Macunahyphes araca, Paula Malaquias Souto & Frederico Falcão Salles, 2016

Paula Malaquias Souto & Frederico Falcão Salles, 2016, New species of Macunahyphes Dias, Salles & Molineri (Ephemeroptera: Leptohyphidae), with taxonomic notes, European Journal of Taxonomy 254, pp. 1-15 : 5-8

Macunahyphes araca sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B57A0A5B-F119-41BD-BD8E-F2D864DF2330

Figs 2 D, 3A, 4A–D

Diagnosis

The male of M. araca sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by the following combination of characteristics: 1) longitudinal vein CuP absent; 2) membranous filaments of mesoscutellum absent; 3) segment II of forceps with a basal swelling; 4) spermatic duct dark purple, visible laterally from outside; 5) styliger plate slightly projected posteriorly as a columnar base for each forceps, with sublateral acute projection on hind margin; 6) penis base subquadrate, narrowing abruptly in median zone; 7) penis with deep apical furrow; 8) ventral structure of penis reaching the deep apical furrow.

Etymology

Aracá is the name of the mountain range where this new species was collected.

Type material

Holotype

BRAZIL: ♁, imago, Amazonas, Barcelos, Serra do Aracá , Igarapé do Anta , 0°54′30.38″ N, 63°26′24.32″ W, 2 Aug. 2009, F.F. Salles, A.P. Santos and N. Ferreira-Jr. leg. ( INPA-EPH 000001 ).

Paratypes

BRAZIL: 23 ♁♁, imagines, same data ( CZNC Ep-6351 ); 10 ♁♁, imagines, same data (INPA-EPH 0 0 0 0 0 2 to INPA-EPH 000011); 13 ♁♁, 1 ♀, imagines, Igarapé do Anta , 0°54′30.38″ N, 63°26′24.32″ W, 1–3 Aug. 2009, F.F. Salles, A.P. Santos and N. Ferreira-Jr. leg. ( DZRJ 3143 ) ; 1 ♁, imago, Jauari River , 0°48′0.28″ N, 63°29′22.92″ W, 21 Jul. 2009, F.F. Salles, A.P. Santos and N. Ferreira-Jr leg. ( CZC Ep-5585 ); 1 ♁, imago, same data ( CZNC Ep-6354 ); 5 ♁♁ imagines, Igarapé da Serrinha , 0°25′19.96″ N, 63°23′47.04″ W, 28 Jul.–1 Aug. 2009, F.F. Salles, A.P. Santos and N. Ferreira-Jr leg. ( CZNC Ep-6353 ); 1 ♁, imago, same data but 19 Jul. 2009 ( CZNC Ep-6355 ); 5 ♁♁, 1 ♀, imagines, Igarapé do Anta, 0°54′30.38″ N, 63°26′24.32″ W, 1 Aug. 2009, F.F. Salles, A.P. Santos and N. Ferreira-Jr. leg. ( CZNC Ep-6356 ).

Description

Holotype

LENGTH (mm). Body: 2.8; fore wing: 2.6; cerci: 5.8; terminal filament: 7.5. General coloration brown.

HEAD. Yellowish brown; antennae brown.

THORAX. Pronotum translucent, washed with black; mesonotum brown, washed with black, except on lateral region of anteronotal protuberance and submesoscutum; metanotum yellowish brown, washed with black; membranous filaments of mesoscutellum absent.

FORE WING. Membrane translucent; base and coastal region washed with dark purple; longitudinal veins black; vein CuP absent.

LEGS. Yellowish, inner apex of trochanter tinged with black; fore tibia and fore tarsi slightly washed with dark purple.

ABDOMEN. Terga II–X with medio-longitudinal dark line, terga I–VII translucent, tinged with dark purple, terga VIII–X yellowish brown, washed dark purple; tergum X with medial dark furrow; spermatic duct dark purple, visible from outside.

GENITALIA. Forceps translucent, washed with dark purple, except on inner margin of segment I, styliger plate and penes translucent yellowish; styliger plate slightly projected posteriorly as a columnar base for each forceps, with sublateral acute projection on hind margin; forceps segment I weakly attached to styliger plate, basal swelling present on segment II; penes long, with subquadrate base, deep apical furrow and a somewhat protruded ventral structure. Caudal filaments translucent, tinged with dark purple at base, becoming lighter towards apex.

Female imago

LENGTH (mm). Body: 3.0; fore wing: 3.0. General coloration brown.

HEAD. Yellowish brown, washed with black, posterior margin darker; scape and pedicel dark brown, Fagellum whitish.

THORAX. Pronotum tinged with black, lateral corner brown, washed with black; mesonotum brown, washed with black; metanotum yellowish brown, washed with black; membranous filaments of mesoscutellum absent.

FORE WING. Membrane white, longitudinal and cross-veins black; vein CuP absent.

LEGS. Yellowish white.

ABDOMEN. Translucent, tinged with black; caudal filaments broken off.

Egg ( Figs 4 C–D)

Yellow; single polar cap, attachment structures with tubercles on surface; three micropylar openings present at opposite pole of polar cap; chorionic surface without sculpture and with six elongated and linear micropylar canals ending at micropylar opening.

Biology

The specimens were collected at light traps during the dry season. The new species was found exclusively at the Serra do Aracá , together with M. eduardoi and M. zagaia sp. nov. Macunahyphes araca sp. nov. was the only species of mayFy found at the base and at the top of the Serra do Aracá . The Serra do Aracá is an elevated area (100 to 1500 m a.s.l.) in the State of Amazonas near the borders of Roraima State and Venezuela. Only five species of mayFies were collected at the top of Serra do Aracá during the same field trip; all of them were new to science at that time. In addition to the Macunahyphes species cited above, the other two species were Askola yanoman Nascimento, Barcelos-Silva & Salles, 2011 and an undescribed species, also found exclusively at the top, suggesting a high level of endemism in this area.

Remarks

Macunahyphes araca sp. nov. and M. pemonensis are the darker species of the genus. Macunahyphes araca sp. nov. can also be distinguished from all other species by the unique spermatic duct, which is visible laterally from outside due to its dark purple coloration, a characteristic also found in M. pemonensis (see Belmont et al. 2015: figs 1, 6). As in M. pemonensis , the styliger plate is slightly projected posteriorly as a columnar base for each forceps, with a sublateral acute projection on the hind margin, unlike the one found in M. incognitus . On the other hand, in the new species the penis base is subquadrate, narrowing abruptly in the median zone, as found in M. incognitus . Despite the very similar genitalia of M. araca sp. nov. and M. incognitus , the ventral structure of the new species reaches the deep apical furrow, while the ventral structure of M. incognitus ends before the apical furrow and the penis lobes are almost completely fused. According to the original description, M. incognitus seems to be similar to M. australis regarding the overall coloration, lighter in comparison to M. araca sp. nov.

Distribution ( Fig. 1 )

Brazil (Amazonas).

Figures

Fig. 1. Geographical distribution of species of Macunahyphes in South America and Brazil (per state).

Fig. 2. Macunahyphes spp., dorsal view. A. M. zagaia sp. nov. (♁). B. M. eduardoi Almeida & Mariano, 2015 (♀). C. M. australis (Banks, 1913) (♁). D. M. araca sp. nov. (♁). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Fig. 4. SEM micrographs. — A – D. M. araca sp. nov. A. Male genitalia (ventral view). B. Male genitalia (lateral view). C. Egg (general aspect). D. Egg showing the micropylar area. — E. M. eduardoi Almeida & Mariano, 2015, egg (general aspect).