Steinovelia virgata ( White, 1879a ), 1993

Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo, Floriano, Carla Fernanda Burguez, Rodrigues, Higor D. D. & Sites, Robert W., 2020, Revision of the American genus Steinovelia Polhemus & Polhemus, 1993 (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae), Zootaxa 4729 (1), pp. 77-91 : 85-88

Steinovelia virgata ( White, 1879a)

( Figs. 4–5 , 7 )

Velia virgata White, 1879a: 486 (original description);

Velia placida Drake, 1951a: 338–339 (new synonym);

Paravelia virgata: Polhemus 1976: 513 (new combination);

Steinovelia virgata: Polhemus & Polhemus 1993: 397 (new combination).

Macropterous male holotype of S. placida ( Figs. 5 A–B, 5E). BL 4.38; HL 0.53; HW 0.62; ANT I 0.85, ANT II 0.66, ANT III 0.66, ANT IV 0.55; EYE 0.19; PL 1.23; PW 1.15; FORELEG: FEM 1.09, TIB 0.91, TAR I 0.09, TAR II 0.08, TAR III 0.23; MIDLEG: FEM 1.70, TIB 1.51, TAR I 0.09, TAR II 0.21, TAR III 0.28; HINDLEG: FEM 1.70, TIB 1.55, TAR I lost, TAR II lost, TAR III lost.

Head light brown, with long brown setae on frons, adjacent to mesal eye margin, and on posterolateral areas. Antenna yellow, darker on apex of antennomere II and on IV. Eyes shining, dark red. Jugum without silvery setae. Labium pale yellow; distal portion of article III and entire IV brown. Anterior lobe of pronotum brown, lighter on anterior 1/3, with silvery pubescence on posterolateral areas; posterior lobe brown to dark brown anteriorly, then pale yellow ( Fig. 5A ); ventral surface of humeri brown. Thoracic pleura brown; patches of silvery setae posterodorsally on pro-, meso-, and metapleura; lateral surfaces of acetabula yellowish ( Fig. 5E ). Thoracic sterna dark brown. Wings opaque, pale, with veins yellow and lateral area mostly brown; white maculae absent. Coxae and trochanters pale yellow. Femora yellow on basal halves, then brown to dark brown with a preapical yellow macula or band. Tibiae brown to dark brown with a subbasal and a median yellow band ( Figs. 5 A–B). Fore and middle tarsi yellow with brown apices. Exposed portion of abdominal laterotergites yellow with brown posterior margins. Side of abdomen with patches of silvery setae located more dorsally and a stripe of silvery setae more ventrally; stripe wider on sterna II–V, fainter on VI–VII ( Fig. 5E ). Abdominal sterna dark brown.

Posterior margin of eye touching anterior margin of pronotum or distant from it up to about 20% of dorsal eye length ( Fig. 5A ). Antennomere I thickest, curved laterally; II–III cylindrical; II slightly broader than III; IV fusiform, as broad as III. Buccula lacking punctations. Labium reaching middle of mesosternum. Pronotum not flat, distinctly constricted anterior to humeri, with large, shallow punctations; humeri elevated, rounded, projecting ( Figs. 5A, 5E ). Propleura with a single punctation anterodorsally and two rows of punctations posteriorly; mesopleura with a row of punctations anteriorly and a single punctation posteriorly; meso- and metacetabula lacking punctations. Metasternum with a pair (1 + 1) of inconspicuous tubercles laterally beneath middle coxae. Wings reaching base of terminalia, with long setae on lateral margin; these also present on abdominal laterotergites. Legs covered by long brown setae. Posterior surface of the fore tibia, middle femur, and hind femur and tibia with several black spinules. Hind femur not incrassate, about as wide as the middle femur ( Figs. 5 A–B). Hind tibia slightly curved. Posterior margin of abdominal mediotergite VIII rounded with a weak concavity centrally. Abdominal sternum VII with posterior margin centrally notched and posterolateral angles strongly projecting ( Fig. 5B ). Paramere long and narrow; lateral margins parallel in proximal 1/2, converging in distal 1/2; apex rounded.

Non-type specimens identified as S. virgata . Macropterous male ( Figs. 4 A–E, 4G) (n = 2; 5 for BL). BL 4.10– 5.24; HL 0.60–0.72; HW 0.66–0.68; ANT I 0.89–0.94, ANT II 0.70–0.75, ANT III 0.70, ANT IV 0.60; EYE 0.19; PL 1.42; PW 1.17–1.30; FORELEG: FEM 1.13, TIB 0.98, TAR I 0.06–0.09, TAR II 0.08–0.09, TAR III 0.26–0.28; MIDLEG: FEM 1.75–1.79, TIB 1.60–1.75, TAR I 0.08, TAR II 0.25, TAR III 0.32; HINDLEG: FEM 1.90–1.95, TIB 1.67–1.79, TAR I 0.08, TAR II 0.23–0.28, TAR III 0.30–0.36.

Non-type specimens identified as S. virgata . Macropterous female ( Fig. 4F ) (n = 2; 5 for BL). BL 4.20–5.48; HL 0.64–0.68; HW 0.68–0.72; ANT I 0.94–1.02, ANT II 0.75–0.89, ANT III 0.72–0.83, ANT IV 0.66–0.68; EYE 0.19; PL 1.55–1.62; PW 1.43–1.45; FORELEG: FEM 1.23, TIB 1.02, TAR I 0.08, TAR II 0.11, TAR III 0.26; MIDLEG: FEM 1.77–1.94, TIB 1.72–1.84, TAR I 0.08, TAR II 0.28–0.36, TAR III 0.34; HINDLEG: FEM 2.05–2.17, TIB 1.79–1.90, TAR I 0.09–0.11, TAR II 0.30–0.32, TAR III 0.34–0.38.

Discussion. Steinovelia virgata exhibits a high degree of variation in body length, humeral projection, and dorsal color pattern throughout its range. Drake (1951a) mentioned the following differences of S. placida in relation S. virgata : (1) the smaller body length, (2) large punctations on the posterior lobe of pronotum, and (3) slight difference in the paramere shape. After examining the holotype of S. placida , a photograph of a syntype of S. virgata , and many additional specimens of S. virgata from South America, it became evident that all characters mentioned by Drake (1951a) to separate both species are intraspecific variations of S. virgata . Therefore, we propose here the synonymy of these two species.

Steinovelia virgata can be distinguished easily from S. vinnula and S. permista by its narrower hind femur, which is about as wide as the middle femur ( Figs. 4E , 5B, 5D ). Distinguishing S. virgata from S. stagnalis is more complicated, because both are similar in general color and structure. Males of S. stagnalis can be distinguished by the weakly projecting posterolateral angles of abdominal sternum VII ( Fig. 2D ), whereas in S. virgata the posterolateral angles are more strongly projecting ( Figs. 4E , 5B ). In addition, their distributions are disjunct, with S. stagnalis occurring in southeastern Canada, eastern United States, and Cuba; and S. virgata occurring in Trinidad & Tobago and South America ( Figs. 6 , 7 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 7 ). Trinidad & Tobago ( Drake 1951a, Nieser & Alkins-Koo 1991); Colombia: Meta ( Floriano et al. 2017); Brazil: Amazonas ( White 1879a, White 1879b, Moreira et al. 2011, Moreira & Campos 2012, present study), Pará ( Moreira & Campos 2012), Mato Grosso ( Fernandes & Wanzeler 2010), Mato Grosso do Sul ( Floriano et al. 2013), Minas Gerais ( Nieser & Melo 1997), Santa Catarina ( Polhemus & Polhemus 1993, present study), Rio Grande do Sul (present study); Peru: Madre de Dios ( Peralta-Argomeda 2011); Paraguai ( Drake 1951a); Argentina ( Drake 1951a): Formosa ( Administración de Parques Nacionales 2006), Corrientes ( López-Ruf et al. 2003, Estévez et al. 2003), Entre Ríos ( Torres et al. 2007), Buenos Aires ( Bachmann 1998).

Type material examined. Digital photograph of a macropterous ♀ syntype of S. virgata ( BMNH), Syntype, Type, Type Velia virgata B.W., TYPE, Pres. by Perth Museum, B.M.1953-629, Velia virgata BW, BMNH (E) #1005941. Macropterous ♂ holotype of S. placida ( NMNH), Trinidad, B. W. I., Oct. 27–29, 1938, Carl J. Drake, Holotype, Velia placida Drake, C J Drake Coll. 1956 . Macropterous ♀ allotype of S. placida ( NMNH), same data as holotype.

Additional material examined. 5♂, 2♀ macropterous ( MZUSP), Brazil, Amazonas, Manaus , VIII.1962, K. Lenko col. 1♀ macropterous ( INPA), Brazil, Amazonas, Manaus, ZF-2, Km 34, Campina , armadilha luminosa, 02º35’37”S, 60º12’39”W, 11. VII.2008, J.A. Rafael & F.F. Xavier-Filho col. 1♀ macropterous ( INPA), Brazil, Ama- zonas, [Manaus], Est [rada] do Aleixo, Km 9, 28. VI.1976, A.B. Anderson col. 1♂ macropterous ( MZUSP), Brazil, Amazonas, Iranduba, várzea do Rio Solimões , Lago da Marchantaria , 27. VI.2011, H. Rodrigues col. 3♂ macrop- terous ( MZUSP), Brazil, Amazonas, Careiro da Várzea, Vila do Careiro , 1.9 Km Leste , 03º11’27”S, 59º50’56”W, luminosa, 05–06.X.2013, N.G. Cipola col. 1♂, 1♀ macropterous ( MZUSP), Brazil, Amazonas, Barcelos, Igarapé Maniwaú , left tributary of Rio Demeni , #16, 00º03’14.29”N, 62º47’27.31”W, 08. VIII.2009, N. Hamada et al. col . 1♀ macropterous ( INPA), Brazil, Amazonas, [Manaquiri], Yanauaca-Castanho , 05.[19]77, E. Castellón col. 3♂, 2♀ macropterous ( NMNH), ‘ Brazilien \ Nova Teutonia \ 27º11’S, 52º23’L \ Fritz \ Plaumann’ ‘ C J Drake \ Coll 1956 ’. 3♂, 4♀ macropterous ( NMNH), ‘ Nova Teutonia \ III 58 Bras. \ F. Plaumann’ . 1♀ macropterous ( MZUSP), Brazil, Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia , 27º11’S, 52º23’L, VIII.1957, 300– 500m, F. Plaumann col. 1♂, 1♀ macropterous ( MZUSP), same data, except X.1956 . 2♀ macropterous ( MZUSP), same data, except III.1958 . 1♂, 1♀ macropter- ous ( MZUSP), same data, except X.1960 . 3♂, 4♀ macropterous ( MZUSP), Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Bossoroca, Barra do Angico, Rio Piratini , 112 m alt, A.M. Pes col.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Steinovelia stagnalis. (A) Macropterous male, dorsal view; (B) Macropterous male, dorsal view; (C) Apterous male, dorsal view; (D) Apterous male, ventral view; (E) Apterous female, dorsal view (S. watsoni, paratype); (F) Apterous female, ventral view (S. watsoni, paratype); (G) Apterous male, lateral view (S. watsoni, paratype).

FIGURE 4. Steinovelia virgata. (A) Macropterous male, dorsal view; (B) Macropterous male, dorsal view; (C) Macropterous female, dorsal view; (D) Macropterous female syntype, dorsal view; (E) Macropterous male, ventral view; (F) Macropterous female, dorsal view; (G) Macropterous male, lateral view. Figure 4D reproduced from http://www.flickr.com/photos/perth_museum_and_art_gallery.

FIGURE 5. Steinovelia placida (junior synonym of S. virgata). (A) Macropterous male holotype, dorsal view; (B) Macropterous male holotype, ventral view; (C) Macropterous female paratype, dorsal view; (D) Macropterous female paratype, ventral view; (E) Macropterous male holotype, lateral view.

FIGURE 6. Distribution of Steinovelia permista and S. stagnalis. Question marks indicate imprecise records

FIGURE 7. Distribution of Steinovelia vinnula and S. virgata. Question marks indicate imprecise records.