Rhagovelia sooretama Moreira, Nessimian and Rúdio, 2010

Moreira, F. F. F., Nessimian, J. L., Rúdio, J. A. & Salles, F. F., 2010, New species and new records of Veliidae from Espírito Santo State and adjacent Minas Gerais State, Brazil, with notes on nomenclature (Insecta: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha), Journal of Natural History 44 (45 - 46), pp. 2761-2801 : 2786-2789

Rhagovelia sooretama Moreira, Nessimian and Rúdio , sp. nov.

Apterous male

BL 3.30–3.36; HL 0.34–0.35; HW 0.78–0.79; ANT I 0.75–0.76, ANT II 0.38–0.41, ANT III 0.34–0.38, ANT IV 0.39–0.48; INT 0.15; EYE 0.28; PL 0.78–0.80; PW 1.02– 1.04; FORELEG: FEM 0.81–0,84, TIB 0.86–0.89, TAR I 0.03–0,04, TAR II 0.03, TAR III 0.23–0.25; MIDLEG: FEM 1.54–1.62, TIB 1.16–1.18, TAR I 0.10–0.11, TAR II 0.41–0.44, TAR III 0.66–0.71; HINDLEG: FEM 1.28, TIB 1.10–1.11, TAR I 0.03–0.05, TAR II 0.04–0,06, TAR III 0.26.

Body with general colour brown, covered by short silvery setae. Head with midline and two oblique impressions on base shining black. Antenniferous tubercles shining brown; base of antennomere I white; remaining part of antenna dark brown. Eyes dark red. Bucculae yellow to light brown. Rostrum with article I dark yellow to light brown, II–III brown to dark brown, IV shining black. Anterior band of pronotum orange yellow to orange, remaining part of pronotum black. Sides and venter of prothorax orange brown. Inner face of proacetabulum brown to dark brown. Abdominal tergites black with long light setae, except for tergite VII marked with dark brown, with brown setae on posterior margin; tergite I broadly silvery pruinose on sides; II–III and V–VI narrowly silvery pruinose on sides; IV mostly silvery, except for posterior portion; VII pruinose on anterolateral angles. Abdominal connexiva dark brown to black on basal portion, yellow to orange yellow on apex. Last abdominal sternite brown; remaining sternites black, covered by silvery pruinosity, with longer light setae on midline. Fore coxa, trochanter and proximal half of fore femur white to pale yellow; distal half of fore femur dark brown to black; fore tibia and tarsus brown. Middle coxa white to pale yellow; middle trochanter brown to dark brown, with dark brown to black apex; middle femur black dorsally, brown ventrally; middle tibia and tarsus brown, except for cleft portion of tarsomere III black. Hind coxa and trochanter white to pale yellow; hind femur dark brown to black, with a small proximal mark on superior surface and a longitudinal stripe on inner surface pale yellow to yellowish brown; hind tibia and tarsus brown to dark brown. Genital segments dark brown.

Head short and wide. Antenna covered by thin brown setae; antennomere I with five or six robust longer black setae on dorsum; II with one or two. Antennomeres I– III cylindrical; IV fusiform; I slightly broader than II, II broader than III, III as broad as IV in middle. Eyes large. Jugum and adjacent portion of proepisternum with few black denticles. Rostrum reaching middle of mesosternum.

Pronotum long, completely covering mesonotum; anterior margin with incomplete transverse row of subcircular punctuations; carina on midline weakly developed; posterior lobe with numerous subcircular punctuations. Pleural region of thorax with some punctuations, without black denticles.

Abdominal tergites I–III slightly swollen. Abdominal connexiva elevated at about 45 ◦, covered by brown setae. Abdominal tergite VII trapezoidal, wider on posterior portion, with posterior margin straight. Sides of abdominal sternite VII with several black denticles.

Legs covered by short brown setae and rows of thicker longer black setae. Fore trochanter without spines; fore tibia with a weak preapical concavity on inner surface. Middle leg unmodified. Hind trochanter without spines, or with one spine longer than that of hind tibia (the holotype bears no spines on trochanters, and the male paratype has one long spine in one trochanter and the other trochanter unarmed); hind femur moderately incrassated, with a row of eight to twelve acute spinules on proximal third, followed on distal two-thirds by a row of one small to medium spine, one much longer spine, and five to seven decreasing spines towards apex; distal third also with a parallel decreasing row of three to four short spines ( Figure 8A ). Hind tibia slightly curved, with subequal spines towards length plus apical spur, without preapical long spine ( Figure 8A ).

Genital segments well-developed, covered by brown setae. Proctiger as in Figure 8B . Parameres symmetrical. Paramere sinuous, with inferior margin expanded after base, curved downward on apex ( Figure 8C ).

Apterous female ( Figure 8D )

BL 3.52–3.58; HL 0.36–0.41; HW 0.79–0.81; ANT I 0.76–0.78, ANT II 0.39–0.43, ANT III 0.38–0.40, ANT IV 0.40–0.41; INT 0.15; EYE 0.28–0.29; PL 0.80–0.82; PW 1.06–1.10; FORELEG: FEM 0.83–0.88, TIB 0.89–0.90, TAR I 0.03–0.04, TAR II 0.03, TAR III 0.24–0.26; MIDLEG: FEM 1.58–1.64, TIB 1.16–1.22, TAR I 0.10–0.11, TAR II 0.41–0.46, TAR III 0.73–0.74; HINDLEG: FEM 1.26–1.28, TIB 1.10–1.15, TAR I 0.05, TAR II 0.05–0.06, TAR III 0.26–0.28.

Colour as described for male, except for posterior lobe of pronotum marked by reddish brown near posterior margin in some cases. Abdominal tergites without the long light setae present on males. Abdominal tergite I black, widely marked by silvery pruinosity on sides; II entirely black, with sparse light short setae; III with narrow silvery pruinosity on sides; IV almost entirely silvery, except centralmost area; V–VI dark brown to black, with narrow silvery pruinosity on sides; VII dark brown to black, marked by silvery pruinosity on anterolateral angles; VIII yellowish brown to dark brown, darker on anterior half. Abdominal sternites black anteriorly, becoming brown from sternite III. Middle femur mostly blackish on venter. Body and legs structurally similar to male. Black denticles present on jugum, adjacent portion of proepisternum, and on sides of abdominal sternite VII. Abdominal tergite VII subquadrate, with posterior margin straight; VII with straight sides and broadly rounded posterior

margin. Hind trochanter unarmed; hind femur less incrassated than in male, without spinules on proximal third, with two parallel rows of spines on distal two-thirds structured as in male; hind tibia slightly curved, with spinules and apical spur.

Type material

Brazil: Espírito Santo – Sooretama, Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, Rio Barra Seca [18 ◦ 57 ′ 52.1 ′′ S, 40 ◦ 7 ′ 37.3 ′′ W, 5 m asl], 30 April 2009, (F.F.F. Moreira): 1 apterous male [HOLOTYPE], 1 apterous female [PARATYPE] ( UFES) . Sooretama, Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, Córrego Rodrigues [19 ◦ 1 ′ 36.6 ′′ S, 40 ◦ 13 ′ 39 ′′ W, 44 m asl], 15 July 2008, (J.A. Rúdio and F.F. Salles): 1 apterous male, 4 apterous females [PARATYPES] ( DZRJ) ; 2 apterous females [PARATYPES] (UFES).

Distribution

Known only from Reserva Biológica de Sooretama, a preserved area of rainforest located on center-north Espírito Santo State.

Etymology

The species is named after the locality where the type series was collected.

Comments

Specimens of R. sooretama sp. nov. present long pronotum, completely covering mesonotum, posterolateral margins of last abdominal segment surrounding genital cavity without black denticles, apical spur of hind tibia straight, and apterous female connexiva not widened. Based on these characteristics, the species fits into the robusta group sensu Polhemus (1997).

Both males and females of R. sooretama sp. nov. display black denticles on sides of abdominal sternite VII, a feature shared only with R. palea Bacon, 1956 and R. jubata Bacon, 1948 . General colour of specimens of R. sooretama readily distinguishes them from R. palea , whose representatives show dorsal colouration uniformly orange brown, including legs and antennae. Rhagovelia jubata , in turn, has reddish brown colour.

Besides that, hind femur of R. jubata bears a row of spinules on base, followed by a large spine, and two rows of about seven spines to apex, whereas in R. sooretama the row of spinules is followed by a short to medium spine, then a long spine, and two decreasing rows of spines, one with five to seven spines, other with three to four ( Figure 8A ).

The paramere of R. sooretama ( Figure 8C ) is similar to those of R. williamsi Gould, 1931 and R. palea , in which the inferior margin is well expanded and the apex is curved downward. In R. jubata the inferior margin is less expanded, and the apex is not curved as is other species.

New records

Figures

Figure 8. Rhagovelia sooretama sp. nov. (A) Hind leg; male. (B) Proctiger; dorsal view; male. (C) Paramere; lateral view; male. (D) Dorsal habitus; female. Scale bar 1.00 mm.