Pseudovelia plauta Li, Bu & Ye, 2022

Li, Zihe, Jin, Zezhong, Bu, Wenjun & Ye, Zhen, 2022, Notes on the genus Pseudovelia Hoberlandt, 1950 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera Veliidae) with description of four new species from the East and Southeast Asian mainland, Zootaxa 5162 (5), pp. 507-524 : 513-515

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5162.5.3
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D1577EC4-2B99-4226-BD1A-4E861F60AE9A
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6816735
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03AA878F-F510-4E16-64BD-FAFAE6ED768A
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Pseudovelia plauta Li, Bu & Ye
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Pseudovelia plauta Li, Bu & Ye sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 View FIGURES 1–6 , 10 View FIGURES 7–12 , 16 View FIGURES 13–16 , 20 View FIGURES 17–22 , 26 View FIGURES 23–28 , 32 View FIGURES 29–34 , 38 View FIGURES 35–40 , 44 View FIGURES 41–46 , 50 View FIGURES 47–52 , 56 View FIGURES 53–58 , 62 View FIGURES 59–64 )

Material examined. Holotype: apterous male, MALAYSIA, Gerik , Kenderong, 14 April 2019, Zhen Ye leg. ( NKUM) . Paratypes: MALAYSIA, Gerik, 2 apterous male, 2 apterous female, 1 macropterous female, same data as holotype ( NKUM) .

Diagnosis. Abdominal segment VIII of P. plauta sp. nov. is similar to those of P. hypodonta Lundblad, 1933 and P. lundbladi Andersen, 1983 . However, the elevation on the depression of abdominal segment VIII of P. plauta sp. nov. is quite different from those of P. hypodonta and P. lundbladi ( Figs. 38 View FIGURES 35–40 , 44 View FIGURES 41–46 , 50 View FIGURES 47–52 , 56 View FIGURES 53–58 ). Moreover, P. plauta sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. hypodonta and P. lundbladi by its relatively long and flat hind tarsal segment I ( Fig. 32 View FIGURES 29–34 ), which bears long setae on both sides. Specifically, the length of hind tarsal segment I of P. plauta sp. nov. is about 2.0 times that of hind tarsal segment II ( Fig. 32 View FIGURES 29–34 ), while the lengths of the hind tarsal segments of P. hypodonta and P. lundbladi are nearly equal.

Description. Apterous male ( Fig. 4 View FIGURES 1–6 ). Color: ground color dark-brown, head black, clypeus dark-brown, rostrum yellowish with black apex, buccula yellowish-brown; antennal segments I–IV dark-brown; pronotum darkbrown with dull-orange margins, anterior part of pronotum with a yellowish spot covered by dense silvery pubescence, posterior part of pronotum with dense, black spots; lateral part of metanotum dark-brown, black-rimmed; legs ( Figs. 20 View FIGURES 17–22 , 26 View FIGURES 23–28 , 32 View FIGURES 29–34 ) mainly brown, basal parts of femora pale-brown, apical parts of femora infuscated, tibiae and tarsi dark-brown, grasping combs black; mediotergite I dark-brown, mediotergites II–VII black, connexiva dull-orange, lateral part of mediotergite I, medial parts of mediotergites II, III, VI and VII with prominent silvery pubescence; abdominal segment VIII ( Figs. 38 View FIGURES 35–40 , 50 View FIGURES 47–52 ), pygophore ( Fig. 62 View FIGURES 59–64 ) and proctiger yellowish, each of them weakly infuscated apically. Structural characteristics: body medium-sized, bearing short, suberect setae, area around eyes and antennal segment I covered by relatively few, long, suberect, grayish setae. Head short and wide, relatively perpendicular to thorax, without inflection, posterior part of longitudinal midline of head covered by dense, silvery pubescence; buccula clearly visible, but not produced posteriorly; eyes bare except for the presence of two ocular setae. Pronotum relatively broad, bearing dense punctures on the posterior portion of pronotal lobe; hind margin of pronotum nearly straight; metanotum completely hidden beneath pronotal lobe except laterally. Fore tibia ( Fig. 20 View FIGURES 17–22 ) with dense, suberect, brown setae, grasping comb relatively strong; middle femur, tibia and tarsus ( Fig. 26 View FIGURES 23–28 ) with dense, short, brown setae; hind tarsal segment I ( Fig. 32 View FIGURES 29–34 ) distinctly flat, anterior margin with a row of relatively long, suberect, black bristles, hind margin with a row of long, relatively slender, suberect, grayish hairs, both two rows of hairs coplanar with the plane of hind tarsal segment I that can be difficult to see in lateral view, ventral arolium bristle-like; mediotergites almost flat, connexiva slightly raised; abdominal venter slightly convex. Genital segments: small, abdominal segment VIII ( Figs. 38 View FIGURES 35–40 , 44 View FIGURES 41–46 , 50 View FIGURES 47–52 , 56 View FIGURES 53–58 ) about 2.5 times as long as wide, hind margin with dense, suberect, brown setae, ventrally with a sub-triangular depression, hind margin of depression with a tiny process, posterior angles of depression with a pair of distinct processes, each process with a tuft of bristles apically, apical portion of depression has an elevation, margins of elevation with three distinct processes bearing a tuft of short bristles apically; posterior part of pygophore ( Fig. 62 View FIGURES 59–64 ) with dense, short, yellowish setae; proctiger small, subcircular, with dense, short, brown setae; parameres symmetrical, small, with rounded and widened apex.

Apterous female ( Fig. 10 View FIGURES 7–12 ). Color: similar to male. Structural characteristics: body medium-sized, structure of head including antenna as in male; fore tibia without process and grasping comb, hind tibia and tarsus not modified, hind tarsal segment I without modified bristles or hairs; abdomen pleurally and ventrally without special modifications, connexiva converging posteriorly and touching caudally; end of abdomen raised in lateral view, gonocoxa I elongate, proctiger dark-brown, with dense, short hairs.

Macropterous female ( Fig. 16 View FIGURES 13–16 ). Color: similar to apterous female. Structural characteristics: body size similar to apterous females, structure of head including antenna as in apterous female; pronotum relatively wide, nearly pentagonal; hemelytra grayish, with a slender white spot on basal part; fore tibia without process and grasping comb, hind tibia and tarsus not modified, hind tarsal segment I without modified bristles or hairs; abdomen hidden beneath hemelytra except lateral margin of connexiva, structure of abdomen including connexiva, gonocoxa and proctiger as in apterous female.

Macropterous male: unknown.

Measurements. Apterous male. Body length: 2.55–2.58 (holotype: 2.56), head width: 0.63–0.64, head length: 0.34–0.36, head width about 1.72 times head length; antenna about 0.74 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.50, 0.40, 0.43, 0.56; pronotum width: 0.89–0.90, pronotum length: 0.46–0.50, about 1.78 times as wide as long; length of grasping comb 0.30, about 0.40 times tibial length; length of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.81, 0.75 and 0.38, middle leg: 0.88, 0.94 and 0.62 (0.24+0.38), hind leg: 0.96, 1.13 and 0.74 (0.49+0.25). Apterous female. Body length: 2.70–2.80, head width: 0.65–0.69, head length: 0.34–0.38, head width about 1.77 times head length; antenna about 0.61 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.53, 0.31, 0.36, 0.48; pronotum width: 0.89–0.91, pronotum length: 0.49–0.51, about 1.80 times as wide as long; length of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.69, 0.69 and 0.38, middle leg: 0.81, 0.94 and 0.55 (0.19+0.36), hind leg: 0.99, 1.19 and 0.66 (0.30+0.36). Macropterous female. Body length: 2.75, head width: 0.63, head length: 0.44, head width about 1.43 times head length, antenna about 0.50 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.50, 0.36, 0.39, 0.50; pronotum width: 1.21, pronotum length: 0.93, about 1.30 times as wide as long; length of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.78, 0.69 and 0.38, middle leg: 0.90, 0.88 and 0.62 (0.24+0.38), hind leg: 1.06, 1.13 and 0.65 (0.30+0.35).

Etymology. The specific epithet “ plauta ” (from Latin, meaning flat) refers to the relatively flat hind tarsal segment I of apterous males.

Distribution. Malaysia (west Malaysia) ( Fig. 65 View FIGURE 65 ).