Smittia pratti sp. n., a new riparian species from the up-per basin of the Cinqueta River, Spanish Pyrenees [Diptera, Chironomidae, Orthocladiinae]

Abstract

Male adult of Smittia pratti sp. n. is described on the basis of material collected by sweep net in the upper basin of the Cinqueta River (Spanish Pyrenees, NE-Spain, altitude 1561 m). A combination of some distin-guishing characters found in the male adult (shape of the anal point, inferior volsella and gonostylus) shows a close morphological similarity with that of S. scutellosetosa Caspers, 1988 and S. zealandiana Moubayed-Breil & Mary, 2021. Therefore, the new species represents, here, the third member of the scutellosetosa-group as emended recently by MOUBAYED-BREIL & MARY (2020). The presence of ventral lobe (pars ven-tralis) at the basal junction of gonocoxites is unusual in the genus Smittia Holmgren 1869. This atypical character will easily separate the new species from its related congeners. Currently, there are 37 Smittia species reported from Europe. Consequently, description here of Smittia pratti sp. n. increases the total number in the genus to 38 valid species. The new species is only known from its type-locality. Comments on their taxonomic position and ecology are given.