Pseudovelia sichuanensis, Ye, Zhen & Bu, Wenjun, 2015

Ye, Zhen & Bu, Wenjun, 2015, Three new species of the genus Pseudovelia Hoberlandt, 1950 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from China, Zootaxa 4039 (1), pp. 183-191 : 188-189

Pseudovelia sichuanensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 2 , 7, 8, 9 , 14, 17, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 38, 40)

Material examined. Holotype: apterous female, CHINA, Sichuan Prov., Luzhou city, Xuyong county, Huagaoxi Nature Reserve (28°16'N, 105°32'E), 15 August 2013, Zhen Ye leg. ( NKUM). Paratypes: 3 apterous males, 5 apterous females, same data as holotype ( NKUM).

Diagnosis. P. sichuanensis sp. nov. is similar to P. hsiaoi Ye, Polhemus & Bu, 2013 , both having similar ground color and silvery markings. However, P. sichuanensis sp. nov. can be distinguished by the basal portion of venter on hind tarsal segment I with a cluster of relatively long, black bristles ( Figs. 9 , 17), rather than a row of bristles on venter of hind tarsal segment I; and by distinct differences in the structure of abdominal ventrite VIII ( Figs. 22, 23 , 31, 32 ).

Description. Apterous male ( Fig. 2 ). Color: ground color yellowish brown, head brown, clypeus yellowish brown; labrum black, rostrum yellowish with black apex, buccula brown; antennal segment I yellowish, apical part infuscated, segments II–IV brown; pronotum dull orange, with a few black spots on posterior part; legs mainly yellowish brown, femora yellowish, apices of femora and tibiae weakly infuscated, tarsus blackish brown; abdomen mainly blackish brown, connexiva dark orange, lateral parts of mediotergite I, all of mediotergites II and III, and medial parts of mediotergites VI and VII with prominent silvery pubescence; abdominal segment VIII, pygophore and proctiger yellowish, each of them weakly infuscated apically. Structural characteristics: body length: 2.29–2.32 (holotype: 2.30), small-sized, slightly slender, bearing short and grayish setae, area around the eyes and antennal segment I covered by relatively few, longer, grayish setae. Head short and wide, relatively perpendicular, posterior margin nearly straight and inserted into medially concave anterior margin of pronotum, width: 0.54–0.56, length: 0.28–0.31, head width about 1.83 times its length; labrum angular, buccula clearly visible, but not produced posteriorly; eyes bare except for the presence of two ocular setae; antenna about 0.66 times as long as body, lengths of antennal segments I–IV: 0.43, 0.30, 0.37, 0.42. Pronotum relatively broad, width: 0.67–0.71, length: 0.38–0.41, about 1.75 times as wide as long; bearing dense, dark punctures on the posterior portion of lobe, hind pronotal margin rounded, anterior margin slightly emarginated; metanotum completely hidden beneath pronotal lobe except laterally. Fore tibia ( Figs. 7 , 14) slightly widened on apical part, covered with dense, suberect, short setae, medial part of venter with slight process ( Figs. 7 , 14), length of grasping comb 0.30, about 0.52 times tibial length (Fig. 14); middle leg ( Fig. 8 ) normal, without any modification; hind tibia ( Fig. 9 ) straight, with dense, short, suberect setae, lateral portion bearing a row of 6–7 short, black spines ( Fig. 9 ), basal part of venter on hind tarsal segment I with a tuft of long, black bristles ( Figs. 9 , 17), ventral arolium bristle-like; lengths of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.60, 0.58 and 0.31, middle leg: 0.80, 0.79 and 0.44 (0.15 + 0.29), hind leg: 0.81, 0.92 and 0.50 (0.20 + 0.30). Abdomen with mediotergites almost flat, connexival segments IV–VI approximately rectangular, slightly raised; mediotergites II–VI subequal in length; abdominal venter flat, slightly concave medially. Genital segments: abdominal segment VIII ( Figs. 22, 23 , 31, 32 ) about 1.94 times as long as wide, posterior margin with a few very short, brown, erect setae, ventrally with an sub-circular depression, hind margin of this depression with a pair (1+1) of laminar processes, lateral margin of depression with a pair of bristle-like setae; lateral part of sub-anterior margin of pygophore with a cluster of relatively dense, short, yellowish setae ( Figs. 24 , 33 ), posterior margin of pygophore with very short, sparse, brown setae ( Figs. 24 , 33 ); proctiger small, with apex blunt, posterior margin with several short and erect setae; parameres symmetrical, small, twisted, with widened apex.

Apterous female. Body medium-sized, slightly larger than male, body length: 2.37–2.41; structure of head including antenna as in male, width: 0.54–0.57, length: 0.31–0.33, head width about 1.75 times its length, antenna about 0.64 times as long as body, lengths of antennal segments I–IV: 0.43, 0.31, 0.37, 0.41; hind margin of pronotum straight, pronotum width: 0.69–0.72, pronotum length: 0.39–0.42, about 1.73 times as wide as long; fore tibia without grasping comb or ventral process, venter of hind tarsal segment I without row or cluster of bristles; lengths of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.61, 0.59 and 0.32, middle leg: 0.81, 0.80 and 0.46 (0.16 + 0.30), hind leg: 0.82, 0.93 and 0.52 (0.21 + 0.31); abdominal pleura and venter without special modifications, connexiva relatively broad, slightly raised, converging posteriorly and touching caudally; end of abdomen raised in lateral view, gonocoxa I elongate, proctiger blackish brown, directed slightly up, with dense, short setae.

Macropterous male and female: unknown.

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the name of type locality, Sichuan Province, China.

Distribution. China (Sichuan) ( Fig. 40 ).

Figures

FIGURE 40. Geographical distribution of Pseudovelia spp. (P. recava sp. nov.; P. sichuanensis sp. nov.; P. spiculata sp. nov.).

FIGURES 1 – 3. Habitus of Pseudovelia spp. (males). 1. P. recava sp. nov.; 2. P. sichuanensis sp. nov.; 3. P. spiculata sp. nov.. Scale 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 4 – 12. legs of Pseudovelia spp. (males). 4 – 6. P. recava sp. nov.; 7 – 9. P. sichuanensis sp. nov.; 10 – 12. P. spiculata sp. nov.; Scale 0.2 mm. FIGURES 13 – 15. Fore tibiae of Pseudovelia spp. (males). 13. P. recava sp. nov.; 14. P. sichuanensis sp. nov.; 15. P. spiculata sp. nov.; Scale 0.1 mm. FIGURES 16 – 18. Hind tarsi of Pseudovelia spp. (males). 16. P. re c av a sp. nov.; 17. P. sichuanensis sp. nov.; 18. P. spiculata sp. nov.; Scale 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 19 – 27. Photographs of abdominal segment VIII and pygophore of Pseudovelia spp. (males). 19 – 21. P. recava sp. nov.; 22 – 24. P. sichuanensis sp. nov.; 25 – 27. P. spiculata sp. nov.; Scale 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 28 – 36. Line drawings of abdominal segment VIII and pygophore of Pseudovelia spp. (males). 28 – 30. P. recava sp. nov.; 31 – 33. P. sichuanensis sp. nov.; 34 – 36. P. spiculata sp. nov.; Scale 0.2 mm.