Waoraniella erwini, García, Alfonso N. & Aldrete, 2006

García, Alfonso N. & Aldrete, 2006, New genera of Psocoptera (Insecta), from Mexico, Belize and Ecuador (Psoquillidae, Ptiloneuridae, Lachesillidae), Zootaxa 1319, pp. 1-14 : 10-11

Waoraniella erwini n. sp. ( Fig. 28–34 )

Color. Ground color reddish brown. Compound eyes black, ocelli hyaline, with ochre centripetal crescents. Maxillary palps more pigmented than rest of the body. Antennae and legs pale brown. Wings with a reddish brown hue. Abdomen with transverse, deep reddish brown subcuticular rings, less conspicuous ventrally.

Morphology. Outer cusp of lacinial apex large, bidentate ( Fig. 32 ). Pretarsal claw with a basal seta and a broad pulvillus ( Fig. 33 ). Forewing pterostigma narrow anteriorly, much wider posteriorly; Rs flexuous, Rs­M joined by a crossvein. Areola postica small ( Fig. 29 ). Hindwing ( Fig. 29 ). Subgenital plate ( Fig. 30 ) setose as illustrated; a pigmented band along sides and posterior margin, this straight. Gonapophyses ( Fig. 34 ): v1 short, stout, associated to ninth sternum, v2 an elongate lobe associated with v3, this wide at base, narrowing distally, with a field of stout setae along outer margin. Paraproct ( Fig. 31 ), elongate, almost elliptic, with field of setae posteriorly along outer margin, other setae as illustrated; a distinct, bicuspid cone on outer edge, sensory fields with 16 – 19 trichobothria issuing from basal rosettes. Epiproct ( Fig. 31 ) straight anteriorly, rounded posteriorly, with a row of five macrosetae along posterior border, other setae as illustrated.

Measurements. FW: 1659, HW: 1338, F: 421, T: 680, t1: 220, t2: 91, ctt1: 13, Mx4: 136, f1: 238, f2: 151, IO: 360, D: 167, d: 87, IO/D: 2.14, PO: 0.52.

Material studied. Holotype F, 1 paratype F. ECUADOR. Napo. Waorani Ethnic Reserve. 1 km S Onkone Gare Camp. 220m. 10.II.1995. 0°30’10’’S: 76°26’00’’W. Fogging terre firme forest, T. L. Erwin et al. The holotype will be deposited in the Smithsonian Institution Collection, Washington, D. C. The paratype is deposited in CNIN.

Etymology. The genus name is a tribute to the Waorani or Auca “the people of the forest”. The species is dedicated to Dr. Terry L. Erwin, leader of the Smithsonian Institution team that conducted the canopy fogging episodes in the Waorani Reserve, in recognition of his many, ground breaking academic achievements and as a tribute to his expert work in the taxonomy of the Carabidae .

Remarks. Mockford & Sullivan (1986) proposed a higher classification of the family Lachesillidae , in which they recognized two subfamilies: Lachesillinae, including Lachesilla and Nadleria , and Eolachesillinae, with two tribes: Eolachesillini including only Eolachesilla , and Graphocaeciliini , including Graphocaecilius , Anomopsocus , Antilachesilla , Prolachesilla , Nanolachesilla , Tricholachesilla , Mesolachesilla , and Notolachesilla . Eolachesilla was transferred to the family Elipsocidae by New & Thornton (1981), but Mockford & Sullivan (1986) decided to leave this genus in the Lachesillidae , following Badonnel (1967), and acknowledged that Lachesillidae and Elipsocidae are difficult to distinguish. García Aldrete & Mockford (1997) added Hemicaecilius to the Lachesillinae, transferring it from Elipsocidae , where it had been tentatively placed by Smithers (1972, 1990). Li Fasheng (1995) described Homoeolachesilla in the Lachesillinae, and in 2002 he described Cyclolachesillus , and erected for it the subfamily Cyclolachesillinae ; he also described in the Lachesillinae the genus Dicrolachesillus , subsequently placed in synonymy with Lachesilla by Lienhard (2003), and the genera Ceratolachesillus , Zangilachesilla and Zonolachesillus . These genera deserve further study, particularly Cyclolachesillus which, by the illustrations of C. ningxiaensis Li Fasheng (2002) , could probably be an elipsocid. As for the other genera, perhaps their creation needs a broader justification; my opinion is that it would be best to include the species involved in Lachesilla ; Li Fasheng himself (1995) described in Lachesilla two species that seven years later he placed in Zonolachesillus .

Waoraniella presents a distinct autapomorphy (forewing Rs­M joined by a crossvein), that does not permit placing it in any of the two tribes of the subfamily, hence I propose the following new tribe in the Eolachesillinae.

Figures

FIGURES 28 – 34. Waoraniella erwini n. sp. F. 28. Front view of head. 29. Fore­ and hind wings. 30. Subgenital plate. 31. Epiproct and left paraproct. 32. Lacinial apex. 33. Pretarsal claw. 34. Gonapophyses. Scales in mm. Figs. 32 and 33 to common scale.