Bittacus flavescens Klug, 1838

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 : 318

Bittacus flavescens Klug, 1838

( Figs. 1c , 8j , 12c )

Bittacus flavescens: Klug, 1838:99 ; Esben-Petersen, 1921:151; Souza-Lopes & Mangabeira, 1942:335; Penny & Byers, 1979b:368; Machado et al., 2009:36; Machado, 2018.

Klugius flavescens: Navás, 1926:13 .

Thyridates flavescens: Willmann, 1983:51 ; Collucci & Amorim, 2000:7.

Bittacus affinis: Westwood, 1846:194 ; Esben-Petersen, 1921:151 synonymized.

Holotype: Bittacus flavescens : male: ZMHB (high resolution images examined); Bittacus affinis sex unknown: NHM (not examined). Species also known from Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina (new record), São Paulo ( Fig. 12c ).

Bittacus flavescens seems to be restricted to the region of the Atlantic rain forest in Brazil, but with a wide distribution within this area ( Souza Lopes & Mangabeira 1942; Byers 2004; Machado et al. 2009). The species was the only one in Brazil to have a synonym, B. affinis , described based on one specimen with a label only stating Brazil. Walker (1853) mentioned another specimen of B. affinis in the NHM from Pará state; however, it might have been the result of a misidentification based on the current distribution of B. flavescens . Unfortunately, neither specimen was examined during the current study. Another dubious record for B. flavescens was given by Esben- Petersen (1921), one specimen with the abdomen broken, from Puerto Cabello ( Venezuela). Navás (1926) erected the genus Klugius and defined B. flavescens as the type species. However, the genus was based on a weak character (pterostigma broad basally and thin apically) and therefore, Klugius was always considered as a synonym of Bittacus by subsequent authors ( Souza Lopes & Mangabeira 1942; Penny & Byers 1979a, b; Willmann 1983).

Examined specimens. Brazil: Rio de Janeiro: Mury, Nova Friburgo , 12.xi.1970, Gred & Guimarães det. (1? MZSP) ; Santa Catarina: Nova Teutonia [Seara today], 27°11’B–52°23’L, x.1969, Fritz Plaumann (1♀ INPA) ; idem—xi.1969 (1♀ INPA) ; idem—xii.1969 (2♀ INPA) ; Seara, 16.xii.1977, ND Penny (1♂ INPA) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Bittacus adult habitus images. a) B. angrensis; b) B. brasiliensis, lectotype; c) B. flavescens, holotype; d) B. geniculatus, holotype. Scale bars = 1 mm. Type specimen photos provided by Michael Ohl (ZMHB).

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.