Rhagovelia mangle 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 : 2775-2779

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222933.2010.512423
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/013287D9-FFDF-FFB7-AB79-FC4178EEFD98
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Rhagovelia mangle Moreira, Nessimian and Rúdio
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Rhagovelia mangle Moreira, Nessimian and Rúdio View in CoL , sp. nov.

Apterous male

BL 2.18–2.24; HL 0.26–0.28; HW 0.61–0.64; ANT I 0.61–0.64, ANT II 0.28–0.29, ANT III 0.31–0.35, ANT IV 0.35–0.40; INT 0.24–0.26; EYE 0.16; PL 0.13–0.15; PW 0.70–0.74; FORELEG: FEM 0.78–0.79, TIB 0.78–0.80, TAR I 0.04, TAR II 0.15– 0.18; MIDLEG: FEM 1.40–1.46, TIB 1.16–1.21, TAR I 0.53–0.61, TAR II 0.60–0.64; HINDLEG: FEM 1.00–1.03, TIB 1.28–1.31, TAR I 0.03–0.04, TAR II 0.24–0.26.

Body short and robust, dorsally covered by silvery pubescence, without areas with visible longer setae. Head black, with a transverse dark brown stripe on base, almost imperceptible in some cases. Antenniferous tubercles shining dark brown; antennomere I yellow, with a longitudinal dark brown to black stripe on outer side and dark brown apex; remaining antennomeres dark brown. Eyes red. Bucculae yellow; rostrum yellowish brown with shining black apex. Pronotum black, with central area a little wider than head orange yellow to orange brown; meso- and metanotum black, without distinct marks. Propleura with same colour of central area of pronotum; meso- and metapleura black. Pro- and metacetabula dark yellow to orange brown at least in part; mesoacetabulum totally black. Dorsum of abdomen dark brown to black. Body venter dark brown to bluish black; last abdominal sternite with a wide longitudinal median stripe dark yellow to orange brown, some cases also with a narrower and more central dark brown to black longitudinal stripe. Coxae and trochanters pale yellow to orange yellow; femora yellow to orange yellow, with a longitudinal dark brown to black stripe on outer surface, and a longitudinal brown stripe on inner surface, this entirely or at least in part reduced to spots in some cases; tibiae and tarsi brown, with distal part of tarsomere II black. Genital segments black, except for venter of segment I, with same colour as median stripe of last abdominal sternite.

Head short, slightly elongated in front of eyes, covered by short black setae, more robust on frons, with longitudinal median line impressed. Antenniferous tubercles swollen; antennae covered by short brown setae; antennomere I with three robust erect black setae near apex; antennomeres I–III cylindrical, IV fusiform; I curved outward, not widened to apex, a little thicker than II and III, thinner than IV on middle; II a little thicker than III. Eyes relatively large, touching anterior margin of pronotum. Rostrum short and wide, reaching posterior part of fore coxae.

Small cuticular pits present on dorsum of thorax. Pronotum short; posterior margin excavated centrally, with a rounded projection on midline ( Figure 5A View Figure 5 ), the projection sometimes a little longer and triangular. Mesonotum slightly swollen centrally, with numerous minute circular pits; lateral margins divergent until about half of their length, than convergent after a short outward directed curve; posterior margin straight or with an indistinct central concavity ( Figure 5A View Figure 5 ). Metanotum short, with lateral margins bowed outward. Thoracic sternites covered by short silvery setae and longer thin light setae.

Sides of abdomen slightly bowed outward. Abdominal tergites I–VI wide and short; VII longer, subquadrate, with area near anterior margin shining black and posterior margin straight. Abdominal connexiva horizontal or slightly elevated. Venter of abdomen without evident modifications, covered by short silvery setae.

Legs covered by short brown setae; rows of longer setae present on femora and tibiae. Coxae and trochanters without spines. Fore femur cylindrical, not incrassate; fore tibia strongly bowed, with well-developed grasping comb extending beyond apex of segment ( Figure 5B View Figure 5 ). Mid femora and tibiae without modifications. Hind femur slightly dilated, with a decreasing ventral row of seven to eleven black spines ( Figure 5C View Figure 5 ), the most proximal sometimes distinctly curved. Posterior tibia straight, with a ventral row of black pegs on proximal third and an apical short straight spur ( Figure 5C View Figure 5 ). Tarsi with only two articles.

Genital segments short and cylindrical. Proctiger as in Figure 5D View Figure 5 . Parameres short, blunt, symmetrical, slightly curved upward on apex ( Figure 5E View Figure 5 ).

Apterous female

BL 3.26–3.33; HL 0.35–0.38; HW 0.74–0.78; ANT I 0.85–0.89, ANT II 0.44–0.48, ANT III 0.53–0.54, ANT IV 0.51; INT 0.29–0.30; EYE 0.16–0.21; PL 0.15–0.16; PW 0.95–0.98; FORELEG: FEM 1.14–1.15, TIB 1.06–1.10, TAR I 0.03–0.04, TAR II 0.26–0.29; MIDLEG: FEM 2.02–2.10, TIB 1.58–1.60, TAR I 0.78–0.84, TAR II 0.78–0.84; HINDLEG: FEM 1.44–1.52, TIB 1.78–1.84, TAR I 0.04–0.06, TAR II 0.45–0.48.

Similar to apterous male on general appearance, with same colour on head, mesonotum, metanotum, pleural area of thorax, pro- and metacetabula, thoracic sternites and legs. Pattern of distribution of setae as in male, except for antennomere II with a robust erect black seta near middle. Pronotum orange brown with an ovate black mark on each side and a transverse short black stripe on anterior margin, this wide as base of head without the eyes. Abdominal tergites I–V or I–VI brown to bluish black; VI–VIII or VII–VIII lighter, dark yellow to yellowish brown. Abdominal

connexiva marked by dark brown or black on base, the rest yellow. Venter of abdomen centrally yellow, black with silvery pubescence on sides. Genital segments dark brown to black. Pronotum with hind margin concavity wider than in males ( Figure 5F View Figure 5 ) and central projection usually more expressed. Mesonotum with posterior centrally concave ( Figure 5F View Figure 5 ). Fore tibia curved near apex, not strongly bowed as in male. Hind femur narrower than in male, with a ventral decreasing row of 8–11 spines ( Figure 5G View Figure 5 ). Hind tibia straight, bearing only an apical spur. Genital segments short, with lateral margins straight, convergent posteriorly, and posterior margin rounded.

Type material

Brazil: Espírito Santo – Conceição da Barra , foz do rio, raízes de Rhizophora mangle [−18.55905 ◦, −39.73286 ◦], 1 May 2009, (F.F.F. Moreira and J.A. Rúdio): 1 apterous male [HOLOTYPE], 12 apterous males, 4 apterous females [PARATYPES] ( UFES) ; 6 apterous males, 2 apterous females [PARATYPES] (DZRJ); 4 apterous males [PARATYPES] (MNRJ).

Distribution

Known only from the type series, collected in association with Husseyella diffidens in a mangrove swamp at the mouth of Itaúnas River, municipality of Conceição da Barra, between the roots of Rhizophora mangle .

Etymology

The term mangle refers to the mangrove trees with which the type specimens were found associated.

Comments

Rhagovelia mangle sp.nov. is part of the salina group sensu Polhemus (1997), which contains five species so far, all held in the genus Trochopus Carpenter, 1898 before Polhemus’ revision of the Rhagovelia of the western hemisphere. These species are characterized by the short pronotum, exposing a great part of mesonotum, and by the tarsi with only two segments.

Despite the presence of a strongly bowed anterior tibia in males, as in Rhagovelia arcuata (Polhemus and Manzano, 1992) , specimens of R. mangle sp. nov. are apparently more similar to R. ephydros ( Drake and van Doesburg, 1966) and R. plumbea Uhler, 1894 . Body colour is similar to R. ephydros , being black with lighter connexiva in females, and uniformly black in males. Antennomere I and the femora of both species bear dark longitudinal stripes on their outer surfaces, but brown stripes on the inner femora are present in R. mangle sp. nov., and are not mentioned for R. ephydros .

The pronotum of R. ephydros is brown with the central part yellowish to light brown in males and females. As in R. mangle sp. nov., the male pronotum is black with the central area orange-yellow to orange-brown, and in females it is orange-brown with an ovate black mark on each side and a short transverse black stripe on the anterior margin.

The posterior margin of the pronotum of R. mangle sp. nov. is excavated, with a central projection ( Figure 5A,F View Figure 5 ), similar to that seen in R. plumbea , and not as concave as in R. ephydros . The posterior margin of the mesonotum in R. mangle sp. nov. is straight to slightly concave, whereas in R. ephydros it is rounded. Both males and females of R. mangle sp. nov. bear seven to eleven spines on the hind femur, whereas in R. plumbea females do not have spines on hind femur, and in R. ephydros there are eight to ten spines in males and four to seven in females. The male paramere of R. mangle sp. nov. is slightly curved upward near apex ( Figure 5E View Figure 5 ), but not as much as in R. plumbea .

Various nymphs were collected at the same locality as the adults, generally in more sheltered areas between the roots of the Rhizophora trees. It was observed at the collecting site that numerous males were riding on top of the females, and it was possible to collect and preserve two pairs in this condition ( Figure 5H View Figure 5 ). It can be noted when observing the preserved specimens that the bowed male fore tibiae fits on the female mesosternum, supported by the grasping comb.