Ripersiella telalia Schneider, 2022

Schneider, Scott A. & LaPolla, John S., 2022, A Neotropical complex of Ripersiella species (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha, Rhizoecidae) collected from the nests of Acropyga ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), ZooKeys 1123, pp. 1-30 : 1

Ripersiella telalia Schneider sp. nov.

Figures 10 , 11

Material examined.

Holotype. Peru • 1 adult ♀; Madre de Dios, Manu National Park, Cocha Cashu Biological Station , trail intersection of 1:306 and 5A; -11.8833, -71.4000; 10.vi.2019; JS LaPolla, SA Schneider leg.; from large Acropyga (possibly) decedens nest; USNM (nest PER24-01: prep S0425D) . Paratypes. Peru • 3 adult ♀♀; same data as holotype; USNM (nest PER24-01: preps S0425A,C,F) • 1 adult ♀; same data as holotype; UNMSM (nest PER24-01: prep S0425B) • 1 adult ♀; same data as holotype; UNAB (nest PER24-01: prep S0425E) • 1 adult ♀; same data as holotype; UKNMH (nest PER24-01: prep S0425G) .

Description.

Adult female (N = 7). In life, body bright white to cream colored and visibly coated in powdery white wax (Fig. 11 ).

General. Mounted on microscope slide, body broadly oval and membranous, 0.85-1.07 (0.95) mm long, widest near abdominal segment III, 0.55-0.72 (0.65) mm wide. Abdomen smoothly tapering toward posterior end; abdominal segment VIII about 250 μm wide at base. Anal lobes poorly developed with several stout flagellate setae on venter and dorsum, 16-25 μm long, with longest setae on margin; lacking differentiated set of 3 longer stout setae common to the group. Body setae short and flagellate, 9-12 μm on head, 8-12 μm on thorax, 9-19 μm on abdominal segments. Trilocular pores abundant and distributed among body setae; bitubular cerores absent; 1-4 oral collar tubular ducts present on margins of each abdominal segment VI-VIII and extending as far anterior as III on some specimens. Microtrichia present; rounded dermal micro-bumps apparently absent. Eyes absent.

Venter. Cephalic plate present. Labium with 3 segments; 76 μm long and 39 μm at widest point. Antennae geniculate, 5-segmented, closely situated near midline on ventral submargin of head; overall length about 126-129 (128) μm; length of segment I: 32-35 (32) μm; segment II: 13-16 (16) μm; segment III: 14-17 (15) μm; segment IV: 12-14 (13) μm; segment V: 50-52 (52) μm; on some specimens apical antennal segment retains partial intersegmental line marking obsolete segment VI; with 1 spine-like and 3 falcate stout sensory setae on apical segment; a few flagellate setae on each antennal segment, 15-30 μm long; sensorium present on second antennal segment. Legs well developed; overall length of hind leg 267-284 (270) μm; length of hind coxa 41-52 (41) μm; hind trochanter + femur 101-105 (102) μm; hind tibia + tarsus 97-101 (101) μm; hind claw 26-30 (28) μm; each claw with short setose digitule 2-3 μm long; flagellate setae present on each segment, around 13-20 μm long; 3 stout spine-like setae on inner margin of tibia and tarsus. Circulus absent. Multilocular disc pores in irregular rows or groups on median to submedian of III-VIII, sparse on III-VI, abundant on segments VII and VIII with some located on submargins, pores with 6 or 7 loculi in the outer ring.

Dorsum. Anal ring near dorsal margin, 41-46 μm in diameter; with oval cells, some cells bearing spicules; with 3 pairs of setae 26 μm long. Posterior pair of dorsal ostioles present, diameter of orifice measured along longitudinal axis approximately 42 μm; anterior pair present and slightly smaller than posterior pair, diameter of orifice approximately 33 μm. Multilocular disc pores absent.

Informal synonyms.

Specimens of R. telalia have been previously referred to in the literature as " Ripersiella near andensis (ii)" ( Schneider et al. 2022).

Etymology.

The species epithet is a genitive noun meaning "distant conversation", combining the Greek noun lalia (conversation, talk) with the suffix tele (at a distance). Throughout the isolation of the modern pandemic, quarantine chat groups helped us maintain a much-needed sense of community. This species is named in tribute to these groups, and is specifically dedicated to Josh, Justin, and Mark. The name can be considered a double entendre, as it also alludes to the species’ symbiosis with ants as an ongoing conversation between distantly related partners.

Diagnosis.

Ripersiella telalia sp. nov. is similar to R. pediandensis sp. nov. in possessing oral collar tubular ducts, but the distribution of ducts differs between species. In R. telalia these ducts are restricted to the margins of abdominal segments with only 1-4 present per segment, whereas in R. pediandensis they are present in ventral bands often exceeding four per segment. The anterior pair of dorsal ostioles are large and more obviously developed in R. telalia relative to the other species discussed in this work.

Comments.

Ripersiella telalia was discovered from quite a large nest of Acropyga (probably) decedens. We estimated in the field that the nest comprised thousands of individual ants and scales. Their direct association was confirmed through observation of the colony using a nest-box, as described by Schneider et al. (2022). After specimens were collected into a nest-box, worker ants gathered trophobionts into a protective cluster and were actively engaged in attending to them.

Figures

Figure 10. Ripersiella telalia Schneider sp. nov. Adult female, full body view, illustrated from holotype by T. Litwak (USDA ARS SEL), with edits by SAS.

Figure 11. Ripersiella telalia Schneider sp. nov. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) by J. Mowery (USDA ARS SEL). Dorsal anterior view of adult female head and thorax, showing the presence of anterior ostioles, relatively heavy coating of curled wax deposits, and apparent absence of domed dermal micro-bumps in intersegmental areas.