbor, the writer's attentionwas suddenly drawn to a minute punky viciously biting his lower arm. Becauseof its minute size, the specimen was collected separately in a one-dram vial con-taining grain alcohol. At the time it was thought to be a specimen of Culicoides.On examination in the laboratory, however, it was found to belong to theLeptoconops group of punkies. The closest described relative was obviouslyHoloconops kerteszi. At first it was thought to be a variant of that species butcloser examination revealed differences which seemed too great to be overlooked.It was hoped that additional specimens could be located during widely spacedtrips to the area but inasmuch as five years have elapsed without success thespecimen is being described as representing a new species.Holoconops catawbae new speciesFemale.—Head, thorax, and abdomen nearly uniform reddish brown. Thorax unstriped.Antennae, legs, and lamellae somewhat lighter; legs tending to be lightest in metatarsal area.Frons minutely hairy (430 X), with a few larger hairs at the level of the upper margin of the eyes.Eyes reniform, naked. Antennal flagellum (Fig. 2) with 11 joints; terminal joint about 2.5 timeslonger than wide; basal joint pyriform, all others more or less globular. Terminal antennal seg-ment very slightly longer than three preceding segments. Palps (Fig. 1) probably with fourjoints but basal joint very indistinct; palps therefore appearing to be three-jointed. Ante-contribution from the Franz Theodore Stone Laboratory, Put-in-Bay, Ohio.6970 M. w. BOESEL Vol. XLVIIIpenultimate palpal joint small, subspherical; penultimate joint elongate pyriform, with con-spicuous sensory pit distinctly distad of middle; terminal joint stalked, clavate. All palpaljoints with irregular, transverse rows of setulae (430 X). Thorax with scattered hairs about aslong as those of antennal flagellum. Scutellum with four distinct bristles. Wings (Pig. 5)whitish, the surface covered with microtrichia (100X); macrotrichia absent. Costa undevel-oped except perhaps between apices of Ri and R3. Subcostal-radial fusion fairly complete, alongitudinal vein, probably Ri, dividing the area lengthwise. R5 (designated a longitudinal foldby some authors) distinct to near wing apex. Anterior branch of media present but indistinct,posterior branch absent. Both branches of cubitus visible but evanescent apically. Halterespale. Metatarsi moderately spiny; other tarsal joints with a few spines. Tarsal claws equal,simple, and without a basal tooth. Fourth tarsal joint on all legs shorter than fifth. Hindtarsus with proportions as follows: 13-10-5-3-4. Abdomen with minute hairs (215X); longerhairs confined to venter and to terminal segments dorsally. Lamellae (Fig. 3) elongate, hairy.Spermathecae (Fig. 4) lemon-shaped, rounded dorsally but showing short stalks ventrally. Asmall spermatheca-like body visible just posterior to second spermatheca. Wing length, 0.82mm. Length of lamellae, 0.14 mm. Total length, including lamellae, 1.2 mm. (as measuredbefore specimen was mounted on a slide).Holotype female, Lakeside, Ohio, July 8, 1942, M. W. Boesel. Preserved in 95 per centgrain alcohol until 1944; then mounted on a glass slide in balsam. Type in author's collection.KEY TO NEARCTIC SPECIES OF THE LEPTOCONOPS GROUP1. Antennal flagellum with 13 joints; males (2)1. Antennal flagellum with 11 or 12 joints; females (3)2. Ninth tergite with two short fleshy lobes ventrad of termination, each bearing twolong stout bristles; scutetlum with six bristles Leptoconops torrens o"2. Ninth tergite with two long finger-like terminal projections, each with a very short incon-spicuous bristle near its middle; scutellum with four bristles Holoconops kerteszi o"3. Antennal flagellum with 12 joints; scutellum with six bristles; abdomen brown, distinctlypaler than thorax; total length 2.2 mm.; wing length 1.1 mm Leptoconops torrens 93. Antennal flagellum with 11 joints; scutellum with four bristles (4)4. Penultimate palpal joint with pore near middle; ultimate palpal joint slightly swollendistally; antepenultimate palpal joint elongate, cylindrical, hardly or little wider thansucceeding joint; head and thorax black, abdomen dark brown; legs dark brown; veinsR6 and Mi+2 convergent apically; total length 1.5-2.1 mm.; wing length 1.1-1.3 mm.Holoconops kerteszi 94. Penultimate palpal joint with pore distinctly distad of middle; ultimate palpal jointstalked, apical two-thirds definitely broadened; antepenultimate palpal joint sub-spherical, distinctly broader than base of succeeding joint; entire body uncoilorousreddish brown; legs light brown; veins R6 and Mi+2 subparallel or slightly divergentapically; total length 1.2 mm.; wing length 0.82 mm Holoconops catawbae 9DISCUSSIONAt first it was considered probable that the specimen collected in Ohio had beencarried into the region from the western or southwestern states. There arefamiliar accounts of small insects being carried great distances in the air.Specifically, Freeborn and Zimmerman (1934) speak of 'black alkali' locationsin California which act as foci from which these "black gnats" are blown by windsover large areas. It is interesting but perhaps not too significant to note that asouthwest wind with a velocity of 36 miles per hour was recorded for ClevelandEXPLANATION OF PLATEFIGS. 1-5. Details of Holoconops catawbae n. sp., female.Fig. 1. Palp. Fig. 2. Antenna. Fig. 3. Lamella, lateral view. Fig. 4. Spermathecae,lateral view. Fig. 5. Wing.HoloconopsM. W. BoeselPLATE I7172 M. W. BOESEL Vol. XLVIIIon June 30, and a south wind of 40 miles per hour was recorded for the same city onJuly 3, 1942. In order to have been transported from the nearest recorded locality(Utah) to western Lake Erie, the punky would have had to travel nearly 2000miles. When the individual was carefully studied and found to differ from H.kerteszi in a number of respects, the theory of transmission by air currents or othermeans seemed much less attractive.An argument in favor of the conclusion that Holoconops catawbae is perhapsbreeding sparingly along the shore of Lake Erie is the apparent suitability of theenvironment for its development. We have little information on the life historyof Holoconops but Painter (1926) briefly describes larvae of H. bequaerti Kiefferwhich in Honduras are said to be found nearly always burrowing in wet sandmixed with a little humus along the edges of sea or brackish water; the larvaeare recorded as often occurring in beach depressions which are wet but not disturbedby waves. The microscopic nature and burrowing habits of the larvae makestheir detection most difficult but it is conceivable that they occur on sandy LakeErie beaches. It should be emphasized, however, that such beaches are com-paratively rare in the region in general. Predominantly there are limestonecliffs, shelves, and pebble beaches.SUMMARY1. A single female of Holoconops catawbae n. sp. was collected on a sandyLake Erie beach in the act of biting viciously.2. H. catawbae differs from its closest known relative, H. kerteszi, in thefollowing respects: the last palpal joint is stalked and distinctly clavate, thepenultimate joint has the pore distinctly distad of the middle, and the ante-penultimate joint is subspherical; the body is reddish brown, the legs light brown;veins Rs and Mi+2 are subparallel or slightly divergent apically; total length1.2 mm.; wing length 0.82 mm.3. Suitability of the environment makes it seem possible that H. catawbaeis breeding to some extent in the Lake Erie region.LITERATURE CITEDCarter, Henry F. 1921. A revision of the genus Leptoconops Skuse. Bull. Ent. Res.,12:1-28.Freeborn, Stanley B., and Zimmerman, Elwood C. 1934. The males of Leptoconops torrensTns., and L. kerteszi Kieff. Bull. Ent. Res., 25: 257-262.Hoffman, W. A. 1926. Two new species of American Leptoconops. (Diptera, Chironomidae.)Bull. Ent. Res., 17: 133-136.Johannsen, O. A. 1943. A generic synopsis of the Ceratopogonidae (Heleidae) of the Americas,a bibliography, and a list of the North American species. Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer., 36: 763-791.Painter, Reginald H. 1926. The biology, immature stages, and control of the sandflies (bitingCeratopogonidae) at Puerto Castilla, Honduras. Ann. Report Med. Dept. United FruitCo., 1926: 245-262.Townsend, C. H. Tyler. 1893. An interesting blood-sucking gnat of the family Chironomidae.Psyche, 6: 369-371.

Holoconops in the Western Lake Erie Region (Diptera: Heleidae)

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Holoconops in the Western Lake Erie Region (Diptera: Heleidae)

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