Miroculis wolverine, Costa & Almeida & Salles, 2019

Costa, Vinicius, Almeida, Tais B. & Salles, Frederico F., 2019, Description of two related new species of Miroculis Edmunds, 1963 (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Brazil and Colombia, Zootaxa 4695 (3), pp. 283-294 : 290-293

Miroculis wolverine , sp. nov. Costa, Almeida & Salles

Diagnosis. The male imago of M. (M.) wolverine , sp. nov., can be distinguished from the other species of the genus by the following combination of characteristics: 1) dorsal portion of compound eyes on a long stalk and with distomedial process; 2) dorsal portion of compound eyes with seven facets on the longest row ( Fig. 20 ); 3) forewings with membrane translucent, longitudinal and cross veins brown, area around cross veins pigmented with brown ( Fig. 21 ); 4) penis length approximately 3.7× length of forceps segment I; 5) penis lobe blade-like in lateral view, abruptly widening on apical 1/2 and then narrowing toward apex ( Fig. 23 ).

Description. Male imago, holotype. LENGTHS (mm). Body: 5.4. Fore wing: 4.9; Angularity of CuA portion 92°; hind wing: 1.4. Fore leg: broken and missing; mid leg: 2.1; hind leg: 2.4. Caudal filament: broken and missing. RATIOS. Wings: Fore wing width 0.5× fore wing length; hind wing length 0.3× fore wing length; hind wing width 0.4× hind wing length; fork on MA2 of fore wing 0.4× total length of MA. Legs: segments of fore leg: broken and missing; mid leg: 1.05: 1.00 (0.90 mm): 0.06: 0.06: 0.03: 0.08: 0.03; hind leg: 1.00: 1.00 (1.03 mm) 0.06: 0.04: 0.05: 0.08: 0.05. Genitalia: medial length of styliger plate 2.4× its maximum width; lateral length of styliger plate 0.9× its medial length; forceps segment III 1.9× forceps segment II; forceps segment III 3.6× forceps segment I; forceps segment II 1.9× forceps segment I; penis length 3.7× forceps segment I.

COLORATION. General coloration: brown. Head ( Figs. 19 and 20 ): Orange washed with dark brown. Compound eye with stalk orange, darker toward apex; facets of upper portion orange, separated by black grooves. Ocelli white. Antenna dark brown. Thorax: Pronotum dark brown. Meso- and metanotum brown, lightening on medial line; pleura and sterna brown. Wings: forewings with hyaline membrane; Rs fork, cross veins apical to bulla, and cross veins on stigmatic area surrounded with brown; cross and longitudinal veins brown ( Fig. 21a ). Hind wing with membrane hyaline, cross veins brown ( Fig. 21b ). Legs: mid and hind legs with coxae and trochanters light brown; femora light brown with two blackish bands, one basal and one subapical; tibiae light brown with one subapical blackish band; tarsi whitish to light brown, fourth segment with blackish band. Abdomen ( Figs. 17 and 18 ): terga I to V translucent washed with light brown, terga VI to IX dark brown, posterior margin of all terga darker; terga I to VI with sublateral dark brown transversal band.

MORPHOLOGY: Head: posterior margin V-shaped. Compound eye with upper portion on a on a long stalk (1.1× longer than wide), separated from each other by a distance smaller than the maximal width of an upper portion; distomedial projection present; dorsal surface circular, with seven facets on the longest row. Wings ( Fig. 21 ): fore wing with 5 cross veins basal to bulla between C and Sc; MP2 connected to base of MP1 by a cross vein; IMP free at base; CuA connected to CuP by a cross vein subbasally; ICu1 and ICu2 diverging close to wing margin; two A veins. Hind wing with apex roundly acute; fork of R+MA asymmetric; CuP absent. Genitalia ( Fig. 23 ): Styliger plate with sinuous lateral margin; Forceps segment I narrowing gradually toward apex; penis lobe blade-like in lateral view, abruptly widening on apical 1/2 and then narrowing toward apex ( Fig. 23 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet alludes to Marvel Comics character Wolverine, as the penis of the new species resembles the retractable adamantium claw that emerge from the back of the superhero’s hand.

Biology. Male imagos were collected flying very close to the stream, two meters above the ground. The swarm was at dusk and composed of only a few specimens, mostly male imagos. Bollo Liso stream is an affluent of the Manso River and is located at the East slope of the Cordillera Central in Colombia (Central Andes), altitude at the collecting site was approximately 800 meters above the sea level.

Distribution. Colombia, Caldas: Norcasia ( Fig. 24 ).

Material examined. HOLOTYPE male imago: Colombia, Caldas, Norcasia, Berlín, Quebrada Bollo Liso , 5°35’16.4”N, 74°56’45.1”W, 09.xi.2017, F.F. Salles, L.G. Dias, J.F. Marulanda ( CEBUC).

PARATYPES: 2 male imagos, same data as holotype ( UFVB) .

Figures

FIGURES 24. Map of South American with details of Colombia and Brazil showing the distribution of the new species of Miroculis.

FIGURES 17–21. Miroculis (M.) wolverine sp. nov., male imago: 17) lateral habitus; 18) dorsal view of abdomen; 19) lateral view of head and thorax; 20) dorsal view of head and thorax; 21) forewing (a) and hind wing (b).

FIGURES 22–23. Genitalia, ventral and lateral view; 22) genitalia of Miroculis (M.) samba sp. nov.; 23) genitalia of Miroculis (M.) wolverine sp. nov.