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

Caio Cezar Dias Corrêa; Rebeca Geraldo; Leonardo Henrique Gil-Azevedo

doi:10.11606/1807-0205/2025.65.039

Authors

Caio Cezar Dias Corrêa Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Departamento de Entomologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4877-617X
Rebeca Geraldo Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Departamento de Entomologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1398-5909
Leonardo Henrique Gil-Azevedo Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Museu Nacional, Departamento de Entomologia. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0389-2185

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/1807-0205/2025.65.039

Keywords:

Biting-midges, Ectoparasitism, Forcipomyiinae, Stick bug, Neotropical Region

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.

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References

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

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