Monohelea

Kieffer, 1917

Monohelea is a of predaceous biting midges in the Ceratopogonidae. The genus has distribution with records from the Americas, including Brazil, Argentina, the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean, as well as other regions. Females are known of small insects, particularly . stages are poorly documented in the Neotropics, though larvae have been found in sphagnum moss and bog-like in other regions.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Monohelea: /ˌmoʊnoʊˈhiːliə/

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Habitat

Forest ; stages associated with sphagnum moss and bog-like environments in non-Neotropical regions. New Brazilian collected from forested areas, including sites near rivers at elevations up to 1470 m.

Distribution

. Recorded from Brazil (Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Amapá, Pará, Santa Catarina), Argentina (Corrientes, Buenos Aires Province), United States (Florida, Louisiana), Mexico (Tamaulipas, Yucatan), Bahamas, Guatemala, and Panama.

Diet

Females are of small insects, primarily (Diptera: Chironomidae).

Host Associations

Life Cycle

stages poorly known in the Neotropical region. Larvae and pupae have been described for some from Russia, Australia, and the United States.

Behavior

Females prey on swarming males of .

Ecological Role

Predaceous midges that contribute to control of other small insects, particularly chironomids.

More Details

Taxonomic notes

Two new Brazilian , M. capixaba and M. coimbrai, were described in 2022 from Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro respectively. Seven additional new species were described from Pará State in the eastern Amazon in 2017.

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