Geovelia fikaceki, Zettel & Laciny, 2021

Zettel, Herbert & Laciny, Alice, 2021, The taxonomy of some unusual Microveliinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from India, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 517-527 : 524-525

Geovelia fikaceki sp. nov.

( Figs 5, 6 , 25–31 )

Type material: Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ: J (apterous) ( NMPC), labelled “ INDIA, Arunachal Pradesh (15) \ 11 km SSE of Tenga, Eagles \ Nest WL sanctuary, 4.v.2008 \ 27°06′23″N 92°26′02″E 2510m \ Fikáček, Podskalská, Šípek lgt.”, “primary evergreen mountain \ cloud forest with very sparse \ understory vegetation \ sifting: wet leaf litter”. Pൺඋൺඍඒඉൾඌ (including allotype female; NMPC, NHMW, ZMUC): 10 JJ 11 ♀♀ (all apterous), same label data (5 JJ 4 ♀♀ in pure ethanol).

Diagnosis. Body small and stout, length 1.88–2.04. Head ( Fig. 25 ) wide, with globular eyes. Pronotum of apterous morph ( Fig. 25 ) moderately short (width / length ca. 3.4), reaching abdominal mediotergite 1; middle of anterior margin moderately concave; middle of hind margin straight or shallowly concave. Grasping comb of male shorter than subapical tibia width ( Fig. 26 ), less than one tenth of tibia length. Apterous morph with shiny spots anteromedially on mediotergites 7 and 8 (in male spot on segment 8 not visible in undissected specimen).

Description of apterous male. Measurements of holotype: Body length 1.88; maximum body width (at laterotergites 3) 0.94. Head length 0.41, width 0.72. Synthlipsis 0.33. Pronotum length 0.22, width 0.74. Lengths of antennomeres, I 0.25, II 0.23, III 0.42, IV 0.49. Lengths of leg segments: profemur 0.62, protibia 0.74, protarsus 0.21, mesofemur 0.66, mesotibia 0.62, mesotarsus 0.09 + 0.19, metafemur 0.72, metatibia 0.83, metatarsus 0.13 + 0.21; protibial comb length 0.07; comb index 0.09. Measurements of paratypes (n = 5): Body length 1.85–1.93; maximum body width (at laterotergites 3) 0.92–0.96. Head length 0.39–0.43, width 0.71–0.74. Synthlipsis 0.33–0.36. Pronotum length 0.20–0.22, width 0.74–0.78. Protibia length 0.74–0.76; protibial comb length 0.06–0.07; comb index 0.08–0.09.

Colour ( Fig. 5 ): Ground colour pale brown, ventrally more yellowish brown. Dorsum of head with paired blackish markings. Pronotum with a transverse black stripe in middle of length. Sutural zones between mediotergites 1–7 black. Sides of thorax with black spots around grooves. Sides of abdomen with elongate blackish stripe. Rostrum yellow with black tip. Antenna and legs pale yellow.

Pilosity: A sparse pale yellow appressed pilosity inconspicuously developed all over body. Stripes along medial eye margins, and at hind margins of pronotum, mediotergites 1–6 and laterotergites 2–6 with variously developed shiny white pilosity ( Fig. 5 ). Erect setae absent, except from antenna.

Structures: Head ( Fig. 25 ) including eyes almost twice as wide as long, with large globular eyes; apex of head rectangularly protruded. Posterior of head only slightly protruded into a shallow concavity of pronotum. Antenna long; antennomere I short, but surpassing apex of head by more than half of its length ( Fig. 25 ); antennomere II slightly shorter and more slender than antennomere

I, but clearly thicker than filiform antennomeres III and IV; antennomere IV longest. Rostrum reaching middle of mesosternum. Pronotum ( Fig. 25 ) moderately short, medially touching mediotergite 1; anterior margin shallowly concave in middle; posterior margin laterally convex, medially straight to very shallowly concave; at midlength with a deep transverse groove beset with numerous sensory pores; another transverse row of pores just behind anterior margin. Legs relatively short; femora moderately stout. Protibial grasping comb very short, occupying less than one tenth of tibia length ( Fig. 26 ). All mediotergites much wider than long, mediotergite 7 more than twice as long as 6, anteromedially with a large shiny area. Sutural zones between mediotergites 1–7 with transverse rows of pores. Laterotergites evenly sloping. All sterna simple, convex. Segment 8 ( Fig. 28 ) about one-and-a-half times longer than wide, dorsally shiny. Genitalia very small. Pygophore unmodified ( Fig. 29 ). Proctiger with pointed apex ( Fig. 30 ). Paramere very slender, sickle-shaped ( Fig. 31 ).

Description of apterous female. Measurements of allotype: Body length 1.90; maximum body width (at laterotergites 3) 0.98. Head length 0.42, width 0.73. Synthlipsis 0.35. Pronotum length 0.20, width 0.76. Lengths of antennomeres, I 0.25, II 0.23, III 0.36, IV 0.47. Lengths of leg segments: profemur 0.55, protibia 0.50, protarsus 0.21, mesofemur 0.62, mesotibia 0.61, mesotarsus 0.09 + 0.15, metafemur 0.77, metatibia 0.83, metatarsus 0.12 + 0.21. Measurements of paratypes (n = 6): Body length 1.98–2.04; maximum body width (at laterotergites 3 or 4) 1.02–1.06. Head length 0.41–0.43, width 0.74–0.78. Synthlipsis 0.34–0.38. Pronotum length 0.20–0.22, width 0.73–0.78.

Colour ( Fig. 6 ), pilosity, and structures almost same as in male. Body slightly broader. Abdomen unmodified. Mediotergite 7 about one third longer than 6 and 8, respectively. Mediotergite 8 directed straight caudad ( Fig. 27 ), with moderately convex hind margin. Gonocoxa plate-like, unmodified, not concealed by sternum 7. Proctiger with pointed apex ( Fig. 27 ).

Notes on Geovelia Zimmermann, 1984 . Species of Geovelia inhabit moist leaf litter in forests (Zංආආൾඋආൺඇඇ 1984, 2014; Zൾඍඍൾඅ 2011). They were described from Nepal (five species, all known only from the apterous morph; Zංආආൾඋආൺඇඇ 1984, 2014) and Myanmar (one species, known only in macropterous morph; Zൾඍඍൾඅ 2011). Geovelia hirsuta Ye, Chen & Bu, 2014 was described from Southwestern China (Yൾ et al. 2014a), but has been transferred to a new genus (Zൾඍඍൾඅ et al. 2021). Geovelia fikaceki sp. nov. is the first record of this genus from India. The altitudinal range of species extends from 350 m a.s.l. ( G. orientalis Zettel, 2011 ) to 3200 m a.s.l. ( G. martensi Zimmermann, 1984 ).

Species of Geovelia can be recognized primarily by the subterminal claws that clearly surpass the tarsal apex; this character is not found in other Oriental Veliidae . Other important characters are a very small and stout body, a short head with very large eyes and long antennae, and a short protibial grasping comb of the male.

Comparative notes. Geovelia fikaceki sp. nov. differs from most species (except G. riegeri Zimmermann, 2014 ) by the protibial grasping comb being shorter than the subapical protibia width ( Fig. 26 ). Geovelia fikaceki sp. nov. and G. riegeri are very similar in appearance by their stocky body, wide head, and globular eyes (these characters are also present in G. ilamica Zimmermann, 1984 ), but differ strongly in the length of the pronotum: In G. fikaceki sp. nov. the pronotum is longer (pronotum width: pronotum length = 3.4) and reaches mediotergite 1 in middle, whereas in G. riegeri the pronotum is shorter (pronotum width: pronotum length = 3.6) and leaves the metanotum uncovered in middle (compare measurements and drawings in Zංආආൾඋආൺඇඇ 2014). The females of Geovelia fikaceki sp. nov. are smaller than those of G. riegeri (1.90–2.04 vs. 2.20–2.25 mm), whereas the size of males overlaps.

Etymology. We dedicate this species to Dr. Martin Fikáček, coleopterist at the National Museum, Prague, and one of the collectors of this new species.

Collecting circumstances. All examined specimens were collected by sifting accumulations of leaf litter in primary evergreen cloud forest at ca. 2500 m a.s.l., on the southern slope of the Himalaya Mts. (M. Fikáček, pers. comm.).

Figures

Figs 5–8. Habitus of Geovelia fikaceki sp. nov. (5 – apterous male, 6 – apterous female), and Neoalardus typicus (Distant, 1903) (7 – apterous male, 8 – apterous female), both specimens from India.

Figs 25–31. Structural details of Geovelia fikaceki sp. nov.: 25 – head, first antennomere, and pronotum, dorsal; 26 – foreleg of male (arrow points at proximal end of grasping comb); 27 – abdominal segments 7–8, and proctiger of female, dorsal; 28 – abdominal segment 8 of male, ventral; 29 – pygophore of male, ventral; 30 – proctiger of male, dorsal; 31 – left paramere, lateral. Pilosity omitted, except in Fig. 31.