New species of Forcipomyia (Microhelea) Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) ectoparasite of Phasmatodea (Insecta) from Atlantic Forest, Brazil

Corrêa, Caio Cezar DiasGeraldo, RebecaGil-Azevedo, Leonardo Henrique

Abstract The genus Forcipomyia Meigen, 1818 comprises approximately 1,150 species and has great diversity in the Neotropical Region. The species in the subgenus Forcipomyia (Microhelea) Kieffer, 1917 are commonly found as ectoparasites of stick insects (Phasmatodea) and caterpillars (Lepidoptera). The Ixodoides species-group includes species that are ectoparasites of Phasmatodea and Orthoptera. During a field expedition to the Reserva Biológica União, Casimiro de Abreu (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), we collected a female of Forcipomyia (Microhelea) ectoparasitizing a nymph of Cladoxerus Le Peletier and Audinet-Serville, 1828 (Phasmatidae, Phasmatodea). Forcipomyia (Microhelea) naruto sp. nov. is described and distinguished from related species by characteristics of the mouthparts (especially the maxilla and labellum), legs, and abdomen. This is the second species of the Ixodoides species-group recorded for the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the first for the study area. A distribution map for the Ixodoides species-group in Rio de Janeiro is provided.

1. Stick bug
2. Ectoparasitism
3. Forcipomyiinae
4. Biting-midges
5. Neotropical Region