The Practicing Systematist

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Two species from the same host?

The descriptions of C. globucollis and Cotithene sp. nov. 1 are done. The latter species now has a working name that refers to the variable setal patch on the male frons ("crew cut"). The two species differ in several attributes, yet any homology assessments (informative within the genus) will have to wait until a third species has been described. Meanwhile, the two large males I have from Braulio Carrillo ("sp. nov. 2") are not conspecific according to their respective aedeagal apices (one has been dissected and is narrowly rounded, the other is sticking out of the undissected male and is truncate). It appears that one male is C. globulicollis, for which there are also two females in the same sample with a shorter and broader rostrum; whereas the other male represents a new species, for which I also have two females from Braulio Carrillo with a significantly longer, narrower, and more curved rostrum. This means that there is no occurrence of a rostral dimorphism in females, as asserted in the post from September 20.

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