Atopophlebia caldasi Salles, Marulanda & Dias, 2018

Salles, F. F., Marulanda, J. F. & Dias, L. G., 2018, Two new species of Atopophlebia Flowers, 1980 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae) from Colombia, Zootaxa 4446 (1), pp. 138-150 : 140-147

Atopophlebia caldasi Salles, Marulanda & Dias , sp. nov.

( Figures 13 to 29)

Diagnosis. The male subimago of Atopophlebia caldasi , new species, can be distinguished from the other species of the genus by the following combination of characteristics: 1) Eyes meeting on meson of head; 2) Fore tibia completely tinged with black (as in Fig. 22 ); 3) Abdominal segments orange, posterior margin of all terga tinged with black, black bands broader on terga V to VIII ( Fig. 13 ). The nymph can be distinguished from the other species of the genus by the following combination of characteristics: 1) Labial palp segment I strongly widened, 0.7 times as wide as long ( Fig. 21 ); 2) Abdominal color pattern as in male subimago ( Fig. 17 ).

Description of male subimago (in alcohol). Lengths: body, 6.15 mm; fore wings: 9.4 mm; hind wings: 1.1 mm.

General coloration: orange.

Head: Eyes meeting on meson of head. Head yellowish orange with blackish marks. Lateral ocellus surrounded with black. Upper portion of turbinate eyes reddish, lower portion dark grey.

Thorax: General color orange with a pair of black marks shading the lateral margins of pronotum; pleural sclerites washed with light gray. Forewing ( Fig. 16 ): maximum width 0.3 times maximum length; vein MP2 attached at base to MP1 and CuA by a crossvein; IMP attached at base to veins MP1 and MP2. Hind wing base pigmented with gray; costal projection located on apical 0.68, apex of wing roundly acute; 3 cross veins present. Legs: orange with black marks. Femora with a diffuse median black mark close to outer margin. Fore tibia almost completely tinged with black, except for base and apex. Middle and hind tibiae with inner and outer margin tinged with black. Patella-tibial suture absent on all legs.

Abdomen: orange, terga I with lateral margin tinged with black, posterior margin of all terga tinged with black, marks more spread on terga V to VIII (as in Fig. 13 ). Abdominal sterna orange, VIII abdominal sternum with a pair of triangular black marks on posterolateral margins; subgenital plate and forceps orange. Penes fused in basal 1/3 with lobes approximately 0.4 times as wide as long; each lobe with an apical short projection directed ventrolaterally.

Description of female imago (in alcohol). Lengths: body 7.5 mm, forewing 9.5 mm; hind wing: 1.1 mm.

General coloration: orange.

Head, thorax and abdomen orange, head with small black marks, abdomen as in male ( Fig. 13 ). Abdominal sternum VII with a yellow v-shape mark in mid part and the VIII with three yellow pale spots. Forewing ( Fig. 14 ): maximum width of 0.4 times maximum length; membrane hyaline, diffusely tinged with black on stigmatic area; longitudinal veins yellow at base, darker toward apex. Hind wing ( Figs. 14 and 15 ) with costal area, almost until costal projection, diffusely tinged with black. Sternum IX broadly rounded at apex with three yellowish marks at base. Caudal filaments grayish brown, articulations dark.

Description of egg. Egg ( Figs. 26 and 27 ), length 143.46–155.54 µm, width 75.51–86.11 µm, prismatic shape with longitudinal chorionic depressions at the sides and concave polar regions. Chorion sculpted uniformly with hemispherical protuberances of 2.42–2.71 µm in diameter. Coiled thread with terminal button distributed in the chorion and surrounded by chorionic protuberances. Micropile unknown.

Description of nymph (nearly mature). Length: 7.29 mm, cerci broken.

Head: yellowish brown, vertex diffusely tinged with black, forming a longitudinal stripe between lateral ocellus and posterior margin of head; area ahead of median ocellus yellow, triangular ( Fig. 17 ). Labrum ( Fig. 18 ) with lateral margins rounded; distal margin ( Fig. 19 ) with 5 denticles, lateral denticles broad and flat, mid denticles narrow and rounded. Mandible ( Fig. 20 ) diffusely tinged with black on exposed dorsal surface. Maxilla with outer margin of stipe tinged with black. Hypopharynx with apex of superlingua curved. Labium ( Fig. 21 ): labial palp segment I strongly widened, 0.7 times as wide as long; outer margin with many long setae.

Thorax: yellowish brown with black marks on anterior and lateral margins of mesonotum. Legs yellowish white (hypodermis orange); fore femur ( Fig. 22 ) with subapical pale brown mark; middle ( Fig. 23 ) and hind ( Fig. 24 ) femora almost completely shaded with pale brown, except medially (close to outer margin) and distally. Foreleg ( Fig. 22 ): femur with outer margin with row of long and fine setae along distal ¾ and row of spatulate setae, ½ the length of fine setae, on distal ¾; anterior surface with few short blunt setae at middle; tibia with outer margin bare. Middle leg ( Fig. 23 ): femur with outer margin with row of long and fine setae and row of spatulate setae, ¼ the length of fine setae; anterior surface with few short blunt setae from base to apex; tibia with row of fine, long and dense setae on outer margin. Hind leg ( Fig. 24 ): femur with fine setae shorter than in foreleg, spatulate setae present from base to apex; anterior surface with short blunt setae more numerous and more spread than in foreleg; tibia with few spatulate setae on outer margin and with row of fine, long and dense setae; tarsi with row of fine setae on basal ½ of outer margin. Tarsal claws with a row of 8–10 denticles, the apical denticle larger than the others.

Abdomen: dark orange with black markings as in male imago. Gills ( Fig. 25 ) grayish, tracheae black, a large basal lobe on inner lamella; seventh gill much reduced. Caudal filaments brown, articulations dark.

Etymology. We are honoured in naming this species after Francisco José de Caldas (1768-1816). Among his virtues and roles in the history of Colombia, Caldas was a naturalist. The epithet also recognises the name of the department where the new species was found, which is also named after him.

Life cycle association. Nymphs and adults were collected in the same stream and both share the same abdominal color pattern.

Distribution. Colombia, Caldas: Norcasia and Florencia ( Figs. 28 and 29 ).

Biology. Nymphs of A. caldasi were found in the substrates which comprised rocks, fine sediments and the rhizoids of mosses associated with some rocks in the stream. The San Antonio river had a width of approximately 5–6 m and a depth greater than 60 cm. Adults were attracted to light traps.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE female imago: Colombia, Caldas, Norcasia, Berlín , Quebrada Bollo Liso , 5o 35’ 16.3’’ N, 74o 56’ 45.0’’ W, 09.xi.2017, light trap, Salles, Dias, Marulanda ( CEBUC).

PARATYPES (all in CEBUC, except when noted): 2 nymphs, same data as holotype ; 1 nymph, same data as holotype, except Quebrada Vía Norcasia; 8 nymphs, Colombia, Caldas, Norcasia, Quebrada Los Corrales , 5o 35’ 30.7’’ N, 74o 56’ 50.1’ W, 26.ix.2017, Meza & Montaño; 3 subimagos and 5 nymphs, Caldas, Florencia, Río San Antonio , 5° 31’ 20.2’’ N, 75° 03’ 18.5’’ W, 20.x.2017, light trap, Dias, Marulanda, Bernal, Mahecha, Malaver, Monsalve, Navarro and Zamorano; 1 nymph, Caldas, Florencia, La Selva, 5° 31’ 40.4’’ N, 75° 03’ 33.3’’ W, 19.x.2017, Dias ; 3 male subimagos and 2 female subimagos, Colombia, Caldas, Florencia, Río San Antonio , 5° 31’ 20.2’’ N, 75° 03’ 18.5’’ W, 21.iv.2018, light trap, Llano, Malaver, Orrego, Mahecha and Marulanda ( UFVB) ; 11 male subimagos and 2 female subimagos, Colombia, Caldas, Florencia, Río San Antonio , 5° 31’ 20.2’’ N, 75° 03’ 18.5’’ W, 24.iv.2018, light trap, Llano, Malaver, Orrego, Mahecha and Marulanda.

TABLE I. Main điagnostic characteristics for the species of Atopophlebia . Asterisk, characteristic shoulđ be useđ with caution (not properly đescribeđ đue to conđition of the material).

Figures

FIGURES 13–17. Atopophlebia caldasi sp. nov., alates (13 to 16) and nymph (17): 13) dorsal view of female; 14) fore and hind wings of female imago; 15) hind wing of female imago, enlarged; 16) fore wing of male subimago; 17) habitus of nymph.

FIGURES 18–25. Atopophlebia caldasi, sp. nov., mouthparts (18 to 21), legs (22 to 24) and gill (25) of nymph: 18) labrum; 19) detail of distal margin of labrum; 20) left mandible; 21) labium; 22) fore leg; 23) middle leg; 24) hind leg; 25) gill.

FIGURES 26–27. Atopophlebia caldasi sp. nov., general view of eggs.

FIGURES 28–29. Distribution of the known species of Atopophlebia: a) map of South America showing the distribution of all the species; b) detail of the species reported from Colombia. Solid lines, country limits.