A new species of Simulium (Gomphostilbia) (Diptera, Simuliidae) from Thailand, with a key to identify females of 14 species of the Simuliumvaricorne species-group

Wichai Srisuka; Kittipat Aupalee; Yasushi Otsuka; Masako Fukuda; Hiroyuki Takaoka; Atiporn Saeung

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1083.77428

A new species of Simulium (Gomphostilbia) (Diptera, Simuliidae) from Thailand, with a key to identify females of 14 species of the Simuliumvaricorne species-group

Zookeys. 2022 Jan 21:1083:1-12. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1083.77428. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Wichai Srisuka¹, Kittipat Aupalee², Yasushi Otsuka³, Masako Fukuda⁴, Hiroyuki Takaoka⁵, Atiporn Saeung²

Affiliations

¹ Entomology Section, Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, P.O. Box 7, Maerim, Chiang Mai 50180, Thailand Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden Chiang Mai Thailand.
² Center of Insect Vector Study, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand Chiang Mai University Chiang Mai Thailand.
³ Research Center for the Pacific Islands, Kagoshima University, Korimoto 1-21-24, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima 890-8580, Japan Kagoshima University Kagoshima Japan.
⁴ Institute for Research Management, Oita University, Idaigaoka 1-1, Hasama, Yufu City, Oita, 879-5593, Japan Oita University Yufu Japan.
⁵ Higher Institution of Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre, (TIDREC), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia Universiti Malaya Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

Abstract

Simulium (Gomphostilbia) khelangensesp. nov. is described on the basis of females, collected by a sweeping net in Lampang, Phitsanulok and Chiang Mai Provinces, Thailand. This new species is placed in the S.chumpornense subgroup of the S.varicorne species-group in the subgenus Gomphostilbia Enderlein by having the antenna with eight flagellomeres, pleural membrane bare, and female subcosta lacking hairs. It is similar to S.kuvangkadilokae Pramual & Tangkawanit from Thailand in the same subgroup but is barely distinguished from the latter species by the head width relative to the greatest width of the frons and length of the labrum relative to the clypeus. A genetic analysis using the COI gene sequences similarly shows that S.khelangense sp. nov. is most closely related to S.kuvangkadilokae, with a genetic distance of 1.23-2.81%. A revised key to identify females of 14 species of the S.varicorne species-group is provided.

Keywords: Aquatic insects; biodiversity; blackflies; sweeping net; taxonomy.

Wichai Srisuka, Kittipat Aupalee, Yasushi Otsuka, Masako Fukuda, Hiroyuki Takaoka, Atiporn Saeung.