Tyrannoseira raptora (Zeppelini & Bellini, 2006)

Figs 1A, 8–13, 34

Seira raptora Zeppelini & Bellini, 2006: 22, figs. 1–8a, 9 (orig. descr.).

Type locality: Brazil, Paraíba State, Cacimba de Dentro .

Other references: Bellini & Zeppelini 2008a: 726 (cit.); Bellini & Zeppelini 2008b: 53 (cit.); Bellini, Pais & Zeppelini 2009: 38, fig. 1A–B, 4 (species compared); Palacios-Vargas & Castaño-Meneses 2009: 961 (cit.); Abrantes et al. 2010: 10 (cat.); Barra 2010: 586, 592 (species compared).

Tyrannoseira raptora; Bellini & Zeppelini 2011: 547, fig. 2a, 3, type species; Bellini & Godeiro 2012: 84 (species compared); Abrantes et al. 2012: 12 (cat.); Zeppelini & Lima 2012: 37, 42–43 (species compared).

Type material examined. Holotype male subadult, paratypes 4 males and 2 females (MZUSP / 0056). Other material examined. 1 male and 1 female on slides (CC / UFRN): Brazil, Paraíba state, Cacimba de Dentro, “Cachoeira da Capivara” farm, 06°40’S, 35°45’W, 314 m, 15.iv–17.v.2008, entomological aspirator, BC Bellini coll.

Diagnosis. Body dark blue with irregular spots of blue pigment on proximal appendages (Fig. 1A); Ant III without sens type– f (Fig. 8B); head dorsal chaetotaxy with An 3i and An 3i 2 mic, A4 absent and with 3 posterior mac (Pe3 and 2 uncertain) (Fig. 8C); clypeus with l2 and f2 chaetae normal (Fig. 8D); outer labral papilla subequal to inner papillae (Fig. 8E); postlabial formula with 2 chaetae below ‘J’ row (Fig. 9C); Th II with 4–5 anterior mac (a5, a5p, a 5i, a 5i 2, a5+), m 1i, p1ip and p2ea2 mac absent, p 1i 2 mac present (Fig. 10A); Th III with 3 lateral mac (a6, m6–7) (Fig. 10B); Abd IV with 4 antero-central mac (A3, B3, C1, T1) and 5 mac (Fe2–6) in Fe series (Fig. 11A); trochanteral organ with 27–31 spine-like chaetae (Fig. 12D); leg I of males with 10–15 thicker femoral spines and 6–8 tibiotarsal spines finely ciliate (Figs 12 E–F); collophore anteriorly with 4 mac apically acuminate and 2 distal mac, posteriorly with 3 spines and 1 distal smooth chaeta (Fig. 13A); manubrium ventral formula with 1, 0, 0, 2/ 4 and 12 ciliate chaetae, manubrial plate with 2 psp (Figs 13 C–D).

Redescription. Total length (head + trunk) of the holotype 1.94 mm. Specimens dark blue, pale from Ant I to one-third proximal Ant III, head medially, femur to tibiotarsus, distal collophore and distal half of dens; eyepatches black (Fig 1A). Scales present on Ant I to basal half of Ant III, dorsal and ventral head, Th and Abd dorsally, legs (except claws), anterior collophore, and manubrium and dens ventrally.

Antennal ratio as I: II: III: IV = 1: 1.65: 1.43: 2.43. Ant III apical organ with 2 sens type a, 3 guard sens (type d), sens of different sizes (type b–d) and chaetae types g–h; sens type– f absent (Fig. 8B). Eyes A and B largest, G and H discretely smaller, others subequal (Fig. 8C). Head dorsal chaetotaxy with 13–15 ‘An’, 5 ‘A’, 5 ‘M’, 5 ‘S’, 3 ‘Ps’, 6 ‘Pa’, 2 ‘Pm’, 6 ‘Pp’, 2 ‘Pe’ chaetae plus 2 mac of uncertain homology (Fig. 8C). Clypeal formula with 4 (l1– 2), 4 (f), 3 (pf0–1) ciliate chaetae, l1–2 larger, l1 apically acuminate, others subequal (Fig. 8D). Outer labral papillae subequal to inner papillae (Fig. 8E). Ventral chaetotaxy with 12–13 ciliate chaetae, anterior postlabial formula with 4 (G1–4), 2 (H2–3), 3 (J1–3) plus 2 chaetae bellow ‘J’ series, basal chaetae (b.c.) larger plus one normal chaeta present or absent (Fig. 9C).

Thoracic chaetotaxy (Figs 10 A–B). Th II, series ‘a’, ‘m’ and ‘p’ with 6–7, 11 and 17 chaetae, respectively (m 1i absent). Th III, series ‘a’, ‘m’ and ‘p’ with 8, 6 and 7 chaetae, respectively. Th II: III ratio as 1.47: 1.

Abdominal chaetotaxy (Figs 10 C–E, 11 A–B). Abd I, series ‘a’, ‘m’ and ‘p’ with 5, 5 and 2 mic, respectively. Abd II, series ‘a’, ‘m’ and ‘p’ with 5, 7 and 3 chaetae, respectively; chaeta el present, bothriotricha a5 and m2 with 5 and 4 accessory chaetae, respectively. Abd III, series ‘a’, ‘m’ and ‘p’ with 5, 7 and 6 chaetae, respectively; 5 accessory chaetae around bothriotrichum m2, and 11 between bothriotricha a5 and m5. Abd IV with 8 medial mac of series ‘A’ to ‘T’ (A3, A5, B3–6, C1, T1), and 15 lateral mac of series ‘E’ to ‘Fe’ (E2–4p, Ee10, F1–3, Fe2–6); postero-median face with 7 sens and 5 posterior mes. Abd V, series ‘a’, ‘m’, ‘pa’, ‘p’ and ‘pp’ with 4, 6, 4, 5 and 4 chaetae, respectively. Abd III: IV ratio as 1: 4.39.

Legs. Subcoxa I with 3–4 ciliate chaetae and 2 psp; subcoxa II with an anterior row of 9 chaetae, posterior row with 3 chaetae and 3 psp; subcoxa III with one row of 9 chaetae, 1 anterior chaeta, and 2 posterior psp (Figs 12 A– C). Trochanteral organ with 27–31 spine-like chaetae, holotype with 27 (Fig. 12D). Femur I of males with 10–15 (holotype with 15) thicker spines and 1 spine-like mac (Figs 12 E–F). Tibiotarsus I with one row of 10–12 inner chaetae, 6–8 proximal spines finely ciliate (3–5 short and 3 larger) and 4 distal spine-like mac heavily ciliate and apically acuminate (Fig. 12E). Unguis with median tooth discretely larger than basal teeth, apical tooth smaller; ratio unguis: unguiculus = 1: 0.47. Tibiotarsus III with “smooth” chaeta 1.26 larger than unguiculus; tenent hairs 0.82 smaller than ungues outer face (Fig. 12G). Collophore (Fig. 13A). with anterior face with 9 chaetae, 2 distal mac with same sizes, 4 larger and apically acuminate and 3 proximal spine-like chaetae; posterior face with 4 chaetae, 3 spines and 1 distal smooth chaeta; lateral flap with 6 smooth and 8 ciliate chaetae.

Furcula (Figs 13 C–D) with ventral manubrial formula 1, 0, 0, 2/ 4 (subapical) and 12 (apical) ciliate chaetae, subapical chaetae of same size, apical inner chaeta normal; manubrial plate (dorsally) with 4–5 ciliate chaetae and 2 psp.

Remarks. Tyrannoseira raptora differs from other congeners by its body colour being all blue/dark ( T. diabolica and T. sex are mostly pale), and having pigment also present on distal Ant II to IV, while T. bicolorcornuta and T. gladiata have a distinct pattern on the distal half of segments (Fig. 1). The head of T. raptora dorsally differs by having An 3i and An 3i 2 as mic (both absent in T. gladiata and T. sex, An 3i 2 absent in T. bicolorcornuta and T. diabolica), and with 3 extra posterior mac (1 in T. diabolica, 2 in other species). Tyrannoseira raptora also has Ant III without subapical modified sens (type– f present in T. bicolorcornuta and T. gladiata), a clypeus with l1 apically acuminate and l2 normal (both acuminate in T. bicolorcornuta and l1 normal in T. sex), its outer labral papillae subequal to inner papillae (smaller in T. gladiata and T. sex, reduced in T. bicolorcornuta), and a head ventrally with 2 posterior postlabial chaetae below ‘J’ row (1 in T. bicolorcornuta, 3 in T. diabolica and T. gladiata). The body chaetotaxy of T. raptora differs on Th II in lacking a4+, a 4i, m 1i, p1ip mac (mostly present in other species), Th III with a6 mac (as mic in T. bicolorcornuta, T. gladiata and T. sex), and Abd IV without A3a, B1, B2 and T7 mac (mostly present in other species). Other differences in chaetotaxy of T. raptora are: trochanteral organ with 27–31 spine-like chaetae (fewer in other species), collophore with 3 anterior and 3 posterior spine-like chaetae (4 anterior and 1 posterior in T. diabolica, 2 posterior in T. sex), and manubrium ventrally with 2/4 subapical chaetae (2/ 2 in T. bicolorcornuta, 0/ 2 in T. diabolica). The differences between the species are listed in Table 1.