Rhagovelia auga, Polhemus, 2024

Polhemus, Dan A., 2024, Thirty-four new species of Rhagovelia (Heteroptera: Veliidae) from the East Papua Composite Terrane, far eastern New Guinea, Zootaxa 5400 (1), pp. 1-214 : 83

Rhagovelia auga subgroup

The R. auga subgroup is a set of large-sized species, with body lengths exceeding 4 mm, occurring at higher elevations in the mountains of New Guinea proper, but absent on the proximal offshore islands. Members of this subgroup are locally abundant on cool, rocky streams in the central highlands and northern coastal ranges of the island, whereas only a single representative is so far known from the EPCT. Males in this subgroup are distinguished by their highly modified fore tibia, which is slightly expanded distally to form a concavity, the posterior margin of which is bordered with stiff, black setae, causing the tibia to appear spatulate ( Fig. 133 ). Females possess a somewhat expanded and upwardly-domed thoracic morphology coupled with a relatively narrow head, giving them a distinctive "broad shouldered " appearance when encountered in the field ( Fig. 134 ). The male paramere shape is typical of that in the R. novacaldeonica group, being distally expanded and apically truncate ( Fig. 137 ), and the male proctiger has the distolateral lobes only weakly developed, whereas the basolateral lobes are strongly produced ( Fig. 138 ). Other species extralimital to the EPCT that fall within this subgroup are R. crinita Lansbury and R. thysanotos Lansbury , and additional undescribed species are also at hand from the New Guinea central highlands.

Figures

FIGS. 133–138. Rhagovelia auga n. sp., structural details; specimens from New Guinea, Owen Stanley Range. 133. Wingless male, dorsal habitus; specimen from Udabe River, CL 7247. 134. Wingless female, dorsal habitus; specimen from Hane River, CL 7253. 135. Male right hind leg, posterior view. 136. Male right hind leg, dorsal view; 135 and 136 from Mas River, CL 7257. 137. Male left paramere, outer lateral view. 138. Male proctiger, dorsal view; 137 and 138 from Udabe River, CL 7247.