Neoplea melanosoma, Cook & Mondragón-F & Morales, 2020

Cook, Jerry L., Mondragón-F, Silvia P. & Morales, Irina, 2020, Description of two new species of Neoplea Esaki & China (Hemiptera: Pleidae) from Colombia, Zootaxa 4860 (1), pp. 55-66 : 61-64

Neoplea melanosoma n. sp.

( Figs. 7–12 )

Type Material: Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Tunja, Colombia (UPTC)

HOLOTYPE. Female. Colombia, Boyacá, Puerto Boyacá, Vereda Muelle Velasquez, Jagüey , 6.0476°N, 74.4993W, 151 m., 29 IX 2019, P. Mondragón (UPTC-In-00015).

PARATYPES: Male; Colombia, Boyacá, Puerto Boyacá, Vereda Muelle Velasquez, Ciénaga de Palagua , 6.0589°N, 74.4899W, 151m, 03 XI 2019, Patricia Mondragón (UPTC-In-00016); 1 female ; Colombia, Boyacá, Puerto Boyacá, Vereda Muelle Velasquez, Ciénaga de Palagua , 6.0589°N, 74.4899W, 151m, 30 I 2020, Patricia Mondragón (UPTC-In-00017) .

Description: Measurements (mm) of type series: total length 1.30–1.84; body depth (greatest height of hemelytra) 0.84–1.00; body width 0.92–1.13; BSI 110-113.

Color: Base color from grey-brown to almost black, partially overlain with tan and differing amounts of tan honeycomb; honeycomb most prevalent on pronotum but sometimes on hemelytra; irregular dark blotches throughout head, pronotum and hemelytra, pattern of dark markings variable (see Figs. 7 and 8 ); legs golden; eyes red to almost black; often with dark markings between eyes.

Head: Somewhat triangular in frontal view, vertex evenly convex ( Fig. 7C , 8C ), grey-brown with dark-brown markings, brown bar usually visible between eyes ( Fig. 7C ) but sometimes obscured by dark markings ( Fig. 8C ), with small pits (0.01–0.02) barely visible, width 0.71–0.86, distance between eyes 0.35–0.50, OI 49–58 (distance between eyes subequal to combined width of eyes), antenna three-segmented but concealed below eye by cuticular ridge; mouthparts short ( Fig. 8C ), extending to anterior base of mesothoracic coxa.

Thorax: Variably sized prominent dark-brown to black patches ( Figs. 7A , 8A ); pronotum with slight lateral bulge posteriorly, distinctly wider than long ( Fig. 8B ), length 0.35–0.66, width 0.67–0.98, PI 49–69, posterior center appearing slightly indented medially ( Fig. 8A ) to straight ( Fig. 7A ), some specimens with highly visible honeycomb pattern ( Fig. 7A ) but less visible in others ( Fig. 8A ), pits between honeycomb somewhat obscured, pit diameter about 0.03 ( Fig. 7A ). Scutellum usually darker anteriorly, can be wider than long or longer than wide, width 0.34–0.54, length 0.32–0.55, SI 80–115, punctures more widely spaced than on hemelytra ( Fig. 7A ) or sometimes absent ( Fig. 8A ).

Wings: Dark-brown to black patches of variably sized prominent ( Fig. 7B , 8B ); hemelytral pits similar to thoracic pits, but less obscured, only rarely surrounded by honeycomb; claval suture complete ( Fig. 7B , 8B ). Flight wings present, membranous ( Fig. 7A ), normally fully concealed under hemelytra.

Legs: Prothoracic femur and tibia with short ventral basal spines except near base and apex; mesothoracic femur with short ventral basal spines similar to prothoracic femur, short stiff setae on ventral apical half, tarsomere II with short ventral setae; metathoracic ventral tibia with setae on tibia and tarsomeres II and III. Leg dimensions as in Fig. 9 .

Male characters: Male genital plate as in Fig. 10A , subtriangular, sides sinuous, longer than wide, width 0.23, length 0.26, relatively smooth, small dark marks toward center, numerous very short setae; parameres shaped as in Fig. 10B

Female characters: Female genital plate ( Fig. 11A ) mostly smooth, subtriangular, about as wide as long, width 0.24, length 0.25, tufts of setae at each side near apex mostly absent, some small setae on basal half, dark spots faintly visible; ovipositor most commonly as in Fig. 11B ., subrectangular; six distinct teeth along posterior border (apical row), first apical tooth at dorsal margin, apical tooth 4 largest, apical tooth 5 shorter and thinner than 4 and 6, three teeth on ventral border, two rows of teeth away from apex, three primary and three secondary, primary and secondary about equal size but slightly increasing in size ventrally, seven or more tertiary teeth, five tertiary teeth in line with primary 1 and secondary 1.

Diagnosis: Neoplea melanosoma n. sp. appears most closely allied with N. maculosa . However, N. maculosa is most likely a complex of species including N. melanosoma . The confusion with N. maculosa began with its description by Berg (1879), who described N. maculosa almost completely by coloration while also making the comment that his species was variable in its pattern of dark spots (referred to as patches in the description above). Coloration between related species in this complex can be quite similar while there can be considerable variation within each species. Some specimens deposited at the USNM that Drake had compared to the types have markings that are nearly identical to Fig. 7 ; however, there are also specimens with a different pattern of spots and patches as reported by Berg and seen here in Fig. 8 . Drake and Chapman (1953) studied the type series of N. maculosa and determined that it was “quite evident that Berg had two different species before him as he characterized maculosa ”. Drake and Chapman (1953) compared specimens from Argentina and Peru with the type series and determined them to also be consistent with N. maculosa . Bachmann (1967) improved the understanding of N. maculosa by studying the type series along with other specimens from Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia and providing drawings of male and female genital structures. Nieser (1975) provided morphological details of specimens from Suriname that he believed to be N. maculosa but these have characteristics with several important differences, including an ovipositor that is quite different from those depicted by Bachman (1967). Thus, the Nieser specimens from Suriname are probably an undescribed species closely resembling N. maculosa and not actually that species. This coincides with the specimens deposited in USNM from this region. These USNM specimens are labeled as N. maculosa (identification made by unknown) but are almost certainly not N. maculosa , nor are the USNM specimens from Venezuela. These specimens need further study to determine their identity. Roback and Nieser (1974) described N. tenuistyla from Colombia, which also has some morphological affinities to N. maculosa and could be included as a member of this species complex.

secondary teeth).

Neoplea melanosoma n. sp. has several clear differences from N. maculosa , N. tenuistyla , and the specimens labeled by Nieser (1974) as N. maculosa . The pattern of teeth on the ovipositors provides an easy distinction among all these species. Neoplea melanosoma n. sp. and N. maculosa have patterns of teeth on the ovipositor that are most similar, each having a distinct line of teeth angling across the center. Differences between these two species include N. melanosoma n. sp. having a tooth at the posterodorsal apex, which is not found in N. maculosa and differences in size and numbers of teeth [see Fig. 11B compared to Fig. 12 in Bachman (1967)]. Neoplea melanosoma n. sp. has fewer teeth of different sizes and spacing compared to those of N. tenuistyla [see Fig. 11B and Fig. 44 in Roback and Nieser (1974)]. Neoplea maculosa of Nieser (1975) lacks the line of teeth across the center of the ovipositor that is found in N. melanosoma n. sp. ( Fig. 11B ). The female genital plate of N. melanosoma n. sp. is lacking the two long tufts of hairs on each side of the center apex. The male genital plate in N. maculosa is triangular with straight sides but has sinuous sides and is clearly longer than wide in N. melanosoma n. sp. The parameres of male N. melanosoma n. sp. are thinner and shaped clearly differently from other species in what is being classified here as the N. maculosa species complex.

Distribution: Known only from type series from Puerto Boyacá, Boyacá, Colombia.

Ecology: Collections of the specimens included in this study were from two bodies of water with similar habitat type. The holotype was collected in a lentic body of water close to a swamp with a sandy bottom. This small lake ( Fig. 12 ) had abundant riparian and emergent vegetation where specimens were collected near the margin. Paratypes were collected in the same ciénaga ( Fig. 6 ) as N. hyaloderma n. sp. ( Fig. 6 ). Nothing is known of their feeding habits.

Etymology: The specific epithet comes from the common coloration of the body of N. melanosoma n. sp. This name combines two Greek root words, melano- meaning black and –soma meaning body. This name then describes the body base coloration that is mostly black, which is an unusual coloration in the family Pleidae , as well as having dark colored patches upon the light colored honeycombing.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Ciénaga de Palagua in Colombia, type locality of Neoplea hyaloderma n. sp.

FIGURE 7. Female of Neoplea melanosoma n. sp. (A) dorsal view, (B) right lateral view, (C) face view.

FIGURE 8. Male of Neoplea melanosoma n. sp. (A) dorsal view, (B) left lateral view, (C) face view.

FIGURES 9–10. Neoplea melanosoma n. sp. (9) prothoracic leg at top, mesothoracic leg in middle, and metathoracic leg on bottom, scale bar = 0.1mm; (10) Male structures (A) genital plate, (B) parameres.

FIGURE 11. Female structures of Neoplea melanosoma n. sp.: (A) genital plate, (B) ovipositor showing apical teeth (A1 – A), 6 primary teeth (line of teeth below P), secondary teeth (line of teeth below S) and tertiary teeth (unlabeled teeth posterior to

FIGURE 12. Type locality of Neoplea melanosoma n. sp. in Boyacá, Colombia.