Miroculis (Miroculis) tepequensis, Neto, Jaime De Liege Gama & Hamada, Neusa, 2013

Neto, Jaime De Liege Gama & Hamada, Neusa, 2013, A new species of Miroculis Edmunds, 1963 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae) from northern Brazil, Zootaxa 3734 (5), pp. 597-600 : 597-600

Miroculis (Miroculis) tepequensis sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–9 )

Diagnosis: Miroculis (M.) tepequensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from other species in the subgenus by the following combination of characters in the male imago: 1) upper portion of eyes on long stalks with nine facets in the longest row, 2) forewing basal 2/3 with membrane brown pigmented and with a few cells translucent; apical 1/3 with membrane translucent and brown spots around cross veins, 3) Penes tubular with length equal to segment I of forceps, with apex ending in a internally directed hook and with a membranous dorsal median region.

Maximum length: body 6.3–6.5 mm (n=10, SD= ± 0.10); forewing 4.9–5.3 mm (n= 10, SD= ± 0.25); hind wing 1.5–1.6 mm (n=10, SD= ± 0.03).

Head ( Figs. 5–7 ). Yellowish brown. Antennae: pedicel, scape and flagellum brown translucent. Ocelli: translucent surrounded by black ( Fig. 5 ). Eyes: lower portion black; dorsal portion on long narrow stalk with nine facets in its longest row ( Figs. 5–7 ). Presence of translucent bridge between dorsal portions of the eyes ( Fig. 5 ).

Thorax ( Figs. 6–9 ). Pro, meso and metanotum dark brown with median longitudinal suture of mesonotum yellowish ( Fig. 6 ). Pleura and sterna yellowish brown with margins clear ( Fig. 8–9 ). Wings: forewing: longitudinal and cross veins brown; basal 2/3 with membrane brown ( Fig. 1 ); apical 1/3 with membrane translucent and cross veins surrounded by brown pigmentation ( Fig. 1 ). Hind wing: longitudinal and cross veins brown, membrane brown except for some cells translucent, especially in the middle portion of the wing ( Fig. 2 ). Legs: broken off and missing.

Abdomen ( Fig. 7 ). Yellowish brown. Terga IV–VIII with two dark spots in the middle dorsal region; terga IX–X light brown ( Fig. 7 ).

Genitalia ( Figs. 3–4 ). Length of styliger plate 0.21 to 0.23 mm (n=10, SD= 0.01), light brown, posterior margin straight. Forceps: light brown with subapical dark spot. Inner margin of first segment with spines from base to medial portion. Penes: brown, long and tubular with base larger than apex ending in a hook internally directed, median dorsal region membranous; length equal to the first segment of the forceps. Filaments: light brown with dark rings on the base of segments along the entire length ( Fig. 7 ).

Female imago and nymph: unknown

Material examined: Holotype: male imago, Brazil, State of Roraima, Amajari municipality, Serra Tepequém, second-order stream (03°87'39.6"N / 61°44'49.8"W), 30.v. 2012 to 3.vi.2012, Gama Neto, J.L. coll. (INPA). Paratype: nine male imagos same data as holotype (7 INPA and 2 CZNC).

Etymology: Tepequém is the name of the mountain range where this species was collected.

Discussion

Miroculis (M.) tepequensis sp.nov. shares similar characteristics with other species of Miroculis (Miroculis) : M.(M.) fittkaui Savage & Peters, 1983, M.(M.) nebulosus Savage, 1987 , M.(M.) caparaoensis Sales & Lima, 2011 and M.(M.) fazzariensis Costa & Mariano, 2013. In these species, the fore and hind wings have bands or maculae around cross veins and penes not extending beyond forceps. In general, the male imago of M. tepequensis sp. nov. is very similar to that of M. fazzariensis , however, M. tepequensis sp. nov. has the apical 1/3 of the forewing translucent with cross veins surrounded by brown pigmentation, while M. fazzariensis has only a few translucent cells in the middle and apical portions of the forewing. Furthermore, the apical region of the penes of M. tepequensis sp. nov. ends in a hook, while in M. fazzariensis this region is long, thin and membranous; and in lateral view, the stalks of the upper region of the eyes of M. tepequensis sp. nov. are longer, twice the length of the stalks in M. fazzariensis . Miroculis tepequensis sp. nov. and M. fittkaui differ in the color patterns of forewings, which are more pigmented in the new species, and in the shape of the penes which apically excavated in M. fittkaui . Miroculis tepequensis sp. nov. differs from M. nebulosus by having the length of the penes similar to that of the first segment of the forceps, whereas in M. nebulosus the length of the penes longer, 1.6 times the length of the first segment of the forceps. Miroculis tepequensis sp. nov. differs from M. caparaoensis mainly by characteristics of the penes, which, in the latter species, is short with a rounded and excavated apex.

With the description of M. tepequensis sp. nov. the number of known Miroculis species increases from 16 to 17, and the genus is first recorded from the state of Roraima.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Museu Integrado de Roraima (MIRR) for logistical support, to the projects CT-Amazônia/ CNPq (Process n. 575875/2008-9) and Pró-equipamentos/CAPES/INPA/Dcen; to CAPES for a doctoral scholarship awarded to J.L.G. Neto and to CNPq for a research fellowship awarded to Neusa Hamada.

References

Costa, S.S. & Mariano, R. (2013) Description of a new species of Miroculis Edmunds, 1963 (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Brazil. Zootaxa, 3599 (5), 495–498.

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3599.5.7

Dominguez, E., Molineri, C., Pescador, M.L., Hubbard, D.M. & Nieto, C. (2006) Ephemeroptera of South America, Aquatic Biodiversity of Latin America (ABLA Series). Sofia-Moscow, 646 pp.

Dominguez, E., Molineri, C., Nieto, C., Hubbard, M.D., Pescador, M. & Zúñiga, M.C. (2013) Checklist of South American species of Ephemeroptera (update 23rd May, 2013). Available from: http://www.ephemeropteragalactica.com/cats.php (Accessed 25 June 2013)

Edmunds, G.F. Jr. (1963) A new genus and species of mayfly from Peru (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae). Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 39, 34-36.

Peters, J.G., Domínguez, E. & Currea Dereser, A. (2008) Species of Miroculis from the Serranía de Chiribiquete in Colombia. In: Hauer, F.R., Stanford, J.A. & Newell, R.L. (Eds.), International advances in the ecology, zoogeography and systematics of mayflies and stoneflies. Vol. 128. University of California Publications in Entomology, pp. 295-305.

Salles, F.F. & Lima, M.M. (2011) New species and new records of Miroculis Edmunds (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Southeastern Brazil. Zootaxa, 2740, 53–58.

Salles, F.F., Boldrini, R., Nascimento, J.C.M., Raimundi, E.A. & Shimano, Y.F. (2011) Ephemeroptera do Brasil. Available from: http://www.ephemeroptera.com.br (Accessed 10 October 2013)

Savage, H.M. & Peters, W.L. (1983) Systematics of Miroculis and related genera from Northern South America (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 108, 491 –600. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0469.1983.tb00281.x

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. M. (M.) tepequensis sp. nov., male imago. (1) Forewing (scale = 1 mm); (2) Hindwing (scale = 1 mm); (3) Genitalia, ventral view (scale = 0.2 mm); (4) Detail of penes, lateral view (scale = 0.1 mm).

FIGURES 5 – 9. M. (M.) tepequensis sp. nov., male imago. (5) Head, dorsal view; (6) Thorax, dorsal view; (7) General view, dorsal; (8) Thorax, lateral view; (9) Thorax, ventral view (scales = 1 mm).