Spiritiops tepuiensis, Nieto, Carolina & Derka, Tomáš, 2012

Nieto, Carolina & Derka, Tomáš, 2012, A new species of the genus Spiritiops Lugo-Ortiz & McCafferty (Ephemeroptera, Baetidae) from the Pantepui biogeographical province, Zootaxa 3256, pp. 58-63 : 60-62

Spiritiops tepuiensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 2–17 )

Female imago ( Figs. 2 , 4–5 ). Length: body: 10.0– 10.7 mm; fore wings: 11.5–11.7 mm; hind wings: 1.5–1.7 mm. Head pale pink, compound eyes and ocelli blackish. Antennae yellowish brown. Thorax ( Fig. 2 ): pronotum pinkish, meso and metanoto yellowish brown, anteronotal protuberance small and rounded. Pleurae and sterna pale yellow. Legs yellowish brown. Wings ( Figs. 4–5 ) hyaline, costal and subcostal spaces of fore wings translucent, veins pigmented with brown. Abdomen pinkish, segment II–VII with a pair of reddish spots near lateral margins. Caudal filaments broken.

Nymphs ( Figs. 3 , 6–17 ). Length: body: 8.2–9.5. Antennae: 2.3–2.5 mm. Cerci: 9.5 mm, terminal filament: 4.5 mm. Head yellowish-brown, compound eye orange-brown, ocelli blackish. Antennae yellowish brown. Mouthparts: Labrum ( Figs. 6 a–b) wider than long, dorsally with a row of subapical long setae, anterior margin with bipectinate setae and bifid pectinate setae. Left mandible ( Fig. 7 ) without setae between prostheca and mola, tuft of spine-like setae at base of mola absent, prostheca robust with 6–7 denticles. Right mandible ( Fig. 8 ) with setae between prostheca and mola, prostheca robust with four denticles and with a transverse bipectinate setae. Hypopharynx ( Fig. 9 ) with lingua rounded subequal in length to superlinguae. Maxillae ( Fig. 10 ) with double row of pectinated setae on outer margin and two denti-setae, palpi shorter or scarcely subequal in length to galea-lacinia, segment II with a constriction. Labium ( Fig. 11 ) with glossae subequal in length to paraglossae, palpi with segment II with a weak rounded projection.

Thorax, pro, meso and metanoto yellowish brown with no distinct color pattern. Pleurae yellowish brown, sterna pale yellow. Legs ( Fig. 12 ) yellowish brown, femora with a pale spot basally, tibiopatelar suture present more than half the length of tibiae. Tarsal claws with two rows of 7–8 denticles ( Fig. 13 ).

Abdomen ( Fig. 3 ) yellowish-brown. Segment II–VII with a pair of reddish spot laterally, segments II–III and V with a reddish spot along midline, segments II–IX with two small brownish spot in the midline. Posterior margin of each tergum with spines ( Fig. 14 ). Sterna yellowish. Gills ( Fig. 15 ) oblong, translucent, 1.5 times the length of each tergum, well tracheated and dark pigmented. Paraprocts ( Fig. 16 ) with 13–14 spines posteriorly. Caudal filament yellowish brown. Cerci with spines near lateral margin on each segment or every two segments ( Fig. 17 ).

Discussion. This species can be distinguished from the other species of the genus by the following combination of characters: 1) labrum dorsally with a row of subapical long setae ( Fig. 6 ); 2) nymphs bigger, more than 8 mm; 3) abdominal color pattern with segments II–VII with a pair of reddish spot laterally, segments II–III and V with a reddish spot along midline ( Fig. 3 ).

Biology. Nymphs inhabit streams where they prefer sections with stronger currents. They were observed even in a splash zone of small waterfall. They were very abundant in bedrock bottom streams at Churí-tepui and Auyántepui. Only one nymphal exuvia was found in one unnamed stream at Mt. Roraima plateau. All material from Mt. Roraima was sampled in spring streams below the plateau.

Etymology. A tepui or tepuy, is a table-top mountain or mesa found in the Guyana Highlands of South America, especially in southern Venezuela. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran Sabana region where the species was found.

Material. Holotype female nymph: VENEZUELA, Bolívar Province, NP Canaima; a stream below, Salto Angel, 21.3 ºC. 24/ 11/ 2008, T. Derka. Paratypes: three nymphs same locality and collector. 26 nymphs: Auyántepui massive, Quebrada El Peñón in camp El Peñón, Loc. Ven/ 5/ 2010. N 5º 44´40.4´´; W 62º 32´29.7´´, 1,832 m a.s.l. 8/ 1/ 2010, T. Derka & M. Svitok. 21 nymphs: Tuná Terciopelo (unnamed spring stream) cca 20 min. Below El Peñón camp. Loc. Ven/ 4/ 2010. N 5º 44´23.3´´; W 62º 32´18.5´´, 1,733 m a.s.l. 7/ 1/ 2010, T. Derka & M. Svitok. 35 nymphs: Headwaters of Río Churún cca. 30 min from El Oso camp, Loc. Ven/ 8/ 2010. 9 / 1/ 2010, T. Derka & M. Svitok. Two nymphs: Churún river below Salto Angel ( Isla Ratón), 5/ 4/ 2009, T. Derka. 124 nymphs: Río Churún close El Lecho camp, 1,740 m a.s.l., N 5º 49´34.6´´; W 62º 32´27.9´´. Loc. Ven/ 9/ 2010. 10 / 1/ 2010, T. Derka & M. Svitok. 238 nymphs and 1 female imago: Río Oso in El Oso camp, N 5º 47´1.4´´; W 62º 32´12.5´´, 1,733 m a.s.l., Loc. Ven/ 7/ 2010. 9 / 1/ 2010, T. Derka & M. Svitok. Nine nymphs: springs of Río Churún, N 5º 46´15.´´; W 62º 32´7.9´´, Loc. Ven/ 6/ 2010. 1,851 m a.s.l., 8/ 1/ 2010, T. Derka & M. Svitok. Six nymphs: Mt.

Roraima, spring stream at the La Rampa cca. 100 m below the entrance to the plateau. Loc. R1. cca. 2,600 m a.s.l. 7/ 11/ 2009, T. Derka. 76 nymphs: Roraima base camp, 1,500 m a.s.l. 3/ 2/ 1999. 12 nymphs: Churí-tepui, Chimantá massive, spring stream below waterfall at Río Olinka, originating in the Cueva Juliana, 2,300 m a.s.l. Loc. 8. 20 / 1/ 2009, T. Derka. 18 female imagos: Quebrada Lila above cueva Charles Brewer. Loc. 6. 21 / 1/ 2009. 30 nymphs: Quebrada Lila a stream at the plateau above cueva Charles Brewer. Loc. 6. cca. 2,400 m a.s.l. 26/ 1/ 2009, T. Derka. Five nymphs: middle reach of Western river. Loc. 14. 2,400 m a.s.l. 24/ 1/ 2009, T. Derka. 74 nymphs: stream above pozo Capuchino, cca. 2,300 m a.s.l. Loc. 7. 16 / 1/ 2009, T Derka. 39 nymphs and 1 female imago: Río Olinka, stream above waterfall, above Cueva Juliana. Loc. 11. cca. 2,300 m a.s.l. 19/ 1/ 2009. Five nymphs: Gran Sabana, Salto Yuruani. 28/ 1/ 2005. 20 paratypes nymphs and 10 paratype female imago from Quebrada Lila, Loc. 6, housed at MIZA; holotype and 95 paratype nymphs and 4 paratype female imagos from different localites housed at IML; other paratypes at FNS.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 3. Spiritiops tepuiensis sp. nov., dorsal habitus. 2, female imago; 3, nymph.

FIGURES 4 – 17. Spiritiops tepuiensis sp. nov. Figs. 4 – 5, female imago. 4, fore wing; 5 a, hind wing; 5 b, hind wing detail. Figs. 6 – 17, nymph. Mouthparts (Figs. 6 – 11): 6 a, labrum, left d. v., right v. v.; 6 b, labrum anterior margin; 7, left mandible; 8, right mandible; 9, hypopharynx; 10, maxilla; 11, labium, left v. v., right d. v. 12, leg I; 13, tarsal claw. 14, posterior margin of tergum IV. 15, gill IV. 16, paraproct. 17, cerci.