Bittacus maculosus Byers, 1965

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 : 320

Bittacus maculosus Byers, 1965

( Figs. 2c , 8n , 12d )

Bittacus maculosus: Byers, 1965:137, 1996:542 ; Penny & Byers, 1979b:368; Penny & Arias, 1982:269; Machado et al., 2009:36; Machado, 2018. Thyridates maculosus: Willmann, 1983:51 ; Collucci & Amorim, 2000:7.

Holotype female: NMNH. Species also known from: Amazonas, Roraima (new record) ( Fig. 12d ), and Trinidad.

Bittacus maculosus is another species with highly maculated wings that was placed in the “group chilensis ” by Collucci & Amorim (2000). The species was described based on a female specimen from Trinidad, but the author ( Byers 1965) justified it based on its color pattern alternating between pale and dark bands on both legs and antennae, and the pattern of spots in the wings. The later discovery of a male specimen confirmed the distinctiveness of the species ( Byers 1996). Until now B. maculosus was known by a single report in Brazil (Manaus) ( Penny & Arias 1982), but two specimens have been studied, another female from Manaus and a female from Roraima state.

Examined specimens. Brazil: Amazonas: Manaus , INPA, 6.xii.1977, Eloy Castellon (1♀ INPA) ; Reserva Ducke , 14.ii.1978, Jorge Arias (1♀ INPA) ; Roraima: Tepequém , 15–31.ii.2016, R. Boldrini (1♀ INPA) .

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.