Bittacus blancheti Pictet, 1836

Machado, Renato Jose Pires, Mendes, Diego Matheus De Mello & Rafael, José Albertino, 2018, The genus Bittacus Latreille (Insecta: Mecoptera) in Brazil: key to species, distribution maps, new synonym, and three new species, Zootaxa 4526 (3), pp. 303-330 : 305

Bittacus blancheti Pictet, 1836

( Figs. 2b , 8c , 12a )

Bittacus blancheti: Pictet, 1836:403 ; Machado et al., 2009:36; Machado, 2018.

Neobittacus blancheti: Esben-Petersen, 1914:131, 1921:155 ; Penny, 1977:424; Penny & Byers, 1979b:370.

Thyridates blancheti: Navás, 1929:23 .

Holotype male? (figure presented in the original description ( Pictet 1836) suggests it is a male): MHNG. Species also known from Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro ( Fig. 12a ).

Bittacus blancheti was determined as the type species of Neobittacus ( Esben-Petersen 1914) , and together with B. aripuanensis were the two species that comprised the genus (see Machado et al. 2009). Bittacus blancheti is probably the most distinctive species of Bittacus in the New World, based on the characteristic color pattern of the wings. The known distributional records of B. blancheti suggest that it is restricted to the Atlantic rain forest region.

Examined specimens. Brazil: Bahia: Encruzilhada , Bahia, 960m, XI/1972, Alvarenga e Seabra (1? DZUP) ; idem—xi.1977, O. Ropa (1♂ MZUEFS) ; Senhor do Bonfim, Serra da Maravilha ( Fazenda Zumbi ), UTM: 367691/ 8850126, 24.i.2006, 693 msnm, Vieira, R. e Chagas, C. (1 ♀ MZUEFS) ; Espírito Santo: Linhares, Faz. Caliman Agricola S/A, Santa Terezinha , x.2004, 50 m, P. Grossi (1♂ INPA) ; Córrego do Itá , xi–xii.1959, Zikan col. (1♂ MZSP, 1 ♀ MNRJ) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Bittacus adult habitus images. a) B. aripuanensis; b) B. blancheti; c) B. maculosus. Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURE 8. Brazilian Bittacus male epandria, dorsal view. a) B. angrensis; b) B. aripuanensis; c) B. blancheti; d) B. boraceiensis; e) B. brasiliensis; f) B. cruzi sp. n.; g) B. diversinervis; h) B. femoralis; i) B. ferreirai sp. n.; j) B. flavescens; k) B. froehlichi; l) B. genicutalus; m) B. latreillei; n) B. maculosus; o) B. omega; p) B. pintoi; q) B. varzeanus sp. n.

FIGURE 12. Distribution records of Bittacus species in Brazil. a) B. angrensis, B. aripuanensis, B. blancheti, B. brasiliensis, B. brunipennis; b) B. boraceiensis, B. cruzi sp. n., B. diversinervis, B. femoralis; c) B. ferreirai sp. n., B. flavescens, B. froehlichi, B. latreillei; d) B. maculosus, B. omega, B. pintoi, B. varzeanus sp. n. Bittacus geniculatus is not represented because of its imprecise location.