Embia minapalumboi, Fontana, 2024

Fontana, Paolo, 2024, A new species of the genus Embia Latreille, 1825 (Insecta, Embioptera) from the Madonie Regional Natural Park (Sicily, Italy), Zootaxa 5418 (3), pp. 255-267 : 259-266

Embia minapalumboi n. sp.

( Table 1 ; Figs. 1‒8 )

The new species is described from a single male that became adult in the laboratory, a few weeks after collecting a small group of immature Embioptera living gregariously within a dense network of silk tunnels ( Fig. 3 ) under a small stone about 20 cm long ( Fig. 3a ). This aggregation likely was derived from the offspring of a fertile female. This sort of “pedotrophic nest” where the female, at least at the beginning, provides her maternal care to the offspring, is termed a gynopaedium. At least some specimens were close to becoming adults as evidenced by their size, color ( Figs. 3b, 3c ) and especially by the presence of a young male with wing buds ( Fig. 3d ). The collected individuals were maintained in the laboratory as a breeding population, from which one male was selected for taxonomic study to avoid decimating the small population. This new species seems to be quite rare in Piano Farina, given that in several hours of intense research only a single group was found. The male exhibited such distinctive characteristics that it was decided to describe the new species as soon as possible, with the additional aim of undertaking a path for its protection.

Type material. Male holotype on slide: ITALY, Sicily, Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie, Petralia Sottana (Palermo), 1380 m, 37°51’44.64”N 14° 4’26.70”E, 16.VI.2023 (nymph became an adult male after rearing and was collected 20.VII.2023), leg. and rearing P. Fontana , deposited in the Paolo Fontana collection in Rovereto ( FMCR) .

Description of holotype male. Living specimen of medium size, winged, uniformly dark brown with dark hairs ( Figs. 4a , 5a ).

Mounted specimen 11,68 mm long, from the apex of the mandibles to the apex of the terminalia (LC2). Cranium sub-rectangular, elongate, lacking dorsal pattern; 1,65 mm long and 1,24 mm wide ( Figs. 5b , 6a ).

Antennae dark brown with apex of each antennal segment colourless. First antennal segment clearly larger than the second and shorter than the third one; third antennal segment twice as long as the second segment. Eyes well developed, not projecting ( Fig. 5b ). Labium with anterior margin almost straight and apical half lighter than basal half. Mandibles elongate with three teeth on the left mandible and two on the right one ( Figs. 5b , 6a, 6b ). Wings in the living specimen light brown in color, not covering the terminalia; wings in the slide-mounted specimen with smoky interveinal spaces; fore right wing 5,54 mm long, 1,44 mm wide; hind right wing 5,04 mm long, 1,38 mm wide. Terminalia with caudal margin of left hemitergite of tenth segment (10 L) almost straight. Left process (10 LP) small, short, tapered and strongly outcurved, with sharp apex ( Figs. 5c , 6c ). Right hemitergite (10 R) subtrapezoidal. Right process (10 RP) pointed and visible from above ( Figs. 5c , 6c ). Median flap (MF) not sclerotized, not pigmented and scarcely developed. Left cercus-basipodites and left paraproct (LCB + LPPT) large, well-sclerotized and darkly pigmented; process of left paraproct (LPPT P) well developed and subconical ( Figs. 6f ). Basal segment of left cercus (LC 1) with inner side concave, abruptly and strongly expanded to the apex and with few (four are well visible) short subconical spines at the internal margin of the apical dilatation ( Figs. 5c , 6c ), 0,76 mm long and 0,25 mm wide at its maximum subapical dilatation. Apical segment of left cercus (LC 2) subcylindrical, about half length of LC 1. Left and right cerci with long hairs, longer than cercus diameter; LC1 with hairs only on outer side. Hypandrium, or ninth abdominal sternite (H), sickle-shaped ( Fig. 6d ) with very long process (HP). Hind basitarsus with one papilla (as usual in Embia ), scarcely projecting.

Female. Only living females were observed. They are dark brown, almost resembling male but a little larger ( Fig. 4b ).

Habitat. Embia minapalumboi n. sp. was collected in a karst environment, in a prairie with abundant Astragalus nebrodensis (Guss.) Strobl and Asphodelus microcarpus Salzm. et Viv. , with shrubs of Rubus sp. , Rosa sp. , Crataegus sp. and surrounded by Quercus cf. pubescens woods ( Fig. 7 ).

Affinities. The adult winged male of Embia minapalumboi n. sp. is similar to the holopterous males of E. tyrrhenica . The new species differs from this species by its brown colour and brown wings; E. tyrrhenica is black with grey wings. However, the terminalia of the new species allow its separation from all other Embia spp. described up to date. The shape of the basal segment of the left cercus (LC1) of E. minapalumboi n. sp. is similar to that of E. ramburi (which has exclusively apterous males) but otherwise the morphology is quite different. Regarding the process of the left hemitergite of the tenth segment (10 LP), that of the new species is comparable only to that of E. tyrrhenica , which, however, has a different basal segment of the left cercus (LC1). Unique to E. minapalumboi n. sp. are the shape of the hypandrium (H) and the length of the process of hypandrium ( PH), as well as the structure of the left cercus-basipodites and left paraproct (LCB + LPPT) which is quite large, well-sclerotized and darkly pigmented. The process of the left paraproct (LPPT P) is well developed but short and subconical, slightly curved and with a rounded apex, very different from the same structure of E. tyrrhenica in which it is much longer, hooked and sharp at the apex.

Derivatio nominis. The new species is named after the talented Sicilian doctor, botanist and naturalist Francesco Minà Palumbo (Castelbuono, 14 March 1814 – 12 March 1899) ( Fig. 8 ), who dedicated his entire life to the study of nature, especially on the Madonie Mts., where he lived from birth to death ( Fig. 8 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Current distribution of the Mediterranean species of the genus Embia; the red arrow indicates the location of the new species described below.

FIGURE 2. Nomenclature used for the different anatomical parts of the Embioptera (from Ross 1966).

FIGURE 3. Embia minapalumboi n. sp. a) gynopaedium; b) immature female; c) male nymph inside a silk tunnel; d) male nymph.

FIGURE 4. Embia minapalumboi n. sp. a) living adult male holotype; b) female. Both specimens collected as nymphs and reared to the adult stage.

FIGURE 5. Embia minapalumboi n. sp. a) male holotype mounted on slide in full (collected as nymph and become adults after rearing); a) b) head from above, c) male terminalia in dorsal view, d) male terminalia in ventral view.

FIGURE 6. Embia minapalumboi n. sp. Holotype male mounted on slide. a) head from above; b) mandibles; c) male terminalia in dorsal view; d) right hemitergite of tenth segment (10R) in ventral view; e) basal segment of left cercus (LC1) in dorsal view; f) left paraproct (LPPT) in dorsal view.

FIGURE 7. Type locality of Embia minapalumboi n. sp.: Piano Farina, Parco Naturale Regionale delle Madonie, Petralia Sottana (Palermo), elev. 1380 m, 16 June 2023.

FIGURE 8. Portrait of Francesco Minà Palumbo at 50 years of age, distributed by him to his closest friends.