Two New Species of Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) from the High Andes of Colombia
Mantilla, J.S.; Moncada, L.I.; Matta, N.E.; Adler, P.H.
Zootaxa 3700: 423-434
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 1175-5326 PMID: 26106735 Document Number: 668238
The females, males, pupae, and larvae of two new species of Simulium are described and illustrated from a small stream 3950 m above sea level in the Lake Otún area of the Colombian Andes Mountains. Simulium (Pternaspatha) quimbayium n. sp. represents a 630-km northeastern extension of the distributional range of previously known members of the subgenus Pternaspatha, and Simulium (Psilopelmia) machetorum n. sp. represents the highest altitude recorded for a species of the subgenus Psilopelmia. These species illustrate the unique simuliid biodiversity in the páramo ecosystem of the high northern Andes.