Rhagovelia zecai Moreira & Barbosa

Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo & Barbosa, Julianna Freires, 2014, A new Rhagovelia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from the Brazilian Amazon, with a key to species of the robusta group known from the country, Zootaxa 3790 (4), pp. 595-600 : 596-598

Rhagovelia zecai Moreira & Barbosa sp. nov.

(Figs. 1–6)

Apterous male (Fig. 1). BL (genitalia removed)—2.95; HL—0.39; HW—0.83; ANT I—0.78, ANT II—0.36, ANT III—0.40, ANT IV—0.41; EYE—0.34; PL—0.96; PW—1.42; FORELEG: FEM—0.93, TIB—1.01, TAR I—0.04, TAR II—0.03, TAR III—0.27; MIDLEG: FEM—1.52, TIB—1.20, TAR I—0.09, TAR II—0.46, TAR III—0.77; HINDLEG: FEM—1.44, TIB—1.34, TAR I—0.07, TAR II—0.07, TAR III—0.31.

Head orange brown, dorsally darker between eyes, with longitudinal midline and two oblique impressions on base shining. Bucculae and base of antenniferous tubercles yellow, apex of antenniferous tubercles brown. Eyes dark reddish brown. Antennomere I with about half its basal length pale yellow; remaining of antenna brown, except yellow intersegmental pieces. Rostrum with articles I–II yellow; III yellow on basal 3/4, dark brown on apical 1/4; IV shining dark brown. Pronotum orange brown, with lighter yellowish brown anterior lobe and narrow midline of posterior lobe; circular punctations adjacent to anterior margin and margins of posterior lobe brown. Sides and venter of thorax orange brown, lighter than dorsum, except metasternum dark orange brown. Abdominal tergites I–II orange brown; III–V dark orange brown; VI dark orange brown on base, becoming orange brown towards apex; VII orange brown on base, yellowish brown on apex. Abdominal connexives orange brown, lighter on outer margin. Abdominal sternites orange brown, lighter towards apex of body. Genital segments yellowish brown on base, brown on apex. All coxae and fore and hind trochanters yellow; middle trochanter yellow on base, brown on apex. Fore femur yellow on base, brown on apex; middle femur dark brown; hind femur dark yellow on base, dark brown on rest of dorsum, brown on venter. Tibiae and tarsi brown to dark brown.

Head short, wide, velvety, covered by short brown setae and longer, thicker, darker setae on anterior portion and adjacent to inner eye margin. Antenna covered by short brown setae; articles I–II also with robust black setae dorsally. Antennomere I curved outside, thicker on apex; II–III cylindrical; IV fusiform. Buccula and jugum densely covered by small black denticles (Fig. 2). Rostrum almost reaching middle of mesosternum.

Pronotum completely covering mesonotum, covered by short recumbent brown setae, with few longer setae laterally. Anterior lobe of pronotum with row of circular punctations adjacent to anterior margin; posterior lobe with several circular punctations, except for area of weak central longitudinal carina, with posterior angle widely rounded. Exposed portion of metanotum short, with concave posterior margin. Pleural region of thorax with many circular punctations; these also present on short oblique rows on mesosternum and sparsely distributed on metasternum. Proepisternum, prosternum, lateral portions of mesosternum, and metasternum with several small black denticles (Fig. 2).

Abdominal tergites and sternites covered by short recumbent brown setae; apex of connexives also with longer thicker brown setae. Abdominal tergite VII wider on apex, with posterior margin slightly convex. Abdominal sternites I–VI with a distinct central longitudinal carina, covered by short black denticles (Fig. 3). Last abdominal sternite without carina or denticles. Parameres symmetrical, shape as in Fig. 4.

Legs covered by short brown setae and rows of longer erect black setae on femora and tibiae. Fore femur wider on apex. Fore tibia weakly concave on apical inner surface. Middle femur wider at base. Hind trochanter granulose, unarmed (Fig. 5). Hind femur strongly incrassate, ventrally with a row of 8 small pegs centrally on proximal 1/3; distal 2/3 with two rows of spines – dorsal row with 6–8 small spines, followed by 2–3 larger spines, and 2–3 small spines; ventral row with 8 smaller spines which increase in size towards apex (Fig. 6). Hind tibia curved, with small subequal spines towards its length, a curved larger spine near apex, and a slightly curved apical spur (Fig. 6).

Type-material. BRAZIL: Amazonas – Rio Preto da Eva, PDBFF Project, ZF3 Road, km 41 reserve, second order stream, 2°26'54.64" S / 59°46'13.52" O, 4–6.VIII.2000, (J. L. Nessimian): 1 apterous male [HOLOTYPE].

Distribution. So far the species is known only from the male type, collected on a blackwater stream from a well preserved “terra firme” forest reserve on Rio Preto da Eva Municipality. The area of the stream where the specimen was collected is 2.5–3.5 m wide, with a mean depth of about 30 cm (Dr. J. L. Nessimian, in litt.).

Etymology. Named in honor of Dr. José Ricardo Inacio Ribeiro (Zeca for the friends), for his contributions to the taxonomy of Neotropical Belostomatidae .

Comments. Rhagovelia zecai sp. nov. belongs to the robusta group sensu Moreira et al. (2012) based on the pronotum long, completely covering mesonotum; apical spur of hind tibia not crescent-shaped; posterolateral margins of male abdominal segment VII surrounding genital cavity without robust black denticles; and shape of male paramere.

The differences between R. zecai sp. nov. and other species of the same group known from Brazil are presented on the key below, but the new species is more similar to R. venezuelana Polhemus, 1997 , from Colombia, Venezuela and with a suspect record from Panama. Both species share general dorsal coloration orange brown, with lighter anterior lobe of pronotum; jugum, proepisternum, meso-, metasternum and abdominal sternites with small black denticles; male abdominal sternites I–VI with raised longitudinal median carina; male hind femur with a row of small spines on proximal 1/3 and two rows on distal 2/3; and male hind tibia weakly curved, with one of the pre-apical spines slightly longer than the others, not distinctly large and conical.

Males of the two species differ, however, because hind trochanter of R. zecai sp. nov. is unarmed (Fig. 5), whereas it bears 5 tiny black pegs in R. venezuelana ; the hind femur has the proximal row containing 8 small spines on the former (Fig. 6), and approximately 26 on the latter; dorsal most row on distal 2/3 of hind femur with 6–8 small spines, followed by 2–3 larger spines, and 2–3 small spines on the former (Fig. 6), and bearing 1 large curved spine, followed by 5 smaller spines, then 2 larger spines, and 4 smaller ones on the latter; ventralmost row on distal 2/3 of hind femur with 8 small spines on the former (Fig. 6), and 13 on the latter; and by shape of parameres (Fig. 4).

PLATE II. Figures 7–9. Rhagovelia sooretama , male. 7. Hind femur and tibia, ventral view [SPI: spines]. 8. Apex of abdomen, lateral view [DEN: denticles]. 9. Paramere. Figures 10–19. Parameres, males: 10. R. amazonensis . 11. R. pseudotijuca . 12. R. traili . 13. R. plaumanni . 14. R. palea . 15. R. jubata . 16. R. guianana . 17. R. bocaina . 18. R. relicta . 19. R. robusta .