Paravelia Breddin

Rodrigues, Higor D. D., Moreira, Felipe F. F., Nieser, Nico, Chen, Ping Ping, Melo, Alan L., Dias-Silva, Karina & Giehl, Nubia F. S., 2014, The genus Paravelia Breddin, 1898 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) in Brazil, with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 3784 (1), pp. 1-47 : 3-4

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3784.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BF2D8D88-FADF-4CB4-8311-A523214A1292
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6495851
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03CB87B8-FFFE-FF80-FF78-FA7A6A572E16
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Paravelia Breddin
status

Treatment

Genus Paravelia Breddin View in CoL

Paravelia Breddin, 1898: 159 View in CoL – 160.

Type-Species: Velia basalis Spinola, 1837 View in CoL , by original designation.

The genus Paravelia View in CoL was established by Breddin (1898) to include two species described in the genus Velia Latreille, 1804 View in CoL : V. basalis Spinola, 1837 View in CoL and V. platensis Berg, 1883 View in CoL , in addition to a new species described by him, P. boliviana Breddin, 1898 View in CoL . Most of the other species which are currently included in Paravelia View in CoL were also originally described as Velia View in CoL . Later on, Hungerford (1929a) transferred the species included by Breddin ( P. basalis View in CoL , P. platensis View in CoL and P. boliviana View in CoL ) in Paravelia View in CoL back to the genus Velia View in CoL , dividing the American Vel ia into the four groups of species: basalis View in CoL , brachialis , inveruglas and stagnalis . In the same year, Hungerford (1929c) created the subgenus Stridulivelia Hungerford, 1929 View in CoL to allocate six species: Velia cinctipes Champion, 1898 View in CoL , V. quadrispinosa Hungerford, 1929 View in CoL , V. raspa Hungerford, 1929 View in CoL , V. stridulata Hungerford, 1929 View in CoL , V. strigosa Hungerford, 1929 View in CoL and V. transversa Hungerford, 1929 View in CoL .

Thereafter, the genus Paravelia View in CoL was neglected by most researchers, which included all the subsequent new species in the genus Vel ia. After more than forty years, Polhemus (1976) recognized that the Velia View in CoL species from the New World were not congeneric with those from the Old World, transferring all American species to the genus Paravelia View in CoL , and elevating the subgenus Stridulivelia View in CoL to generic level. Later, Polhemus & Polhemus (1993) recognized two new genera within the species from Paravelia View in CoL , based mainly in sternum and acetabula structures: Platyvelia View in CoL (type Velia brachialis Stål, 1860 ) and Steinovelia View in CoL (type Velia stagnalis Burmeister, 1835 ). Even with reallocations and the creation of new genera, the genus Paravelia View in CoL still seems to be paraphyletic ( Polhemus 1976; Andersen 1982; Polhemus & Polhemus 1993).

Redescription. Thoracic polymorphism is very common, with macropterous (as in Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A), brachypterous (as in Fig. 19 View FIGURE 19 A), micropterous (as in Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 A) and apterous (as in Fig. 13 View FIGURE 13 D) forms occurring. General body color usually brown, varying from dark, almost black tones, to yellowish or orange, with or without pruinose areas. Body length between 2.30 and 9.00 mm, with or without modified setae similar to minute dark spines, which might be prominent or not, acute or blunt, named in literature as: minute conical black setae, minute peg-like points, black denticles, short black spinules, or flattened triangular tooth; herein considered small black denticles.

Head. Elongated in front of eyes and deflected; dorsally with longitudinal midline impressed and a pair of punctations or impressions on posterior region. Eyes globose, separated by a distance greater than eye width, located on posterior portion of head, adjacent to anterior margin of pronotum. Ocular setae usually present. Rostrum reaching mesocoxa.

Thorax. Pronotum in both apterous and alate forms long, covering meso- and usually almost entire metanotum, with a row of rounded punctations adjacent to anterior margin; posterior lobe covered by the same punctations, with posterior angle varying from rounded (as in Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 A) to triangular (as in Fig. 11 View FIGURE 11 A), or acute (as in Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 D); anterior lobe in some species with a pair of maculae (as in Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 A), pruinose areas (as in Fig. 10 View FIGURE 10 A) or pubescence (as in Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A). Apterous and brachypterous forms usually with humeral angles not elevated. Macropterous form with wider pronotum, humeral angles well-developed and slightly elevated; forewings with four closed cells, reaching genital segments and usually dark brown; when closed, generally forming a pair of basal maculae, varying from white to yellowish, near humeral angles of pronotum; normally also another macula on apex of varied shape, which might or not reach the distal end of wings. Pro-, mesopleura, and prosternum with rounded punctations. Intersegmental region between meso- and metasternum generally with two pairs of small tubercles medially. Legs with or without spines; when present usually on hind femur, organized or not in rows, with varying numbers; all legs with three tarsomeres and falcate claws; arolia setae-like; tarsomere I generally very small; tarsomere II of midleg usually very long, reaching to five times the length of tarsomere I in some cases; tarsomere III of all legs cylindrical or subcylindrical, with parallel margins (except for P. bullialata and P. splendoris , with slightly divergent margins).

Abdomen. Generally without pruinose areas, with posterior angle of last connexival segment developed (as in Fig. 12 View FIGURE 12 D) or not (as in Fig. 12 View FIGURE 12 E). Males —with connexives horizontal to slightly elevated; apterous and brachypterous forms with six visible tergites (as in Figs 14 View FIGURE 14 D, 18D); sternite VII sometimes bearing projections (as in Fig. 19 View FIGURE 19 D) or small lobes on posterior margin (as in Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 D); proctiger with (as in Figs 20 View FIGURE 20 A,D,G) or without projections (as in Figs 20 View FIGURE 20 C,F); parameres symmetrical, thin or wide, rich in setae or not. Females —with elevated connexives; apterous and brachypterous forms with seven visible tergites (as in Figs 5 View FIGURE 5 C, 13D), generally with connexives reflected over abdomen; proctiger and gonocoxae with or without small black denticles.

Discussion. Very similar to the Palaearctic genus Ve l i a Latreille, 1804 and the South American genus Oiovelia Drake & Maldonado-Capriles, 1952. In Ve l i a the female proctiger covers the gonocoxae and genital opening; male hind femur bears two widely separated spines on inner surface; and the macropterous form has another median macula, in addition to the basal and apical maculae. In Paravelia , the female proctiger does not cover the gonocoxae and genital opening; the spines of male hind femur, if present, are more than two and not widely separated; and the macropterous form usually has only a pair of basal maculae and an apical macula. Paravelia differs from Oiovelia mainly by the shape of tarsomere III, being cylindrical and with parallel margins, whereas they are expanded and with divergent lateral margins in Oiovelia. In addition, the macropterous form in Paravelia has a pair of basal maculae, and another apical macula on forewings, whereas in Oiovelia the macropterous specimens have only a pair of basal maculae, with remainder of wing at most pruinose. Representatives of Paravelia are frequently collected in low numbers, in lentic environments, like temporary pools, slow portions of streams, lakes, or even on water accumulated in bromeliad tanks; whereas the Oiovelia species are preferably inhabitants of foam masses formed on streams.

Diagnosis. The genus can be differentiated from other Neotropical Veliinae by the following set of characters (from Andersen 1982; Polhemus & Polhemus 1993): middle and hind tarsi with setae-shaped arolia, and only two falcate claws; abdominal segments without transverse sulci; hind femora and connexival margin without stridulatory devices; metasternum without lateral tubercles; middle leg with tarsomere II usually 4–5 times longer than the length of tarsomere I, and tarsomere III of all legs subcylindrical, with parallel margins (as in Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ); and macropterous form usually with a basal macula and another apical macula (as in Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 A, 2A–B); body length 2.30–9.00 mm.