CHIRONOMUS Journal of Chironomidae Research No. 30, 2017: 4-18. Current Research. AN ANNOTATED PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE CHIRONOMIDAE (DIPTERA) OF ZURQUÍ, COSTA RICA John H. Epler 461 Tiger Hammock Road, Crawfordville, Florida, 32327, U.S.A. Email: [email protected] Abstract to October 2013. The 150 by 266 m site, at an el- evation of ~1600 m, is mostly cloud forest, with An annotated list of the species of Chironomidae adjacent small pastures; the site has one permanent found at a four-hectare site, mostly cloud forest, in and one temporary stream, located in heavily for- Costa Rica is presented. A total of 137 species, 98 ested ravines. of them undescribed, in 63 genera (17 apparently new), were found. Collecting methods included two malaise traps run continuously and additional traps run three days Introduction each month: three additional malaise traps, several The tropics have long been known as areas of great emergence traps (over leaf litter; over dry branch- biodiversity (e.g. Erwin 1982), but our knowledge es; over vegetation; over stagnant water; over run- of many insect groups there remains poor. The two ning water), CDC light traps, bucket light traps, volume “Manual of Central American Diptera” yellow pan traps, flight intercept traps and mercury (Brown et al. 2009, 2010) provided the first modern vapor light traps. Some specimens were collected tools to analyze the diversity of one of the largest by sweeping and by hand. orders of insects, the Diptera (two-winged flies) of Samples were sorted and prepared by technicians the northern portion of the Neotropics; Spies et al. at the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INBio). (2009) covered the Chironomidae. These volumes Given the difficulties of female identification, for offered the first family level identification keys for the most part only males were removed from the Central America (the first for any portion of the samples for identification. Thus parthenogenetic Neotropics) and also allow identification to the ge- species, such as Phytotelmatocladius delarosai neric level of the described Central American Dip- Epler, known from the USA (Florida) to Argentina tera. However, these volumes are just scratching (Epler 2010, Siri & Donato 2014) may have been the surface of Neotropical fly diversity. At both the missed. genus and especially the species level, a tremen- dous amount of work remains to be done. Results Art Borkent and Brian Brown conceived and de- A total of 2,120 specimens were examined. Four veloped a survey project for identifying all the subfamilies, 63 genera and 137 species were repre- Diptera species of a small area in Costa Rica. The sented (Appendix 1). The majority of species (98), study, patterned after an “All Taxa Biotic Invento- and 17 new genera, are apparently undescribed and ry” (ATBI), but devoted entirely to the order Dip- were given letter/number designators. It is antici- tera, was called the Zurquí All Diptera Biodiversity pated that a great deal of time will be necessary to Inventory (ZADBI). Fifty-nine collaborators took describe all these new taxa. Workers whose work part in the project; I was fortunate to work with the may involve some of these taxa are welcome to Chironomidae. Borkent & Brown (2015) provided contact me with ideas for producing descriptions. an overview of the project and its protocol. Funding sources are also being sought. As will be seen below, a large number of unde- All but one of the putatively new genera were or- scribed genera and species were found, as well as thoclads and are listed as “CHIRORTH-n”, refer- many new records for Costa Rica. This paper is ring to “Chironomidae: Orthocladiinae” followed also meant to update the generic synopses provid- by a number; e.g., “CHIRORTH-1 sp. ZUR-1”. ed by Spies et al. (2009). The single CHIRCHIR-1 is a damaged specimen of a Chironominae, and may represent a known Material and methods genus, but its combination of available characters The majority of material came from the main site does not allow generic placement. Undescribed at Zurquí de Moravia (hereafter Zurquí), located species are listed with “ZUR-n”, referring to new at 10.047313°N, 84.008457°W, in San José Prov- taxa from the Zurquí project (I also have numer- ince, Costa Rica, collected from September 2012 ous other undescribed species from Costa Rica, 4 collected over the past several decades, that have a single specimen. A key character for this species been given different letter/number designators; was the absence of acrostichal setae. The Zurquí with the possible exception of a single species material (41 specimens) all had some acrostichal of Parametriocnemus, none of these other unde- setae; otherwise the specimens appear to be B. scribed taxa were found in the Zurquí material). A psilacrus. The type was not available for examina- list of the taxa collected is presented in Appendix tion. 1. An annotated accounting of these taxa follows Although a widespread and speciose genus, few below; any mention of morphological characters Bryophaenocladius species are known from the is not to be taken as a description of a taxon. Note Neotropics. Wang et al. (2006) and Donato (2011) also that the relative numbers or percentages given provided the most recent treatments of the genus for species collected are not representative of the for the area. It is possible that some of the taxa that total catch, and pertain just to the material that was I’ve grouped here may belong elsewhere. selected to be mounted. Compterosmittia - Three species were collected; PODONOMINAE the most common (104 specimens) was the unde- Parochlus - A single taxon belonging to the Pa- scribed C. sp. ZUR-1, followed by C. nerius (43 rochlus araucanus group (Brundin 1966) was col- specimens). A single specimen of C. sp. ZUR-2 lected. Because pupae are necessary for species was collected. The genus was most recently re- delimitation in this group, species-level identifica- viewed, for taxa from the area, by Mendes et al. tion of this taxon will have to wait until pupae are (2004). collected and associated. Corynoneura - Two undescribed species were col- TANYPODINAE lected in addition to two described species: C. fere- lobata was described from Guatemala by Sublette Procladius - To date, only one species of the sub- & Sasa (1994); C. guanacaste was described from genus P. (Procladius) has been reported from the northern Costa Rica by Wiedenbrug et al. (2012). Neotropics: P. mozambique Roback, from Colom- bia (Roback 1982b). The single species of Procla- Cricotopus - About 15 species are recorded or de- dius collected at Zurquí, P. (Procladius) sp. ZUR- scribed from the Central American-Caribbean area 1, more closely resembles P. (P.) paludicola Skuse, (Spies & Reiss 1996). All eight of the Cricotopus an Australian species (Roback 1982a), but differs species that were collected at Zurquí appear to be in coloration and morphology. undescribed; all belong with the subgenus C. (Cri- cotopus). Thienemannimyia - Thienemannimyia (Thiene- mannimyia) sp. ZUR-1 may be the species referred Diplosmittia - Two undescribed species were col- to by Watson & Heyn (1993) as Thienemannimyia lected, in addition to D. forficata, described from nr barberi (Coq). It resembles T. barberi (Coquil- La Selva, Costa Rica, by Andersen (1996). The lett), a western US species, but the wing pattern genus has recently been reviewed by Pinho et al. appears slightly different; comparison of more (2009) and Wiedenbrug & Silva (2016) added an Costa Rican and Nearctic material is necessary. additional species from the Dominican Republic. The single specimen of D. sp. ZUR-1lacks anten- Zavrelimyia - Zavrelimyia (Paramerina) fasciata, nae and bears a well developed inferior volsella; it as Paramerina fasciata Sublette & Sasa, was de- may belong elsewhere but is placed in Diplosmit- scribed from Guatemala (Sublette & Sasa 1994); tia until more complete material can be collected. it is widespread in Costa Rica and was the most Diplosmittia sp. ZUR-2 resembles D. beluina common tanypod collected in the study. Andersen (described from La Selva, Costa Rica) ORTHOCLADIINAE but has 13 antennal flagellomeres, with an AR of 3.0-3.4, and a more sharply pointed anal point; D. Antillocladius - Three species were collected; A. beluina has 10 flagellomeres and an AR of 0.62. pluspilalus was the most common (59 specimens). Both taxa have a long costal extension. The two The genus has most recently been reviewed by taxa may be conspecific but more material is nec- Mendes & Andersen (2008) and Mendes et al. essary to determine antennal vaiability. (2011). Eukiefferiella - Three undescribed species that fit Bryophaenocladius - Of the five Bryophaeno- Eukiefferiella were collected. No described spe- cladius species collected, four are undescribed. cies are known from the Neotropics; Watson & The fifth species is listed here as B. cf. psilacrus. Heyn (1993) recorded larvae from Costa Rica. Bryophaenocladius psilacrus was described from South Carolina, USA, by Sæther (1982), based on 5 Gravatamberus - The genus was established by May, with fewer setae present in those wing areas Mendes & Andersen (2008); they included five from May (one specimen) through October. species found in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Gua- Irisobrillia - Eight specimens of the sole species of temala, Mexico and Venezuela. Gravatamberus the genus, I. longistyla, were collected. curtus Mendes & Andersen was described from material (three specimens) from Mexico and Krenosmittia - Two specimens were collected of a northwestern Costa Rica; G. guatemaltecus was species that appears to belong with Krenosmittia. described from a single specimen from Guatemala. This would be the first record for the genus from The two species were diagnosed by the number of the Neotropics. Examination of more material is setae in cell m proximal to RM, number of setae on necessary. the subcosta, the length of the costal extension and Limnophyes - Limnophyes was one of the more the AR: G.