Rhagovelia masbatensis, Zettel & Laciny, 2021

Zettel, Herbert & Laciny, Alice, 2021, New species of the Rhagovelia orientalis species group (Hemiptera: Heteroptera Veliidae), Zootaxa 4942 (2), pp. 219-228 : 223-225

Rhagovelia masbatensis sp.n.

( Figs. 3, 4 , 9, 10, 14, 17 , 20, 24, 27 )

Type material: Holotype (apterous male, PNM), Philippines, Masbate Island, 3.5 km SE of Masbate, Tugbo, Tugbo River , 2.III.1998, leg. H. Zettel (152) . Paratypes ( NHMW, UPLB, PNM, ZCW NMPC, ZRC): 87 apterous males, 74 apterous females, same locality data; 19 apterous males, 17 apterous females, same locality, 12–14.II.2005, leg. H. Zettel (409) ; 4 apterous males, 4 apterous females, Masbate Island, 8 km SE Masbate, S Mobo, Ubo Falls , 3.III.1998, leg. H. Zettel (153) ; 13 apterous males, 7 apterous females, Masbate Island , 2 km S of Baleno, stream, 4.III.1998, leg. H. Zettel (154) ; ca. 80 apterous males, ca. 190 apterous females, Ticao Island, W San Fernando, Mag-Kaipit Spring , 27.II.1998 leg. H. Zettel (148).

Description of apterous male: Measurements (holotype and range of holotype and 11 paratypes): Body length 2.73 (2.61–2.75); maximum width (at metapleura) 1.10 (1.07–1.14). Head length 0.32 (0.29–0.32), width 0.70 (0.68–0.73); minimum eye distance 0.20 (0.19–0.21). Lengths of antennomeres, I 0.70, II 0.38, III 0.41, IV 0.45. Pronotum length 0.75 (0.72–0.77), width 0.91 (0.88–0.96). Lengths of leg segments: profemur 0.82, protibia 0.90, protarsus 0.04 + 0.22, mesofemur 1.40, mesotibia 1.12, mesotarsus 0.05 + 0.47 + 0.62, metafemur 1.14, metatibia 1.30, metatarsus 0.04 + 0.08 + 0.27.

Colour ( Fig. 3 ): Head, thorax, and abdomen black; pronotum with transverse, orange mark near anterior margin; distal parts of all acetabula yellowish. Antenna black, basal third (or little less) of antennomere 1 yellow. Legs chiefly black, often with weak bluish or greenish shimmer; pro- and metacoxae, pro- and metatrochanters yellow; base of profemur yellow, but on dorsal surface, close to flexor side, with black or brown stripe that reaches base in most specimens.

Pilosity: Body dorsally with short gray appressed hair layer and (except on pronotum) with posteriad-directed, long, black setae. Venter of thorax and abdomen with relatively long, pale-yellowish, decumbent pilosity, somewhat longer and obliquely directed posteriad on sternal carina; a few long setae laterally on sternum 7. Ventral surface without black spiculae. Antennomeres 1 and 2, femora and tibiae with several long black setae.

Structures: Juga not flattened, shiny. Pronotum much longer than head, covering mesonotum. Metafemur ( Fig. 9 ) moderately slender, ca. 4.0–4.4× (in holotype 4.3×) as long as wide, on flexor side with one distal row consisting of 5–8 teeth (in holotype, right and left, 7 and 6 teeth). Metatibia straight, on flexor side with fine tooth-like structures over entire length, increasing in length towards long apical tooth. Pregenital segments of abdomen relatively slender. All mediotergites matte. In holotype, fifth mediotergite 2.5× as wide as long; seventh mediotergite 1.7× as long as sixth and 1.1× as long as wide at anterior margin. Sterna 3 and 4 with a weakly produced medial carina, this carina sharp and highly raised on sterna 5–7 ( Fig. 20 ); areas flanking carina on sterna 5–7 concave. Segment 8 small, subcylindrical, slightly curved ventrally, with short, ventrobasal, median carina.

Genital segments small and weakly modified. Pygophore subovate. Proctiger ( Fig. 14 ) with well developed, broad lateral lobes, sclerotized part slightly broader than long. Paramere ( Fig. 17 ) small, with a moderately wide basal part, then suddenly narrowed to a slender, sickle-shaped, dorsally curved distal part; apex narrowly rounded.

Description of apterous female: Measurements (n = 12): Body length 2.55–2.77; maximum width (at metapleura) 1.10–1.23. Head length 0.29–0.32, width 0.68–0.74; minimum eye distance 0.19–0.22. Pronotum length 0.74–0.82, width 0.91–1.00.

Colour ( Fig. 4 ) as in male.

Pilosity of head, thorax, and appendages similar to that of male. On most mediotergites, pilosity strongly reduced, absent from mediotergites 2–6 (mediotergite 2 in some specimens with a few minute hairs). Mediotergite 7 with black hairs along hind margin, slightly denser and longer in middle and forming a more or less distinct tuft. Mediotergite 8 ( Fig. 24 ) with posteriad-directed long setae (about as long as mediotergite), more or less grouped in two tufts at both sides of hind margin. Sterna with shorter and much sparser pilosity than in males, especially at sides. Connexival corner with small tuft of short black setae ( Fig. 27 ). Proctiger with short pilosity, on medial part directed to anterior margin. Gonocoxa 1 with inconspicuous pilosity.

Structural characteristics: Head and thorax mostly as in male, except metanotum forming a short lobe in middle of hind margin. Metafemur ( Fig. 10 ) more slender than that of male, ca. 4.6–4.9× as long as wide, on flexor side with distal row consisting of 4–6 teeth, the first one much longer than the others. Abdomen strongly modified ( Figs. 4 , 24, 27 ): Connexival margins anteriorly strongly curved to middle, posteriorly flapped over mediotergites and meeting at segment 6 or keeping only a short distance; at segment 7 divergent and leaving hind margin of mediotergite 7 almost uncovered. Sterna 3–7 largely visible in dorsal aspect. Mediotergites 1 and 2 strongly elevated, 3–8 flat, 4 and 5 in some specimens slightly concave, 6 and 7 convex, 8 flat. Fifth mediotergite 2.0× as wide as long; seventh mediotergite 1.5× as long as sixth. Hind margin of mediotergite 7 straight. Mediotergite 8 about as long as wide, slightly directed ventrad. Proctiger narrow, elongated, directed ventrad and reaching hind margin of sternum 7. Medial areas of all sterna evenly convex. Posterior corner of sternum 7 rectangular or slightly acute, not protruding. Gonocoxa 1 flat, partly covered by sternum 7, visible part narrow.

Macropterous morphs: Unknown. It is interesting to note that among almost 500 specimens examined, no macropterous individuals could be found.

Comparative notes: Rhagovelia masbatensis sp.n. belongs to the R. negrosensis subgroup ( Tab. 1 ), a set of species that are otherwise distributed on the islands of the Western Visayas and on Mindoro. Both sexes of R. raddai from Mindoro differ from all other species of this subgroup by possessing an entirely black profemur. The female of R. masbatensis sp.n. differs from R. negrosensis , R. panayensis , and R. heissi by the simple mediotergite 7 (bearing a straight hind margin, without conspicuous pilosity). The male of R. masbatensis sp.n. is most similar to R. negrosensis with which it shares a slender abdomen, but it is distinctly smaller (body length of R. negrosensis males 3.0– 3.2 mm).

Etymology: This species is named after its distribution in Masbate Province.

Distribution: Masbate, Ticao.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus of apterous morphs of (1, 2) Rhagovelia sophiae sp.n., male (1) and female (2); (3, 4) Rhagovelia masbatensis sp.n., male (3) and female (4).

FIGURES 7–18. (7–12) Metafemora of Rhagovelia sophiae sp.n., male (7) and female (8); R. masbatensis sp.n., male (9) and female (10), and R. orientaliformis sp.n., male (11) and female (12). (13–15) Proctiger of male of (13) R. sophiae sp.n., (14) R. masbatensis sp.n., and (15) R. orientaliformis sp.n. (16–18) Left paramere of male of (16) R. sophiae sp.n., (17) R. masbatensis sp.n., and (18) R. orientaliformis sp.n. (18a: perpendicular view on distal part and apex). Pilosity omitted in Figs. 7–15.

FIGURES 19–28. (19–21) Abdominal venter of male, ventrolateral view, of (19) Rhagovelia sophiae sp.n., (20) R. masbatensis sp.n., and (21) R. orientaliformis sp.n. (22–25) Posterior part of abdomen of females, dorsal view, of (22) R. sophiae sp.n. (apterous morph), (23) R. sophiae sp.n. (dealate morph), (24) R. masbatensis sp.n. (apterous morph), and (25) R. orientaliformis sp.n. (apterous morph). Posterior part of abdomen of apterous females, lateral view, of (26) R. sophiae sp.n., (27) R. masbatensis sp.n., and (28) R. orientaliformis sp.n.