Pazius angaibara

Lima, Alessandro Rodrigues & Dias, Priscila Guimarães, 2016, The uncommon Neotropical genus Pazius Navás, 1913 (Mecoptera: Bittacidae): a comprehensive synthesis, with description of a new Brazilian species, Zootaxa 4169 (3), pp. 504-514 : 508-512

Pazius angaibara Lima & Dias sp. nov.

( Figs. 5 , 6 )

Type locality ( Figs. 7 , 8 ). Brazil, Rondônia [10°22’21.09”S / 63°17’06.08”W].

Diagnosis. Body length 20.5 mm (male) with colors almost uniform. Compound eyes touching centrally (frontal view). Antenna with 11 flagellomeres; ocellar prominence infuscate (brown). Pterostigma slightly infuscate. Abdominal tergite I hidden below metascutellum in dorsal view. Aedeagus without ventral forked process; inner surface of epiandrial lobe with an antero-medially directed projection with an apical comb of small thick black spines.

Description (Holotype male, preserved in 70% ethanol)

Head. Head light brown; infuscate on ocellar region, frons below antennal bases, and labrum and palpi apex; antennae and rostrum nearly white; mandibles amber ( Fig. 5 B). Head finely pubescent, with a well delimited glabrous triangular area on gena, with base resting on the posterior margin of eyes; occiput with few scattered bristles. Head (frontal view) 2.37 mm in height; 1.32 mm in greatest width ( Fig. 5 B). Compound eyes (frontal view) 1 mm in height, with inner margins touching centrally ( Fig. 5 B); posterior margin (lateral view) slightly concave centrally ( Fig. 5 A). Distance between lateral ocelli 0.175 mm. Distance between eye and lateral ocellus 0.075 mm. Shortest distance from eye to lateral corner of occipital foramen 0.32 mm. Margin of the occipital foramen (dorsal view) slightly concave. Postgenal carina present as a small lamella tangent to the posteroventral angle of the eye ( Fig. 5 A). Labial palp tightly sclerotized ( Fig. 5 B). Labrum apically acute, with dense pilosity on apical third ( Fig. 5 B). Lacinia with an apical brush of fine setae ( Fig. 5 B). Mandibles with an apical mesad curved tooth ( Fig. 5 B). Maxillary palpus 5-segmented, with third segment longest than segments four and five together or segments one and two together. Antenna with 11 flagellomeres, 3.1 mm of total length; escape rectangular; pedicel barrel like, half as long as escape; apical flagellomere half as long as penultimate, with a median ring without pilosity, forming an imaginary division in this flagellomere.

Thorax. Cervix with few conspicuous setae ( Figs. 5 A, 5C). Pleurites covered with setae. Pronotum strongly sclerotized ( Figs. 5 A, 5C); bent at an angle of 90° (lateral view) ( Fig. 5 A), the anterior quarter horizontal and pilose, the posterior remaining portion upturned and slightly convex, pilose centrally and glabrous laterally; anterior margin convex (dorsal view), with a bordering row of setae; maximum length 0.25 mm; maximum width 0.9 mm. Mesoscutum (dorsal view) with subtrapezoidal anterior margin ( Fig. 5 C); anteriorly glabrous, centrally with a group of conspicuous setae, which are also present medially on posterior region, becoming scarcer towards mesoscutellum; parapsidal suture inconspicuous. Mesoscutellum strongly convex (lateral view); posteriorly covered with long setae which are posterior and mesally directed ( Fig. 5 C); middle of the posterior margin glabrous; maximum width 0.325 mm; maximum length 0.15 mm; mesoscutellum covers the postmesonotum medially ( Fig. 5 C). Posterior margin of mesepisternum with setae medially. Mesepimeron with a single central seta; and with group of setae postero-dorsally (sub-alar region). Metascutum with two medially longitudinal parallel rows of setae, which posteriorly diverge to bordering metascutal margin ( Fig. 5 C); parapsidal suture inconspicuous. Metapisternum with setae dorsally and centrally. Metapimeron with few setae postero-dorsally.

Legs. Coxae I and III with scattered setae ( Fig. 5 A); coxa II with setae anteriorly and a single postero-dorsal seta. Trochanter I–III with long scattered setae. From the femur to the tarsi, legs with equal sized bristles, arranged in rings perpendicular to its longitudinal axis; the rings are apparently equidistant from each other ( Fig. 5 A). Femora I–III with large and thick setae ventrally, both internally and externally. Articulation between femur and tibia with a darker narrow band. Tibiae with large and thick setae both dorsally and ventrally; with two unequal apical spurs covered with small bristles. Legs I–II with first tarsomere longer than the remaining tarsomeres together; fourth tarsomere with a row of teeth on its basal 0.75, with a groove on its apical quarter; fifth tarsomere with a row of teeth on its apical 0.75. Leg III with first tarsomere with equal length of second and third tarsomeres together; fourth tarsomere with a row of teeth on its basal 0.66 ( Fig. 5 D).

Wings ( Fig. 5 E). Basally with a small tubercle, preceding the origin of the costal vein, with a tuft of setae posteriorly on inner surface. Pterostigma slightly infuscate. Forewing Rs vein origin adjacent to Sc transverse vein; apical transverse vein between M1 and M2 present on right wing and absent on left wing. Hindwing with Rs1+2 vein not bifurcate; Rs vein origin distad of Sc transverse vein.

Abdomen. Abdominal tergite I hidden below metascutellum ( Fig. 5 C), visible in lateral view as small sclerites with prominent bristles. Length of: tergite II 2.76 mm; tergite III 3.16 mm; tergite IV 2.96 mm; tergite V 2.76 mm; tergite VI 2.57 mm; tergite VII 0.62 mm; tergite VIII 0.23 mm. Sternites covered with small bristles. Tergite VII (dorsal view) trapezoidal-like; anterior margin narrow and sligthly concave; posterior margin slightly concave. Tergite VIII (dorsal view) with posterior margin slightly and evenly concave ( Fig. 6 C). Sternum IX (lateral view) semicircular; 2.4x as high as its maximum length ( Fig. 6 A). Cercus slightly enlarged at apex, densely covered with long setae; as long as maximum length of sternum IX ( Fig. 6 A). Epiandrial lobe (el) (lateral view) dorsal margin strongly convex, forming a hump-like projection ( Figs. 6 A, 6B"a"); anteriorly covered with long thick setae, which gradually decrease in length towards the hump-like projection ( Fig. 6 B"a"); apically divided into dorsal and ventral tips ( Fig. 6 B "b" and "c"); dorsal tip postero-medially-directed, apically with two rounded points in posterior view ( Figs. 6 F, 6G"b", 6I "b"); ventral tip apically with a spoon-like mesally directed projection (postero-mesal view) ( Figs. 6 E"c", 6I "c"); ventral margin of el densely covered with long and thick setae ( Figs. 6 A, 6B); in dorsal view, inner surface of the hump-like projection slightly enlarged medially, with three black thick spines ( Figs. 6 C–F); four black spines, at base of dorsal tip ( Figs. 6 C–E, 6I); and antero-medially directed projection, with an apical comb of small thick black spines, ten on the left and eleven on the right el ( Fig. 6 D, 6E"d", 6I "d"). Gonocoxite (lateral view) ventrally slightly convex ( Fig. 6 A); densely covered with setae, which are expressively longer at dorsal margin ( Fig. 6 A); in posterior view, with a V-shaped membranous area medially, below the aedeagus ( Fig. 6 F). Gonostylus short, inconspicuous, at same level of dorsal surface of gonocoxite; group of upward setae in dorsal surface, and a single postero-medially seta, directed and reaching the aedeagus ( Fig. 6 H). Aedeagus elongate, gradually slender towards apex ( Fig. 6 A). Proctiger short, sclerotized, concealed by epiandrium; both branches (upper and lower) apically covered with setae ( Fig. 6 C, 6D).

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. From Brazilian Tupi angaibára = thin, refers to its slender body.

Geographical records ( Fig. 8 ). Pazius angaibara sp. nov. is described from Brazil: Rondônia state.

Material examined. Holotype male. Brasil, RO [Rondônia State], Monte Negro [municipality] (km15 – [road] BR421) 10º22’21.09”S, 63º17’6.08”W 17.xii.2013 P.H.Martins (em voo) [UFMG-IMC-140001]. Preserved in 70% ethanol in the Centro de Coleções Taxonômicas - UFMG , Brazil.

Holotype condition. Apex of right forewing detached, in same vial of the specimen.

Comments. The specimen was collected around five in the afternoon, slowly flying 0.70 m above ground, in an Amazon forest area with sparse understory in closed and dense parts in some glades ( Fig. 7 ). The relief was slightly hilly composed of small hills, interspersed with rocky outcrops and oxisol.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Pazius angaibara sp. nov. A. Head and thorax, lateral view. B. Head, frontal view. C. Head and thorax, dorsal view. D. Hind tarsus, lateral view. E. Wings.

FIGURE 6. Pazius angaibara sp. nov. A. Male terminalia, lateral view. B. Epiandrial lobe, lateral view. C. Terminalia, dorsal view. D. Epiandrial lobe, inner dorsal view. E. Epiandrial lobe, dorsal view. F. Terminalia, posterior view. G. Epiandrial lobe, detail of " dorsal tip ", in posterior view. H. Gonostyle, in detail, posterior view. I. Epiandrial lobe, in inner postero view. a, Hump-like projection of epiandrial lobe. b, Epandrial lobe dorsal tip. c, Epandrial lobe ventral tip. d, Projection antero-medially directed of epiandrial lobe. Scale bar = 500 µm.

FIGURE 7. Type locality of Pazius angaibara sp. nov. (Photos by Pedro Henrique Martins).

FIGURE 8. Geographic records of Pazius. A. Detail of Costa Rica and Panama. B. Neotropical region with records of Pazius.