Taxonomy and biology of Simulium clarkei Stone & Snoddy(Diptera: Simuliidae), a poorly known black fly of the southeastern United States

Abstract

Simulium clarkei Stone & Snoddy was the least known species of black fly in the eastern United States prior to our recent collections from southern Virginia (type locality) to southern Georgia, which yielded good series of all life stages after the egg. On the basis of these collections, we describe the female and the banding patterns of the polytene chromosomes, redescribe the larva, pupa, and male, and provide biological and distributional information. Simulium clarkei most closely resembles S. emarginatum Davies, Peterson, & Wood, but can be distinguished by the banding sequence of its larval polytene chromosomes and the shape of the male ventral plate.