Rhyopsocoides typhicolus, García, Alfonso N. & Aldrete, 2006

García, Alfonso N. & Aldrete, 2006, New genera of Psocoptera (Insecta), from Mexico, Belize and Ecuador (Psoquillidae, Ptiloneuridae, Lachesillidae), Zootaxa 1319, pp. 1-14 : 2-3

Rhyopsocoides typhicolus n. sp. ( Figs. 1–9 )

Color. Straw yellowish. Compound eyes black. Mx3 and Mx4 reddish brown, strongly contrasting with color of rest of the body. Wings hyaline, veins pale brown.

Morphology. Body elongate, dorso­ventrally flattened. Epicranial sulcus well defined, without lateral arms. Ocelli absent. Postclypeus with reticulate pattern ( Fig. 3 ). Lacinial tips bifid, outer tine larger than inner one ( Fig. 2 ). Mx4 apically blunt, wider in the middle, setae as illustrated ( Fig. 9 ). Wings slender, elongate; forewing with pterostigma closed basally, M3 branched ( Fig.1 ). Gonapophyses stout, with three apical setae, other setae as illustrated ( Fig. 7 ). A large, stout biramous sclerite associated to the spermapore ( Fig. 8 ). Spermathecal glands almost spherical, with pores and “finger print” marks ( Fig. 6 ). Paraprocts elongate, with four trichobothria in line in sensory field; setae as illustrated ( Fig. 5 ). Epiproct rounded posteriorly, with setal field as illustrated ( Fig. 4 ).

Measurements. FW: 118, HW: 98, F: 285, T: 347, t1: 88, t2: 36, t3: 41, Mx4: 92, f1: 36, f2:32, f3: 36, f4: 44, f5: 42, f6: 40, f7: 36, IO: 250, D: 170, d: 96, IO/D: 1.46, PO: 0.56.

Material studied. Holotype F. MEXICO. Colima. 5 km N Manzanillo, 2.XI.1988, on dead leaves of Typha sp., on edge of lagoon, A. N. García Aldrete. CNIN.

Etymology. The generic name means “ Rhyopsocus­ like”, in reference to the similarity in wing venation to that genus, the specific name refers to the plant on which the insect was found.

Remarks. Rhyopsocoides presents two autapomorphies that separate it from the other genera in the family, namely, M3 of forewing branched, and forewing slender, elongate, four times as long as wide; in addition, the strongly contrasting pigmentation of Mx3 and Mx4 could represent a third autapomorphy, but, as I have not seen all the species of the other psoquillid genera, I have chosen not to consider it, although there are no indications in the literature of that character in any psoquillid species. Rhyopsocoides is the sister group to the clade comprising Eosilla , Psoquilla , Rhyopsocus , Rhyopsocidus and Rhyopsoculus (personal information, unpublished). The relationships among the genera of the family Psoquillidae are presently being investigated, and preliminarily indicate that Rhyopsocoides is most similar to Rhyopsocus and Rhyopsocidus .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Rhyopsocoides typhicolous n. sp. F. Fore­ and hind wings. 2. Lacinial apex. 3. Front view of head. 4. Epiproct. 5. Left paraproct. 6. Spermathecal gland. 7. Right gonapophysis. 8. Spermapore sclerite. 9. Fourth segment of maxillary palp. Scales in mm. Figures 5 and 7 – 9 to scale of Fig. 4.