Rhagovelia teresa Moreira, Nessimian and Rúdio, 2010

Moreira, F. F. F., Nessimian, J. L., Rúdio, J. A. & Salles, F. F., 2010, New species and new records of Veliidae from Espírito Santo State and adjacent Minas Gerais State, Brazil, with notes on nomenclature (Insecta: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha), Journal of Natural History 44 (45 - 46), pp. 2761-2801 : 2779-2782

Rhagovelia teresa Moreira, Nessimian and Rúdio , sp. nov.

Apterous male

BL 3.52–4.06; HL 0.38–0.48; HW 0.89–0.99; ANT I 0.78–0.84, ANT II 0.45–0.50, ANT III 0.58–0.59, ANT IV 0.49–0.54; INT 0.24–0.26; EYE 0.29–0.30; PL 0.92–1.02; PW 1.06–1.20; FORELEG: FEM 1.01–1.06, TIB 1.14–1.23, TAR I 0.03, TAR II 0.03– 0.04, TAR III 0.25–0.28; MIDLEG: FEM 1.80–1.98, TIB 1.34–1.54, TAR I 0.10–0.12, TAR II 0.62–0.70, TAR III 0.76–0.82; HINDLEG: FEM 1.40–1.64, TIB 1.34–1.46, TAR I 0.08–0.09, TAR II 0.13–0.15, TAR III 0.34–0.39.

Body orange brown, lighter and more yellowish on venter, robust, covered by short shining black setae. Base of antennomere I pale yellow, rest of antennae brown to dark brown. Eyes dark red. Rostrum orange yellow, except by segment IV black. Pronotum with a central trapezoidal yellowish mark on anterior lobe. Sides and venter of thorax dark yellow, intersegmental areas between pro- and mesosternum and meso- and metasternum with a short transverse black stripe. Coxae and trochanters pale yellow; basal half of fore femur and base of posterior femur yellow; apex of fore and mid tarsomere III dark brown; remainder of legs brown. Abdominal tergites from base of IV to apex of body and base of connexiva yellow; dorsal apex of connexiva with a narrow longitudinal black stripe. Genital segments dorsally brown, yellowish on venter.

Head relatively short and wide, with erect black setae on frons, longitudinal median line and two oblique basal foveae impressed and shining. Antennomere I thicker than others, long, a little wider on apex, curved outward, with eight pairs of robust erect black setae; II and III cylindrical, II with a pair of robust erect black setae; IV fusiform. Rostrum wide, reaching half of mesosternum.

Pronotum without circular depressions, with curved lateral margins, straight posterior margin, and long black setae on sides. Metanotum centrally short. Jugum, proepisternum and thoracic sternites without black denticles or bristles. Thoracic and abdominal sternites covered by long light setae, more dense on centre of abdomen.

Abdominal connexiva slightly elevated. Abdominal tergite VII a little longer than wide, with a transverse impressed rectangular area on apex, and posterior margin slightly curved posteriorly. Venter of abdomen with weak triangular carina up to sternite III (visible). Posterolateral margins of last abdominal segment without black denticles.

Legs covered by short brown setae; light thinner long setae on coxae and trochanters; rows of long robust black setae on femora and tibiae. Fore tibia with weak preapical concavity and distinct grasping comb extending beyond apex of tibia. Hind trochanter with one to four black pegs and one much longer acute spine ( Figure 6A ). Hind femur weakly incrassate, basal third with six to ten black pegs, apical two-thirds with two decreasing rows of spines – dorsal row with five to seven spines, ventral row with eight to ten ( Figure 6A ). Hind tibia straight, with obtuse spinules throughout its venter, plus an apical spur, without long preapical spine ( Figure 6A ).

Genital segments cylindrical, wide, covered by long brown setae. Proctiger as in Figure 6B . Parameres symmetrical, short, robust, wider on middle and tapering to apex ( Figure 6C ).

Apterous female ( Figure 6D )

BL 3.78–4.13; HL 0.38–0.46; HW 0.89–0.94; ANT I 0.81–0.85, ANT II 0.43–0.51, ANT III 0.50–0.59, ANT IV 0.48–0.53; INT 0.23–0.25; EYE 0.26–0.31; PL 1.00–1.04; PW 1.20–1.26; FORELEG: FEM 0.99–1.04, TIB 1.04–1.14, TAR I 0.03, TAR II 0.03– 0.04, TAR III 0.25–0.29; MIDLEG: FEM 1.60–1.80, TIB 1.36–1.40, TAR I 0.10–0.14, TAR II 0.58–0.66, TAR III 0.68–0.78; HINDLEG: FEM 1.38–1.44, TIB 1.40–1.44, TAR I 0.08, TAR II 0.13, TAR III 0.31–0.36.

Colour and structure practically identical to apterous male. Dorsal abdomen with medial carina, abdominal tergite I centrally swollen, the subsequent tergites with such medial elevations narrower and less angulate up to tergite IV. Abdominal tergites I to anterior half of IV turned downward, posterior half of IV and V becoming horizontal, VI–VII turned upward. Dorsal abdominal carina and lateral areas of abdominal tergites I–IV with shining black setae; tergites V–VI almost glabrous; VII with numerous black setae on longitudinal median line and on posterior margin. Abdominal tergite VIII slightly turned ventrally, with posterior margin almost straight. Abdominal connexiva bowed outward on sides of tergites II–V, very thick on VI, less thick on VII, the thickened areas densely covered by black setae ( Figure 6E ). Mid femur without modifications; hind trochanter without spines; hind femur much less incrassate than in male, with two to five acute black spinules near apex ( Figure 6F ), the spines broken off in some cases; hind tibia without spines or apical spur. Genital segments in horizontal position.

Type material

Brazil: Espírito Santo – Santa Teresa, Nova Lombardia , Capitel de Santo Antônio, Córrego Escavado (área fechada) [19 ◦ 52 ′ 31.7 ′′ S, 40 ◦ 31 ′ 47.3 ′′ W, 705 m asl], 16 November 2007, ( FCM) : 1 apterous male [HOLOTYPE] (UFES); área 02 [19 ◦ 31 ′ 47.3 ′′ S, 40 ◦ 31 ′ 47.3 ′′ W, 705 m asl], 26 October 2008: 2 apterous females [PARATYPES] ( UFES) . Santa Teresa , Nova Lombardia , Capitel de Santo Antônio, Córrego Grande, Cachoeira Grande [19 ◦ 52 ′ 30.8 ′′ S, 40 ◦ 31 ′ 56.6 ′′ W, 712 m asl], 19 February 2009, (J.A. Rúdio; F.F. Salles): 2 apterous males, 3 apterous females [PARATYPES] ( DZRJ) . Santa Teresa , Nova Lombardia , Capitel de Santo Antônio [19 ◦ 52 ′ 31.6 ′′ S, 40 ◦ 31 ′ 40.8 ′′ W, 705 m asl], 24–25 October 2008, (J.A. Rúdio; F.F. Salles): 1 apterous male, 1 apterous female [PARATYPES] ( MNRJ) . Fundão, Timbuí, Hotel Fazenda Lua Nova , rio, PO-9, 23 February 2007, ( CEUNES) : 1 apterous female [PARATYPE] (UFES).

Distribution

Known only from the type specimens, collected in two streams in Santa Teresa, at the same locality from which Rhagovelia vaniniae sp. nov. is described, and one river in Fundão, a neighbouring municipality to Santa Teresa.

Etymology

This species in named after the locality of Santa Teresa, where most of the type series was collected.

Comments

Rhagovelia teresa sp. nov. fits into the hirtipes group sensu Polhemus (1997), based on the long pronotum, totally covering the mesonotum; the posterolateral margins of the terminal abdominal sternites without black denticles; and apterous female abdomen with a longitudinal median carina and thickened abdominal connexiva. Tarsomere III of the mid leg is longer than II, rather than subequal as in other members of the group, but the other features support its inclusion.

Representatives of this species display uniformly orange-brown body colouration, a characteristic that immediately separates it from other species in the hirtipes group, except R. henryi Polhemus, 1997 . Both of these latter species also share a general appearance similar to species in the robusta group sensu Polhemus (1997).

Males of R. teresa sp. nov. and R. henryi can be distinguished by the presence of obtuse pegs and one long spine on the hind trochanter of R. teresa sp. nov., whereas in R. henryi only spinules are found; the basal third of hind femur with six to ten spinules in R. teresa sp. nov., versus 22 in R. henryi ; the distal two-thirds of the hind femur with the dorsal spine row bearing five to seven spines in R. teresa sp. nov., versus 11 in R. henryi ; and tergite VII with a shining triangular area in R. henryi , which is absent in R. teresa sp. nov.

In the case of females, differences include the dorsal abdominal carina reaching to tergite IV in R. teresa sp. nov., versus tergite VI in R. henryi ; and abdominal tergites III–IV with lateral setae in R. teresa sp. nov., which are absent in R. henryi .

Figures

Figure 6. Rhagovelia teresa sp. nov. (A) Hind leg; male. (B) Proctiger; dorsal view; male. (C) Paramere; lateral view; male. (D) Dorsal habitus; female. (E) Part of abdomen; dorsal view; female. (F) Hind leg; female. Scale bar 1.00 mm.