Culicoides ( Silvicola ) sierrensis Wirth and Blanton, 2022

Culicoides ( Silvicola) sierrensis Wirth and Blanton View in CoL

( Fig. 72 View Figures 66–72 , 125 View Figures 117–125 , 184, 282, 286)

Culicoides ( Culicoides) sierrensis Wirth and Blanton, 1969b: 232 View in CoL (key; numerical characters; female, male; fig. female antenna, palpus, wing, eye separation, spermathecae, male genitalia, parameres; California). Wirth et al. 1985: 10 (numerical characters; fig. female wing).

Culicoides ( Silvicola) sierrensis: Mirzaeva and Isaev 1990: 156 View in CoL in English translation (as part of Cockerellii group, assignment to new subgenus Silvicola ).

Culicoides cockerellii View in CoL variety a: Wirth 1952a: 172 (female; male genitalia; California).

Diagnosis. ( Tables 14, 15) Wing pattern extensive, with distinct distal stripes and pale spots; pale spot over at least distal half of r 2; cua 1 without central dark spot; dark spot over r 1 –r 2 merged with spot over M fork; eyes contiguous; superior transverse suture present; palpal segment 3 with scattered sensilla instead of pit; scutum with sub-lateral dark patches; hind tibiae with basal pale band ~2× longer than wide; fore and hind tarsomeres with apical spines; spermathecae subequal to unequal by 1.2×; male tergite 9 with tiny apicolateral processes not projecting beyond median lobe; ventral apodeme of gonocoxite shorter than dorsal apodeme, strongly tapered, pointed, 1–2× as long as basal width; gonocoxite with fine setae on mesal surface; aedeagus V-shaped, median process tapered triangular, aedeagal ratio ~0.4; parameres separate, apices slender, posteriorly directed, with fringe of tiny hairs at tip.

Distribution. northern California, Idaho (Blaine County, new state record), Nevada, Utah ( San Juan, Summit, Uintah counties, new state record). New records, all collected with UVLT: two females on 16 July 2019 at 43.73340°N 114.27168°W and 1974 m elevation along Corral Creek in the Pioneer Mountains of central Idaho; two females on 11 July 2019 at 40.80841°N 110.87270°W and 2752 m elevation along the Bear River in the Uinta Mountains in Utah; one female during June 2017 at 39.4639°N 109.2869°W and 2436 m elevation on the Tavaputs Plateau in Utah; and two females on August 2019 at 38.41373°N 109.22369°W and 2894 m elevation in the La Sal Mountains in Utah.

Adult behavior. The mandibular and lacinial teeth on the female indicate it feeds on vertebrate blood; however, its hosts are unknown.

Remarks. The two females collected in San Juan County, Utah, had the eyes contiguous at a point, distinct wing pattern, and basal pale band on the hind tibia characteristic of C. sierrensis , but had SCo patterns 1, (3), (5), (6), 7, (8), 9–13 more characteristic of C. neomontanus . See also subgenus Silvicola discussion and C. cockerellii and C. neomontanus remarks.