Bittacus brunipennis ( Collucci & Amorim, 2000 )

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 : 306

Bittacus brunipennis ( Collucci & Amorim, 2000)

(Figs: 5a, 12a)

Thyridates brunipennis: Collucci & Amorim, 2000:3 .

Bittacus brunipennis: Machado et al., 2009:36 ; Machado, 2018.

Holotype female: LMED (examined). Brazil: São Paulo ( Fig. 12a ).

Bittacus brunipennis is one of the three species of the “group angrensis ” (see comments in B. angrensis ) ( Collucci & Amorim 2000). The species is known only by the female holotype, which is very similar to specimens of B. angrensis . This similarity was noted by Collucci & Amorim (2000), who mentioned the color of the pterostigma as the main character to distinguish these two species. This character however, does not seem very strong, since it shows some plasticity in other species of Bittacus , suggesting that B. brunipennis might be a synonym of B. angrensis . Because the species was described from a female, the identification of B. brunipennis remains uncertain mainly because the shape of the male epandrium is one of the most important characters to distinguish Bittacus species. The collection of male specimens close to the type locality, Campos do Jordão State Park (São Paulo), will be needed to solve this question.

Figures

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.