Rhagovelia kmenti Magalhães & Moreira, 2019

Magalhães, Oséias Martins, Reduciendo-Klementová, Barbora, Svitok, Marek & Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo, 2019, New species, new record, and key to the species of Rhagovelia in the robusta group (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from Venezuela, Zootaxa 4603 (2), pp. 389-396 : 390-394

Rhagovelia kmenti Magalhães & Moreira , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–8 , 14, 22 ; Table 1 )

Description. Apterous male ( Figs. 1, 3–4, 6–7 , 14, 22 ; Table 1 ). General color dark-brown ( Fig. 1 ). Head with longitudinal midline impressed, a pair of oblique indentations on base, and trichobothria inserted in pits with black borders. Antenniferous tubercles dark brown. Proximal portion of antennomere I yellow, remainder of antenna brown to black. Eye brown to black. Clypeus, buccula, and jugum yellow. Labium yellowish brown, black at apex. Pronotum brown, lighter and yellowish on longitudinal midline and posterior angle, with transverse reddish-orange band adjacent to head ( Fig. 1 ); yellow color extending over propleuron. Metanotum brown to dark brown. Mesopleuron with anterior 2/3 yellow and posterior 1/3 brown; metapleuron light brown. Proepisternum and proacetabulum light yellow. Pro-, meso-, and metasterna yellow, with central area brown. Meso- and metacetabula yellow. Coxae light yellow. Fore and hind trochanters light yellow; middle trochanter brown, darker laterally. Fore and hind femora dorsally yellow on base, brown to black toward apex; ventrally yellow through most of length. Middle femur brown, with yellow stripe on dorsum and venter. Tibiae and tarsi dark brown to black. Abdominal mediotergites I–VII orange-brown, reddish brown, or brown; tergum VIII orange to light brown proximally, then dark brown to black. Abdominal laterotergites orange-brown mesally; yellow with narrow black margin laterally. Abdominal sterna orange-brown, with posterior margins and longitudinal median carina yellow ( Fig. 6 ).

Head short, with long, black setae anterior to eyes and adjacent to mesal eye margin. Antenna covered by short brown setae; antennomeres I–II with longer, thicker, black setae. Antennomeres I–III cylindrical; I curved laterally; IV fusiform ( Fig. 1 ). Labium thick, reaching base of mesosternum. Jugum and anterior portion of proepisternum with black denticles ( Fig. 3 ). Thorax dorsally covered by short shiny setae, with longer setae on margins. Pronotum long, with posterior margin convex, completely covering mesonotum. Exposed portion of metanotum short and sinuous. Thoracic sterna and acetabula without black denticles. Legs covered by brown setae, more densely on trochanters, femora, and tibiae; femora and tibiae also with rows of longer, thicker, black setae. Fore tibia slightly widened distally, weakly concave near apex. Hind trochanter with 0–2 short spines. Hind femur with two rows of spines throughout length that approach each other proximally and distally; dorsalmost row with 3 short spines, followed by 2 long, robust spines, and 6 subequal medium spines; ventralmost row more regular, with about 12 subequal spines ( Figs. 4, 7 ). Hind tibia with two parallel rows of about 14 subequal short spines, a longer subapical spine, and straight apical spur. Dorsum of abdomen covered by short shiny setae, with longer setae on margins. Abdominal laterotergites elevated, tapering toward apex. Abdominal sterna I–VI with black denticles; posterior margins concave; longitudinal median carina weak, more evident posteriorly; sternum VII with a pair of depressions adjacent to midline. Proctiger oval, with a pair of lateral lobes on base and another at about 2/3 of its length; apex covered by setae ( Fig. 22 ). Parameres symmetrical, shape as in Fig. 14 .

Apterous female ( Figs. 2, 5, 8 ; Table 1 ). Coloration similar to apterous male, except for the following: proximal portion of antennomere I yellow to light brown, rest of antenna dark brown; eyes brown or golden; clypeus, buccula, and jugum light brown; labium brown, black on apex; pronotum orange-brown with transverse orange to light brown band adjacent to head ( Fig. 2 ); metanotum brown; propleuron brown, orange anteriorly; mesopleuron with anterior 1/3 light brown and posterior 2/3 dark brown; proepisternum, proacetabulum, meso- and metasterna yellow to orange; coxae and trochanters yellow to light brown; tibiae and tarsi dark brown; abdominal mediotergite VIII black with dark brown center; abdominal laterotergites light brown to dark brown ( Fig. 2 ).

Structure similar to apterous male, except for the following: black denticles present in small numbers laterally on abdominal sterna II–VI; sternum VII without depressions; trochanters without spines; hind femur rarely with an isolated short spine on proximal half, distal half with two parallel decreasing rows of spines, dorsalmost with 6–7 spines and ventralmost with 3–5 spines ( Figs. 5, 8 ); hind tibia with two parallel rows of 10–14 short subequal spines, without longer preapical spine, with straight apical spur.

Type material. HOLOTYPE (apterous ³) VENEZUELA, Bolívar, Gran Sabana: left side tributary below Salto del Danto , 1100 m a.s.l., VEN 4/2011, 0 5 o 57’51.6’’ N 61 o 22’57.5’’ W, 19.XI.2011, M. Svitok leg (CEIOC-21242) . PARATYPES same data as holotype (4³, 4♀, apterous, CEIOC-21243); Canaima National Park , BIOCOR 11 KVALITA. 5.03656/-61.07594, 02.XII.2012, M. Svitok Leg (2³, 2♀, apterous, CEIOC-21244) .

Etymology. The new species is named in honour of Dr. Petr Kment (National Museum, Czech Republic), fellow heteropterologist, for his many contributions to the study of the true bugs.

Comments. The holotype and eight paratypes of Rhagovelia kmenti Magalh „es & Moreira, sp. nov. were collected together with R. tenuipes at 1100 m above sea level. The remaining paratypes were collected in a nearby locality together with R. brunae , R. elegans , Brachymetra lata Shaw, 1933 (Gerridae) , and Limnocoris burmeisteri De Carlo, 1967 (Naucoridae) .

The new species is included in the robusta group based on the following characteristics: pronotum of the apterous form completely covering the mesonotum, abdomen of the apterous female without a dorsal median carina, lateral margins of female laterotergites not expanded, hind tibia of males and females with straight apical spur, and posterolateral margins surrounding male genital cavity without robust black denticles ( Polhemus 1997, Moreira et al. 2012).

Males of R. kmenti Magalh „es & Moreira, sp. nov. can be distinguished from most others in the robusta group by the following combination of characters: general coloration dark-brown ( Fig. 1 ), jugum and anterior portion of proepisternum with black denticles ( Fig. 3 ), hind trochanter with 0–2 subequal short spines ( Fig. 6 ), hind tibia with a subapical spine larger than the others ( Figs. 4, 6 ), and by the distinctively sinuate shape of the male paramere with its tapering apex ( Fig. 14 ). Specimens that lack spines on the hind trochanter could be confused with R. equatoria by following only the key provided by Polhemus (1997), but the latter has a strikingly different color pattern ( Figs. 31–32 ).

The two species of the robusta group most similar to R. kmenti Magalh „es & Moreira, sp. nov. are R. calcaris Drake & Harris, 1936 and R. venezuelana . Males of the new species differ from R. calcaris ( Figs. 25–26 ) by the darker general color; the much thinner hind femur, with only two rows of spines instead of 4–5; abdominal sterna with black denticles; and by the shape of the paramere. They can be distinguished from those of R. venezuelana ( Figs. 35–36 ) by the meso- and metasterna without black denticles; the hind tibia with a single clearly longer subapical spine instead of 2–3 slightly longer subapical spines; and by the shape of the paramere (compare Figs. 14 and 17 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. 1–8) Rhagovelia kmenti Magalh„es & Moreira, sp. nov., paratypes. 1) Male, dorsal view. 2) Female, dorsal view. 3) Male, head and prothorax, ventral view. 4) Male, hind femur, tibia, and tarsus, lateral view. 5) Female, hind trochanter, femur, and tibia, lateral view. 6) Male, part of thorax, abdomen, and part of hind legs, ventral view. 7) Male, part of hind leg and abdomen, ventral view. 8) Female, part of thorax, hind leg, and abdomen ventral view. 9) Rhagovelia brunae, male, dorsal view [scale bars = 1.00 mm].

FIGURES 10–24. 10–17) Parameres. 10) Rhagovelia brunae. 11) Rhagovelia castanea. 12) Rhagovelia equatoria. 13) Rhagovelia guianana. 14) Rhagovelia kmenti Magalh„es & Moreira, sp. nov. 15) Rhagovelia sinuata. 16) Rhagovelia traili) 17. Rhagovelia venezuelana. 18) Rhagovelia sooretama, apex of abdomen, lateral view. 19) Rhagovelia venezuelana, male, hind trochanter, ventral view. 20) Rhagovelia castanea, male, hind trochanter, ventral view. 21) Rhagovelia traili, male, hind trochanter, ventral view. 22) Rhagovelia kmenti Magalh„es & Moreira, sp. nov., male, proctiger. 23) Rhagovelia traili, male, hind tibia, lateral view. 24). Rhagovelia calcaris, male, hind tibia, lateral view [10 from Magalh„es et al. (2016); 11–12, 15, and 17 from Polhemus (1997); 13, 16 and 18 from Floriano & Moreira (2015)].

FIGURES 25–36. 25–26) Rhagovelia calcaris, male holotype. 25) Dorsal view. 26) Ventral view. 27–28) Rhagovelia traili, male paratype of R. perfidiosa Bacon, 1948 (junior synonym). 27) Dorsal view. 28) Ventral view. 29–30) Rhagovelia guianana, male holotype. 29) Dorsal view. 30) Ventral view. 31–32) Rhagovelia equatoria, male holotype. 31) Dorsal view. 32) Ventral view. 33–34) Rhagovelia castanea, male. 33) Dorsal view. 34) Ventral view. 35–36) Rhagovelia venezuelana, male. 35) Dorsal view. 36) Ventral view.