Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-12
Page range: 99-110
Abstract views: 87
PDF downloaded: 6

New species and records of Stenochironomus Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Brazil and Colombia

Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia; Coordenação de Biodiversidade (CoBio); Programa de pós-graduação em Entomologia (PPG-Ent); Manaus; Brazil
Universidad de la Amazonia; Grupo de Investigación en Entomología Universidad de la Amazonia -GIEU-; Laboratorio de Entomología; Florencia; Colombia
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia; Coordenação de Biodiversidade (CoBio); Programa de pós-graduação em Entomologia (PPG-Ent); Manaus; Brazil
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia; Coordenação de Biodiversidade (CoBio); Programa de pós-graduação em Entomologia (PPG-Ent); Manaus; Brazil
Diptera Andes Amazonia Llanos Neotropical Region aquatic insects

Abstract

Two new species of Stenochironomus are described based on adult males, one from the Colombian Andes and the other from the Brazilian Amazon: Stenochironomus miraflores sp. nov. and Stenochironomus nukini sp. nov., respectively. Both species share diagnostic features with Stenochironomus impendens, suggesting a close affinity; however, they can be readily distinguished by differences in coloration patterns and hypopygial morphology. Additionally, two new country records for Colombia are reported, one from the Llanos biome and the other from a transitional area between the Amazon and the Andes. These findings increase the known diversity and distribution of Stenochironomus in Neotropics and reinforce the importance of expanding systematic sampling efforts in poorly explored and under-sampled areas across the Neotropical region.

References

  1. Amora, G., Hamada, N. & Pinho, L.C. (2018) Stenochironomus munteanpurin sp. nov., a new leaf-mining species from Brazil (Diptera: Chironomidae). Zootaxa, 4382 (3), 553–564. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4382.3.6
  2. Borkent, A. (1984) The systematics and phylogeny of the Stenochironomus complex (Xestochironomus, Harrisius and Stenochironomus) (Diptera: Chironomidae). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada, 116 (S128), 5–270. https://doi.org/10.4039/entm116128fv
  3. Dantas, G.P.S., Hamada, N. & Mendes, H.F. (2010) A new Neotropical species of the genus Stenochironomus Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae) with wood-mining larvae. Zootaxa, 2490 (1), 47–54. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2490.1.5
  4. Dantas, G.P.S., Hamada, N. & Mendes, H.F. (2016) Contribution to the knowledge of Stenochironomus Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Brazil: seven new species and description of females and immatures of some previously known species. Zootaxa, 4117 (1), 1–47. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4117.1.1
  5. Mendes, H.F. & Pinho, L.C. (2016) Família Chironomidae. Zootaxa, 4122 (1), 142–153. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4122.1.16
  6. Moubayed, J. (2024) On the genus Stenochironomus Kieffer from French Guiana. I. New records with description of S. hallei sp. nov. from the primary rainforest (Diptera: Chironomidae: Chironominae). Ephemera, 25, 83–90.
  7. Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G., da Fonseca, G.A.B. & Kent, J. (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403, 853–858. https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501
  8. Pinder, L.C.V. (1989) The adult males of Chironomidae (Diptera) of the Holarctic region. In: Wiederholm, T. (Ed.), Chironomidae of the Holarctic region. Keys and diagnoses. Part 3. Adult males. Entomologica Scandinavica Supplement, 34, pp. 5–9.
  9. Pinho, L.C., Mendes, H.F. & Marcondes, C.B. (2005) A new Brazilian species of Stenochironomus Kieffer mining decayed leaves in bromeliads (Diptera: Chironomidae). Zootaxa, 1046, 37–47. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1046.1.4
  10. Reis, E.D.A., Serpa-Filho, A. & Ferreira-Keppler, R.L. (2013) Two new species and records of Stenochironomus Kieffer from the Brazilian Amazon region, with description of immature stages (Diptera: Chironomidae). Zootaxa, 3710 (5), 449–466. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3710.5.4
  11. Sæther, O.A. (1980) Glossary of chironomid morphology terminology (Diptera: Chironomidae). Entomologica Scandinavica Supplement, 14, 1–51.
  12. Song, C., Zhu, B., Moubayed-Breil, J., Lei, T. & Qi, X. (2022) Taxonomic study on the genus Stenochironomus Kieffer from the Baishanzu Nature Reserve, China (Diptera: Chironomidae). ZooKeys, 1104, 93–113. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1104.81403
  13. Sousa, A.F., Dantas, G.P., Hamada, N. & do Nascimento, J.M. (2025) Stenochironomus (Petalopholeus) inpa and S. (P.) emilianoi (Diptera: Chironomidae), two new leaf-mining species from Brazil. Annales Zoologici Fennici, 62 (1), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.5735/086.062.0103
  14. Sousa, A.F.D. (2025) Taxonomia de Stenochironomus Kieffer, 1919 (Diptera: Chironomidae) da Amazônia. Master’s thesis, Universidade Federal do Pará & Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, 142 pp. [https://repositorio.ufpa.br/handle/2011/17565]
  15. Townes, H.K. (1945) The Nearctic species of Tendipedini (Diptera: Tendipedidae [= Chironomidae]). American Midland Naturalist, 34 (1), 1–206. https://doi.org/10.2307/2421112

How to Cite

Verçosa, K., Ramos-Pastrana, Y., Hamada, N. & Dantas, G.P. (2026) New species and records of Stenochironomus Kieffer (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Brazil and Colombia. Zootaxa, 5831 (1), 99–110. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5831.1.8