Culicoides paragarciai, A New Ornatus Group Species from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

The description of Culicoides paragarciai sp.n. from New Guinea is based on three female specimens, one of which was originally misidentified as C. purus Lee and Reye. The new species belongs in the Ornatus Group and is morphologically very similar to C. garciai Wirth and Hubert that was observed feeding on mud‐skipper fish on the Malay Peninsula. Comparative numerical data and illustrations are presented as a basis for the differentiation of C. paragarciai, C. garciai and C. purus and the possibility is discussed that C. paragarciai may also feed on mud‐skippers that are abundant in mangrove habitats of New Guinea and the Australian tropics.