Rhagovelia depressa Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, 2022

Rodrigues, Juliana Mourao dos Santos, Crumiere, Antonin Jean Johan, Toubiana, William, Khila, Abderrahman & Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo, 2022, New species and new records of semiaquatic bugs (Arthropoda, Insecta, Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerromorpha) from French Guiana, ZooKeys 1126, pp. 155-199 : 155

Rhagovelia depressa Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira sp. nov.

Figs 6 , 7 , 8 , 9

Type material examined.

French Guiana • apterous ♂ holotype; Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Nouragues, Camp Pararé and surroundings; 4.0386, -52.6728; 17-18 Oct. 2016; A.J.J. Crumière, A. Khila, F.F.F. Moreira, W. Toubiana leg.; CEIOC 82144 • 42 apterous ♂ paratypes, 32 apterous ♀ paratypes; same, except CEIOC 82145.

Description.

Apterous male (Figs 6 , 7 ). Holotype (paratypes). BL 2.10 (2.03-2.10); HL 0.22 (0.20-0.22); HW 0.62 (0.61-0.65); INT 0.17 (0.17); ANT I 0.55 (0.55-0.57); ANT II 0.35 (0.32-0.35); ANT III 0.35 (0.32-0.35); ANT IV 0.40 (0.37-0.40); EYE 0.22 (0.21-0.23); PL 0.12 (0.12-0.13); PW 0.70 (0.70-0.75); FORELEG: FEM 0.77 (0.77); TIB 0.75 (0.70-0.75); TAR I 0.02 (0.02); TAR II 0.05 (0.05); TAR III 0.15 (0.15); MIDLEG: FEM 1.20 (1.17-1.20); TIB 0.85 (0.82-0.87); TAR I 0.15 (0.15-0.20); TAR II 0.37 (0.30-0.37); TAR III 0.60 (0.52-0.60); HINDLEG: FEM 0.90 (0.87-0.92); TIB 0.90 (0.85-0.92); TAR I 0.05 (0.05); TAR II 0.07 (0.07); TAR III 0.17 (0.15-0.17).

Head dorsally black, covered by stiff short setae; frons with denser cover of short setae and few long, curved setae; longitudinal midline and a pair of oblique indentations at base impressed and shining; impressed midline fading posteriorly. Eye shining dark red; ocular setae present. Antenniferous tubercle shining dark brown. Antennomeres covered by short and medium setae; antennomere I yellow basally, turning brown, then black towards apex, with four or five thick long black setae on mesal surface and one on lateral surface; antennomeres II-IV dark brown to black; II with some long setae on mesal surface; interarticular pieces shining dark-brown. Buccula and labium shining dark brown. Venter of head black.

Pronotum black, with dark-orange mark between eyes behind vertex of head, covered by medium-sized dark setae. Meso- and metanota black, covered by medium and long black setae; discreet greyish pubescence posteriorly on mesonotum and on metanotum. Thoracic pleura black with greyish pubescence, covered by medium and long black setae. Proacetabulum mostly yellow, becoming brown, then black laterally and mesally. Mesoacetabulum black with greyish pubescence, becoming brown, then yellow on margin surrounding middle coxa. Metacetabulum black with greyish pubescence proximally, becoming brown, then pale yellow towards apex; in ventral view, mostly pale yellow; covered by strong light setae directed laterally. Thoracic sterna black, covered by greyish pubescence, with sparse medium-sized light setae, long brown setae laterally on mesosternum, and two oblique rows of light setae submedially on mesosternum.

Fore and hind coxae and trochanters yellow; distal tip of trochanters, in ventral view, brown; fore coxa with few long light setae marginally; hind coxa with stiff long light setae; fore trochanter with medium and long light setae; hind trochanter with medium setae on mesal surface and longer light setae marginally to tibia. Middle coxa shining, in ventral view, black with dark-brown apex, dark brown to black centrally; covered by medium and long brown setae, with stiffer long brown setae laterally. Middle trochanter dark brown to black, shining dorsally and ventrally, covered by medium and long setae. Fore femur basally yellow, becoming brown, then black towards apex, covered by medium and long light setae, with several stiff long dark setae on posterior surface, and one or two near apex of anterior surface. Fore tibia and tarsus dark brown to black. Fore tibia covered by medium and long curved setae, with a row of stiff longer dark setae on anterior surface; grasping comb evident; grooming comb present. Tarsus with dense cover of short and medium-sized brown setae. Middle femur dark brown to black, covered by medium and long light setae, with rows of longer stiff brown setae on anterior and posterior surfaces, and some longer curved brown setae apically. Middle tibia dark brown to black, densely covered by medium and long brown setae, with a row of stiff longer brown setae on distal 2/3 of anterior surface. Middle tarsus dark brown to black, densely covered by medium and long brown setae, with some longer brown setae on anterior surface. Hind femur, in dorsal view, narrowly shining dark brown on base; in ventral view, narrowly shining lighter brown on base; rest dark brown to black; densely covered by long light setae, with rows of stiffer dark setae on anterior surface, a row of long brown setae on posterior surface basally to spine row, and two long brown setae distally on posterior surface. Hind tibia dark brown, covered by medium and long brown setae, with a row of longer thicker setae on anterior surface. Hind trochanter dark brown, covered by medium-sized brown setae.

Abdominal medio- and laterotergites black, covered by discreet greyish pubescence, except for shining black lateral margins of laterotergites; long dark setae widespread; longer brown setae on apex of last laterotergite. Abdominal sterna II-VI black, covered by greyish pubescence; with medium-sized light setae adjacent to posterior margins; long light setae on sides of sterna III-VI, posteriorly on III and centrally on V-VI. Abdominal sternum shining black on wide subquadrate central area; black with greyish pubescence on sides of shining area; with long light setae laterally. Abdominal segment VIII and pygophore light brown on anterior 1/3, dark brown on posterior 2/3, densely covered by long light setae. Proctiger dark brown, densely covered by long light setae.

Head compact. Eyes not distinctly large, touching pronotum. Antennomere I thickest, curved laterally; II-III cylindrical, subequal in width; IV fusiform, slightly thicker than II-III. Labium robust, reaching mesosternum between fore coxae.

Pronotum laterally, mesonotum, metanotum and abdominal mediotergite I anterolaterally, thoracic pleura and sterna, and abdominal sterna II-VI and sides of VII with minute rounded (mostly) or irregular punctations; punctations shining on mesonotum to mediotergite I, much more sparse and less evident on abdomen. Pronotum shorter than dorsal eye length, with posterior margin slightly concave. Mesonotum slightly elevated centrally, posterior margin widely rounded. Metanotum short at midline, posterior margin slightly concave centrally. Posterior margins of pro- and mesosterna concave medially. Posterior margin of metasternum slightly concave medially.

Fore trochanter unarmed. Fore femur as thicker than fore tibia, approximately as thick as middle femur. Fore tibia curved, with a weak preapical concavity on ventral surface, widest on apex + grasping comb. Middle femur without flattening or constriction, thickest subbasally. Hind femur surpassing apex of terminalia, thicker than middle femur, thickest right after middle, with a distally decreasing row of three or four black spines starting after middle of posterior surface and not reaching apex. Hind tibia slightly narrowed and curved distally, without pegs throughout length, with a strong curved spur at apex.

Lengths of abdominal laterotergites on midline slightly increasing from I-IV, IV-VI subequal, VII longest; VII with straight posterior margin. Laterotergites slightly elevated; lateral margins slightly converging anteriorly on first segment, then more strongly and evenly converging up to penultimate segment, then more strongly to apex, ending continuously to posterior margin of mediotergite VII. Lengths of abdominal sterna on midline decreasing from II-IV, IV-V subequal and shorter than VI, VI shorter than I, VII longest. Sternum II slightly laterally compressed, with a concavity each side through which hind coxae move, without distinct median carina; III very weakly compressed laterally, without median carina; IV-VI without median carina; VII without median carina, flattened centrally, with widely concave posterior margin. Abdominal segment VIII cylindrical; dorsal apical margin almost straight (Fig. 7A, B ). Proctiger short; lateral lobes large, curved anteriorly, each with approximately half the distal width of proctiger; apex rounded (Fig. 7C, D ). Paramere small, subtrapezoidal, apical margin oblique, almost straight (Fig. 7E ).

Apterous female (Fig. 8 ). BL 2.70-2.82; HL 0.25-0.30; HW 0.72-0.80; INT 0.17-20; ANT I 0.65-0.67; ANT II 0.37-0.42; ANT III 0.40-0.42; ANT IV 0.42-0.45; EYE 0.27-0.30; PL 0.16-0.17; PW 0.87-0.90; FORELEG: FEM 0.85-0.90; TIB 0.80-1.00; TAR I 0.02; TAR II 0.05; TAR III 0.20-0.22; MIDLEG: FEM 1.45-1.50; TIB 1.00-1.10; TAR I 0.12-0.20; TAR II 0.37-0.52; TAR III 0.65-0.67; HINDLEG: FEM 1.02-1.12; TIB 1.07-0.20; TAR I 0.05; TAR II 0.10-0.12; TAR III 0.22.

Similar to apterous male in colour and structure, except for: antennomere II with stiff black setae on dorsal surface; mesonotum with a large rounded central depression, with posterior margin concave centrally; posterior margin of metanotum more strongly convex; fore femur approximately as thick as fore tibia, thinner than middle femur, with weaker stiff setae; fore tibia without preapical concavity nor grasping comb; hind femur thinner than middle femur, without spines; hind tibia straight, with weaker and less curved apical spur; abdomen narrowed; abdominal mediotergites with more concave posterior margins; laterotergites reflexed over mediotergites, progressively covering them more from I-VII, then opening throughout tergum VIII; posterior margins of abdominal sterna II-IV more concave; long light setae much scarcer on sterna III-VI, more widespread on VII; VII with posterior margin slightly projecting medially.

Etymology.

The specific epithet depressa (Latin, feminine) refers to the depressed central portion of the female mesonotum in this species.

Comments.

Rhagovelia depressa Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov. belongs to the Rhagovelia angustipes complex based on the pronotum of the apterous form shorter than the dorsal length of the eye, with the posterior margin concave. It displays three articles on each tarsus (although tarsomere I is extremely reduced in the middle leg, especially in the male), so it cannot be part of the salina group. Assigning it to either the bisignata or hambletoni group, however, is not possible due to the absence of macropterous forms (D. Polhemus 1997). The males of this new species are much smaller than the females and displayed piggyback behavior in the field, like that observed in other congeners with the same type of sexual dimorphism for body size (e.g., Moreira et al. 2010: fig. 5H).

Running this species through the keys for the Rhagovelia angustipes complex provided by Bacon (1956), Nieser and D. Polhemus (1999) and Galindo-Malagón et al. (2021) ended in no possible logical results. The few species of the complex that are absent in these keys due to subsequent description or different geographic distribution also do not match the specimens at hand. Rhagovelia depressa can be diagnosed by the combination of the following features: 1) body length 2.03-2.10 in the male and 2.70-2.82 in the female; 2) antennomere II longer than III; 3) female mesonotum with a large rounded central depression (Fig. 8A ); 4) fore and hind coxae and trochanters yellow, middle coxa and trochanter black (Figs 6B , 8B ); 5) male fore and hind trochanters without spines (Fig. 6B, E ); 6) male fore femur thickened, with strong setae on posterior surface (Fig. 6B, C ); 7) male fore tibia curved, with distinct grasping comb (Fig. 6B, C ); 8) male hind femur thicker than middle femur, with a decreasing row of three or four spines starting after middle of posterior surface (Fig. 6B, E ); 9) female fore and hind femora thinner than in males, without spines (Fig. 8B ); 10) male hind tibia slightly narrowed and curved distally, without pegs throughout length, with strong apical spur (Fig. 6E ); 11) female hind tibia straight, with apical spur weaker than in male (Fig. 8A ); 12) female abdomen narrowed, with laterotergites reflexed over mediotergites, progressively covering them more from I-VII, then opening throughout tergum VIII (Fig. 8A ); and 13) shape of the paramere (Fig. 7E ).

Figures

Figure 6. Rhagovelia depressa Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov., apterous male A habitus, dorsal view B habitus, ventral view C fore femur, tibia and tarsus, ventral view D middle trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsus, ventral view E part of thorax, abdomen and hind legs, ventral view.

Figure 7. Rhagovelia depressa Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov., male terminalia A, B abdominal segment VIII, dorsal and ventral views, respectively C proctiger, dorsal view D genital capsule, lateral view E paramere, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.2 mm (A, B, D); 0.1 mm (C, E).

Figure 8. Rhagovelia depressa Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov., habitus, apterous female paratype A dorsal view B ventral view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 9. Geographic distribution of Rhagovelia depressa Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov. in the Reserve Naturelle Nationale des Nouragues, Camp Parare and surroundings (4.0386, - 52.6728), French Guiana.