Martarega nieseri Barbosa, Ribeiro, Nessimian, 2012

Barbosa, Julianna Freires, Ribeiro, José Ricardo Inacio & Nessimian, Jorge Luiz, 2012, A synopsis of Martarega White, 1879 (Insecta: Heteroptera: Notonectidae) occurring in the Brazilian Amazonia, with descriptions of three new species, Journal of Natural History 46 (17 - 18), pp. 1025-1057 : 1034-1036

Martarega nieseri Barbosa, Ribeiro, Nessimian , sp. nov.

( Figures 2A–E , 13A)

Martarega hungerfordi: Nieser 1970: 72 [misidentification, in part].

Martarega hungerfordi: Nieser 1975: 202 [misidentifitacion, in part].

Type material

Holotype. Brazil, Amazonas State , Barcelos Municipality , Comunidade Samauma, Igarapé Samauma, alt. 49 m a.s.l. [0.00133 ◦ N, 62.82436 ◦ W], kinon (#19), 09.VIII.2009, (N. Ferreira Jr): 1 m ( INPA), brachypterous.

Paratypes. 2 f ( INPA), brachypterous; Serra do Aracá , Igarapé Tabocal, alt. 32 m, #17 [0.00813 ◦ N, 62.81941 ◦ W], 08.VII.2009, (J.L. Nessimian, U.G. Neiss, J.O. Silva, A.P.M. Santos, F.F. Salles, N. Ferreira Jr.): 6 m and 3 f ( INPA), brachypterous; 5 m and 3 f ( DZRJ), brachypterous; Igarapé Cuieiras, #05 [0.44660 ◦ N, 63.26163 ◦ W], 27.VII.2009, (N. Hamada, C.A.S. Azevedo, A.M.O. Pes): 5 f ( INPA), brachypterous; limit between Barcelos and Novo Airão, Parque Nacional do Jaú, Carabinani River [1.99 ◦ S, 61.52 ◦ W], 28.VI.1994, (L. Aquino): 1 m ( INPA), brachypterous .

Description of holotype (brachypterous form)

Measurements. Body length (from apex of head to apex of hemelytra at rest): 5.04; length of vertex: 0.24; greatest width of vertex: 0.24; width of eye: 0.53; length of ocular commissure: 0.36; length of head: 0.60; greatest width of head: 1.06; length of pronotum: 0.38; greatest width of pronotum width: 1.20; median length of scutellum: 0.56; greatest width of scutellum: 0.70.

Colour. General colour white. Setae and hairs of body dark brown to black. Eyes purplish in dorsal view, reddish in ventral view; tylus yellow, with continuous brown stain on its base and throughout lateral margins; labrum dark-brown; first and second segments of rostrum yellowish; third segment yellow laterally, with ventral surface brown; fourth segment dark brown. Pronotum with half posterior of its fovea stained with brown; legs yellowish with brown stain on ventral surface of trochanters and femora; hemelytra with narrow, longitudinal median hyaline stripe not bifurcate, extending to base of membrane; second stripe originating at base of hemelytral process and extending anteriorly onto one-third of hemelytra; area above hemelytral stripe yellowish; costal region of hemelytra stained with brown; hemelytral process dark brown; membrane brown ( Figure 2A,B ). Lateral margin of connexivum with numerous greyish setae.

Head, thorax and abdomen. Head rounded; anterior margin of vertex convex, protruding before eyes, vertex as wide as its median length; ocular commissure longer than vertex, about two-thirds of width of one eye. Pronotum with lateral margins strongly divergent; posterior margin straight; greatest pronotum width somewhat longer than three times its length in dorsal view; lateral margin of scutellum concave, wider than longer, and longer than median length of pronotum; hemelytral process with base robust, conspicuously long, extending beyond apex of membrane ( Figure 2A,B ); forefemora without spines; mesotrochanters rounded, without short bristles; mesofemora without nodules; metaxyphus with apex acute; distal margin of hind trochanters with sharp concavity ( Figure 2C ); hind femora with distinct 12 setae distributed throughout inner margins. Ventral abdominal keel with hairs distributed throughout lateral and anteroventral surfaces.

Male genitalia. Genital capsule normal, not produced; claspers rounded and elongated, very similar in shape ( Figure 2D,E ).

Paratypes

Measurements (male / female). Body length (from apex of head to apex of hemelytra at rest): 5.04–5.36 / 5.84–6.56; length of vertex: 0.20–0.24 / 0.20–0.26; greatest width of vertex: 0.24–0.26 / 0.24–0.30; width of eye: 0.53–0.58 / 0.56–0.62; length of ocular commissure: 0.32–0.36 / 0.32–0.38; length of head: 0.52–0.60 / 0.58–0.64; greatest width of head: 1.06–1.16 / 1.16–1.26; length of pronotum: 0.36–0.40 / 0.38–0.42; greatest width of pronotum: 1.20–1.30 / 1.30–1.44; length of scutellum: 0.52–0.64 / 0.64–0.76; greatest width of scutellum: 0.70–0.80 / 0.80–0.90.

Colour and structural features. Similar to male holotype except for general body colour white to yellowish. Female head shorter than male head in dorsal view; vertex wider than its median length, slightly protruding before eyes; tylus of female specimens brown, with yellow spot on its centre; vertex equal to or longer than its length; ocular commissure about three-fifths to two-thirds as long as vertex; labrum and rostrum brown; males with first and second segments of rostrum brown ventrally and yellow laterally. Posterior margin of fovea over pronotum somewhat stained with brown; longitudinal median stripe of hemelytra hyaline; costal region of hemelytra and part of superior region of stripe stained with brown; greatest pronotum width from 3.1 to 3.6 times its length; median longitudinal stripe of female hemelytra irregular, enlarged near base, becoming narrower at second third of its length; internal margin of embolium with toothed area along posterior half, bearing 45 to 65 teeth; hind femora of male with nine to 12 setae distributed throughout inner margins; hind femora of female with 13 to 15 setae distributed throughout inner margins. Female abdomen with slight constriction in its second half, wherein fits toothed area of hemelytra (similar to Figure 6E ).

Macropterous forms unknown.

Etymology

Named in honour of Dr Nico Nieser (National Museum of Natural History – “Naturalis”, the Netherlands) for his contributions to the study of Brazilian backswimmer taxonomy and because he is currently one of the greatest researchers of Nepomorpha.

Taxonomic notes

The specimens of M. nieseri sp. nov. may be mistakenly keyed out to M. hungerfordi in the Truxal (1949) key to Martarega species. This is because both species resemble each other, sharing the apex of hind trochanter with a sharp concavity and the presence of small spines along embolium of female hemelytra ( Figure 2B ). The history of M. hungerfordi has become somewhat confused. There are differences between descriptions and illustrations of M. hungerfordi in Truxal (1949) and Nieser (1970, 1975). According to Nieser (1970, 1975), the shape of the female hemelytral stripe, which was illustrated by him, is conspicuous and the hemelytral process exceeds the apex of membrane. Unfortunately, there is a discrepancy in M. hungerfordi drawings by Nieser (1970, 1975). In his description, Nieser (1975) agrees with Truxal (1949) on the size of hemelytral process, which is approximately three-quarters as long as membrane, whereas in Nieser (1970, 1975) M. hungerfordi is illustrated as having the hemelytral process exceeding the apex of membrane. At the same time, Nieser’s description of M. hungerfordi males emphasized the hind trochanter with a sharp concavity at apex, although Truxal (1949) did not mention clearly this taxonomic character for females. Finally, both M. nieseri sp. nov. and Nieser’s M. hungerfordi specimens tend to be shorter than Truxal’s specimens and were found coexisting at the same Municipality in Amazonas State.

Martarega nieseri sp. nov. can be immediately distinguished from M. hungerfordi by: (1) shorter length, (2) hemelytral process strong, exceeding apex of membrane in both sexes ( Figure 2A,B ), (3) claspers rounded and elongated, very similar in shape ( Figure 2D,E ), (4) distinct shape of female hemelytral stripe, enlarged in the first third of hemelytral length, tapering in the rest of length, and (5) internal margin of female embolium with toothed area along posterior half, bearing 45 to 65 teeth ( Figure 2B ).

Figures

Figures 1–4. Martarega species occurring in Brazilian Amazonia.Figure 1. Martarega barcelos Barbosa, Ribeiro, Nessimian sp. nov. (holotype). (A) Male hemelytra (lateral view); (B) male mesotrochanter with one group of short bristles at outer lateral margin; (C) male genital capsule

Figures 5–8. Martarega species occurring in Brazilian Amazonia. Figure 5. Martarega chinai Hynes, 1948. (A) Male hemelytra (lateral view); (B) female hemelytra (lateral view); (C) male mesotrochanter with one group of short bristles at ventral surface; (D) male genitalia capsule