Miroculis (M.) eldorado, Gama-Neto & Hamada, 2014

Boldrini, Rafael, Lima, Lucas Ramos Costa & Ottoni-Boldrini, Bianca Maira De Paiva, 2018, Description of the nymph of Miroculis (Miroculis) eldorado Gama-Neto & Hamada, 2014 (Leptophlebiidae: Ephemeroptera) from Roraima, northern Brazil, Zootaxa 4459 (1), pp. 197-200 : 197-198

Miroculis (M.) eldorado ( Figs. 1 –10)

Diagnoses. Male imago: 1) forewing with membrane hyaline, distal area of costal and subcostal region lightly darker; 2) eleven facets in the longest row of upper portion of compound eye; 3) femora of all legs with an apical blackish band, hind femur with a medial blackish band; 4) penes long and thin, wider basally, length equal to segments I+II of forceps. Nymph: 1) anterolateral margin of labrum slightly flattened with lateral margins angular ( Fig. 4 ); 2) Segment II of labial palp 1.15 x length of Segment I ( Fig. 8 ); 3) Segment II of maxillary palp 1.34 x the length of Segment I ( Fig. 7 ); 4) posterolateral spines on terga VIII–IX larger ( Fig. 3); 5) gills with lateral lobes well-developed and trachea unbranched (Fig. 10).

Mature nymph. Lengths. Body: 5.0– 5.5 mm. Foreleg: 2.88 mm; middle leg: 2.72 mm; hind leg: 3.08 (all coxa and trochanter not included). Caudal filament: broken.

Coloration ( Figs. 1–3). Head: brown with pale area surrounding ocelli and eyes; lateral edges of genae darker; antenna with scape and flagellum pale yellow and pedicel darker. Eye: upper portion of turbinate eye reddish brown and lower portion black; ocelli apically purplish and basally blackish. Mouthparts: mandibles dark brown; maxillae pale yellow; hypopharynx pale yellow; labium light brown; submentum light brown.

Thorax: pro-, meso-, and metanotum brown with medial pale yellow line; antelateroparapsidal sutures and sublateroscutum blackish ( Fig. 1). Thoracic sterna whitish, except metasternum with anterior margin dark brown.

Legs: pale yellow; femora with sub-apical blackish bands ( Figs. 1, 2); ventral margin of tibia with blackish mark and subapical blackish band.

Abdomen: abdominal terga I–X brown with a pair of medial macula and lateral blackish marks; tergum X darker; sterna pale yellow ( Fig. 1). Gills gray and trachea blackish gray (Fig. 10). Caudal filaments pale yellow; basal portion of joint darker.

Morphology, Head: clypeus concave anteriorly; labrum with anterolateral margin slightly flattened and lateral margins angular ( Fig. 4 ); outer margin of mandibles curved ( Figs. 5, 6 ); maxilla as in Fig. 7 ; inner margin of apex on SII of labial palp not acute ( Fig. 8 ). Width of Labium palp Segment I 0.58 x length; Segment III length of labial palp 0.53 x length of Segment II and 0.61 x length of Segment I; Segment II length 1.15 x length of Segment I. Maxilla: Segment III of maxillary palp 0.44 x length of Segment II and 0.59 x length of Segment I; Segment II 1.34 x length of Segment I.

Legs: Foreleg: width of femur 0.31 x length; width of tarsal claw 0.33 x length; midleg: width of femur 0.32 x length; hind leg: width of femur 0.31 x length. subapical denticle of tarsal claw of foreleg larger than the remaining denticles ( Fig. 9 ).

Abdomen: posterolateral spines on segments IV–IX ( Fig. 3) (larger on segments VIII–IX). Gill: Length of medial filament 0.98 x length of body of gill; trachea unbranched, lateral lobes present, well-developed; inner lobe of dorsal lamella 3.7 x length of outer margin (Fig. 10).

Life cycle association. Male imago reared from nymph.

Distribution. Roraima State, Brazil.

Material examined. One nymph, Brazil, Roraima, Amajari , Serra do Tepequém , Igarapé Geladeira , 03°47'N / 61°45'W, 01.xi.2014 , Boldrini, R. and Barroso, P.C.S. col. Two nymphs, Brazil, Roraima, Amajari, Serra do Tepequém, Igarapé do Barata , 03°47'07.7"N / 61°45'02.6"W, 16.ii.2016 , Boldrini, R. col. One male imago (reared, exuviae mounted on slides), Brazil, Roraima, Amajari, Serra do Tepequém , Igarapé do Barata , 03°47'07.7"N / 61°45'02.6"W, 01.xii.2017 , Boldrini, R. and Lima, L.R.C. col.

Comments. The nymph of Miroculis (M.) eldorado , shares some similar characters with Miroculis (Atroari) amazonicus Savage & Peters and M. (Miroculis) fittkaui Savage & Peters , especially by having gills with grayish coloration and trachea unbranched, posterolateral lobes well-developed, and labrum with lateral margins angular ( Fig. 4 ). However, M. (M.) eldorado can be differentiated from both by the posterolateral abdominal spines: on segments IV–IX in M. (M.) eldorado , II–IX in Miroculis (Atroari) amazonicus and M. (M.) fittkaui .

Figures

FIGURES 4–9. Miroculis (M.) eldorado, nymph. 4, labrum; 5, right mandible; 6, left mandible; 7, maxilla (ventral view); 8, labium, ventral view (right), dorsal view (left); 9, foreleg; 10, gill IV.