Black flies are a group of hematophagous insects with high species diversity, driven by a combination of ecological, evolutionary, and life-history factors. By integrating DNA barcoding with traditional morphological method, a new black fly species was discovered. Simulium (Gomphostilbia) wiangpingense sp. nov. is described based on females, males, pupae, and mature larvae collected from Chiang Mai province, Thailand. This new species is assigned to the S. burtoni subgroup of the S. varicorne species-group within the subgenus Gomphostilbia Enderlein, 1921. It is characterized in the female and male adults by the antennae with eight flagellomeres, and pleural membrane bare; in the female by the sensory vesicle elongate, 0.62 to 0.70 times length of the third palpal segment, mandible without teeth on the outer margin, and wing with the subcosta haired; in the male by the sensory vesicle ellipsoidal, 0.42 to 0.43 times length of the third palpal segment; in the pupa by the gill with eight filaments arranged as 3 + 3 + 2 from dorsal to ventral; and in the larva by the long postgenal cleft. Morphologically and genetically, the new species is most closely related to S. burtoni Takaoka & Davies, 1995. Phylogenetic analysis and species delimitation clearly distinguish the new species from its congeners, providing additional support for its recognition as a distinct species. Taxonomic notes for distinguishing the new species from related species within the S. burtoni subgroup from Thailand and other countries, and identification keys to all the 16 species of the S. varicorne species-group are provided.
Aupalee et al. (Fri,) studied this question.