Microvelia inannana Drake & Hottes, 1952

Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo & Barbosa, Julianna Freires, 2012, Two new species of Paravelia Breddin, 1898 and distributional notes concerning the Veliidae from Minas Gerais State, Brazil (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha), Zootaxa 3354 (1), pp. 58-68 : 63-64

Microvelia inannana Drake & Hottes, 1952

This species was described from Argentina and later recorded from Santa Catarina (Moreira 2012). Its description does not provide much useful information for identification, but the following characteristics are mentioned and have been observed in some specimens collected in Minas Gerais: male oblong, with body narrowed posteriorly, and female distinctly ovate; body length around 1.50 mm; head sometimes with a broad stripe on each side of midline; pronotum covering mesonotum, but leaving metanotum exposed; femora without spines; and male hind tibia straight. Male genitalia does not present projections or spines, with segment I broad and truncate dorsally, and deeply roundly emarginated ventrally.

According to the original description, the pronotum of M. inannana would cover about half of the mesonotum, but, as discussed by Rúdio and Moreira (2011), there are differences in the interpretation of dorsal thoracic sclerites of Microvelia used by Drake and that adopted today. Specimens of M. inannana are very similar to those of M. pulchella Westwood, 1834 , but can be separated from them essentially by the length of pronotum, which does not extend over the mesonotum in the latter; and by the shape of hind tibia, which is bent in males of M. pulchella .

Examined material. BRAZIL: Minas Gerais – Itamonte, pools after Aiuruoca River , 08.IV.2005: 3 apterous males, 4 apterous females ( DZRJ) .