Paravelia recens ( Drake & Harris, 1935 )

Rodrigues, Higor D. D., Moreira, Felipe F. F., Nieser, Nico, Chen, Ping Ping, Melo, Alan L., Dias-Silva, Karina & Giehl, Nubia F. S., 2014, The genus Paravelia Breddin, 1898 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) in Brazil, with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 3784 (1), pp. 1-47 : 34-35

Paravelia recens ( Drake & Harris, 1935)

( Figs 18 A, 20C)

Velia recens Drake & Harris, 1935: 192 . [Original description]

Velia recens: Drake & Maldonado-Capriles 1952 , 47. [Habitat; new records] Velia recens: Drake & Hussey 1954 , 133. [Habitat; new records]

Paravelia recens: Polhemus 1976 , 512. [New combination; checklist] Paravelia recens: Polhemus & Polhemus 1991 , 210. [Habitat; identification key; new records] Paravelia recens: Nieser & Alkins-Koo 1991 , 62. [Identification key; new records] Paravelia recens: Pereira et al. 2007 , 147. [Ecology]

Paravelia recens: Moreira et al. 2011b , 21. [Checklist]

Paravelia recens: Heckman 2011 , 236. [Identification key]

Paravelia recens: Padilla-Gil & Moreira 2011 , 23. [Identification key] Paravelia recens: Padilla-Gil 2013 , 501. [Identification key]

Diagnosis. BL 3.50–3.95. General body color brownish; coxae, trochanters, and base of femora yellowish brown, remaining of legs brown. Pronotum with anterior lobe lighter, with or without a pair of lateral pruinose areas. Forewing dark brown, with a basal white macula starting from humeral angle and passing posterior margin of pronotum; at apex another rounded white macula ( Fig. 18 A). Male hind femur with a row of small teeth on inner margin through almost entire length. Male hind tibia clavate. Paramere with a basal dorsal notch, tapering towards apex ( Fig. 20 C).

Discussion. Despite being exclusive from the interior of bromeliads, this species has a wide geographical range, from Honduras to southeastern Brazil. It also shows a wide morphological variation among populations, which has leaded some researchers to identify it differently. Most of the specimens herein mentioned display shape of forewings maculae similar to those illustrated by Polhemus & Polhemus (1991). However, some specimens show white pruinosity on anterior lobe of pronotum, besides an oval-shaped apical macula on forewing. Paravelia manausana ( Fig. 17 C) is a similar species, from which P. recens differs by the brownish color, rounded apical macula of forewings, and tapering paramere ( Fig. 20 C), whereas in P. manausana the coloration is dark brown to black, the apical macula is suboval and almost reaches the posterior margin of wing, and the paramere does not taper towards apex, which is subtruncate distally.

Material examined. Brazil, Amazonas: 2 macropterous males ( INPA), Manaus, Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, Acará, campinarana, in bromeliads, 12.V.2005, (S.R.S. Torreias & C. Menezes); 7 macropterous males, 7 macropterous females ( INPA), same data, except 14.V.2003, (J. Oliveira, J. Vidal & J. Miranda). Espírito Santo: 1 macropterous male, 3 macropterous females ( MNRJ), Aracruz, Santa Cruz, I.1975, (L.F. Reys) [first record from Espírito Santo State].

Figures

FIGURE 17. Dorsal view, (A) Paravelia foveata, (B) P. lanemeloi (paratype), (C) P. manausana, (D) P. nieseri (holotype).

FIGURE 18. Dorsal view, (A) Paravelia recens, (B) P. rotundanotata, (C) P. splendoris (macropterous), (D) P. splendoris (micropterous).

FIGURE 20. Lateral view of genital capsule of male, (A) P. nieseri, (B) P. platensis, paramere in posterior view, (C) P. recens, (D) P. rotundanotata, (E) P. spinifera, (F) P. splendoris, (G) P. williamsi.