Thagria aenigmatis, NIELSON, 2013

NIELSON, M. W., 2013, <strong> New records of Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic sea anemones (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Actiniaria and Corallimorpharia) from the Weddell Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, and Scotia Arc </ strong>, Zootaxa 3625 (1), pp. 1-105 : 41-44

Thagria aenigmatis , sp. nov.

( Plate 1A , Figs. 1–7 )

Length. Male 6.00–6.70 mm; female unknown

External morphology. Medium sized, slightly robust species. General color light to dark brown with numerous small ivory markings. Crown light yellow with several small, dark brown spots along lateral margins, suffused with light brown medially; eyes light to dark brown; pronotum light to dark brown with numerous, small ivory markings; mesonotum light to dark brown; forewings light to dark brown with numerous translucent spots in cells, veins dark brown, impressed with small ivory spots ( Plate 1A ); face light to dark brown with numerous light tan markings. Head narrower than pronotum, anterior margin obtusely angulate; crown narrower than eye width, produced about 1/3 entire median length, lateral margins slightly convergent basally, slightly carinate; eyes large, elongate ovoid; pronotum large, slightly longer medially than crown with median longitudinal carina, surface sparsely bullated; mesonotum moderately large, slightly shorter medially than pronotum; forewings typical; clypeus long, moderately broad, lateral margins nearly parallel; clypellus short, base more or less inflated, about a wide as apex of clypeus, slightly tapered distally, apex rounded.

Male genitalia. Pygofer in lateral view with long caudoventral lobe, lateral margins narrowed to rounded apex, caudodorsal margin with long process, process broad basally, abruptly tapered distally ( Fig. 1 ); segment X in lateral view with prominent ventral process extending beyond apex of caudoventral lobe, base very broad in basal ¾, abruptly tapered to oblique, triangulate apex, sometimes tapered, always with small spine medially near base that varies in size ( Fig. 1 ), in dorsal view exceeding apex of pygofer caudodorsal processes ( Fig. 2 ); aedeagus in dorsal view symmetrical, in dorsal and lateral views short, nearly reaching to about middle of ventral paraphysis ( Figs. 3, 4 ); ventral paraphysis in dorsal view symmetrical or nearly so, with pair of moderately long basal processes, broadly triangulate in basal 2/3, abruptly tapered in distal 1/3, apex asymmetrically bifid ( Fig. 3, 4 ); style in dorsal view with apophysis curved, minutely serrate on ventral margin ( Fig.4 ) in lateral view long, apex sharply pointed ( Fig. 5 ); connective typical ( Fig. 4 ); dorsal connective in dorsobasal view broadly V-shape, rami nearly straight, apex vacuolated, stem not evident ( Fig. 6 ); subgenital plate typical, few macrosetae on outer lateral margin, apex with tuft of long microsetae ( Fig. 7 ).

nov., holotype.

Material examined. Holotype male. CAMBODIA: Preah Khan Temple , Siem Reap Province, Malaise trap, 20– 27.1.2006, Leg I. Var ( IRSNB) . Paratypes. 12 males, same data as holotype except 18–25. XII.2005, Leg. Oul Yothin ( IRSNB, MLBM, USU) .

Other material examined. CAMBODIA: Numerous specimens (80+) from Angkor Preah Khan Temple, collected at different seasons from 2004–2006 by Malaise trap by different collectors ( IRSNB, MLBM, USU, UKY).

Etymology. This species is named for its enigmatic position in the melichari species complex.

Remarks. Five species make up the melichari species complex by virtue of similarity in color patterns which will not distinguish the species except by a combination of external and male genitalia features (see table 1). From these species, aenigmatis can be separated by the following combinations of characters: crown narrower than width of eyes, pronotal median longitudinal carina present, clypellus with base only slightly inflated, style apophysis serrate, pair of long basal processes on ventral paraphysis, paraphysis slightly curved in lateral view and presence of spur near base of ventral process of segment X.

Figures

PLATE 1. A–H. Thagria, dorsal habitus. (A) Thagria aenigmatis, sp. nov., holotype; (B) Thagria asperitas, sp. nov., holotype; (C) Thagria biretrorsa, sp. nov., holotype; (D) Thagria colorata, sp. nov., holotype; (E) Thagria coniunctionis, sp. nov., holotype; (F) Thagria constanti, sp. nov., holotype; (G) Thagria fidelitas, sp. nov., holotype; (H) Thagria freytagi, sp.

FIGURES 1–7. Thagria aenigmatis, sp. nov. (1) pygofer and segment X ventral process, lateral view; (2) segment X ventral processes and pygofer caudodorsal processes, dorsal view; (3) aedeagus and ventral paraphysis, lateral view; (4)connective, aedeagus, ventral paraphysis and style, dorsal view; (5) style, lateral view; (6) dorsal connective, dorsobasal view; (7) subgenital plate, lateral view.