Coriophagus jennyae, Kogan, Marcos, 2012

Kogan, Marcos, 2012, Two New Species of Halictophagidae (Insecta: Strepsiptera) from the Brazilian Amazon Basin, Zootaxa 3517, pp. 79-87 : 83-85

Coriophagus jennyae , sp. n.

( Figures 2 A–H)

Holotype. Single male specimen collected in light trap at Coari, Rio Urucú, Amazonas, Brazil, 4°55’53” S, 65°18’13”W; between 25 Feb-10 Mar. 1995; Paul F. Bührheim et al. coll. Specimen dissected and mounted in glycerin on four slides: slide 1-wings, slide 2-head + antennae, slide 3-pro- & mesothorax + legs I & II, slide 4- metathorax & abdomen (see note at end of discussion).

Description. Total length of specimen in alcohol ( Fig. 2 A) from tip of frons to caudal margin of 9th abdominal sternite 2.31 mm; length from tip of frons to distal margin of postnotum 1.96 mm. Head ( Figs. 2 B, 2C1, 2C2) 0.86 mm wide (between outer edges of eye globes); eyes in dorsal view with 15 large, round eyelets occupying ca. 1/2 of head’s width. Margin of antefrons protruded between insertion points of antennae; lateral vertex plates well defined, extending forward into frontal area bridging the two lateral plates and containing the antennal sockets. Antennae ( Fig. 2 B) seven-segmented, very compact, hanging ventrally ( Fig. 2 C2); segments I and II very short, I sub-cylindrical; II sub-inverted pyramidal; bases of III–VI extended laterally into stout flabella; segments III–VII, including all flabella, covered with sensorial pits of variable shapes and areas; length of antennal segments (in μm): I and II = 60; base of segments III–VI = 50; length of flabella III = 490, IV = 470; V = 480; VI = 510; segment VII = 530. Mandible absent; maxilla ( Fig. 2 C2- Mx) vestigial.

Thorax ( Figs. 2 A, 2D) with pro- and mesonotum ( Fig. 2 D) reduced; pronotum attached to head below line of posterior margins of lateral vertex plates. Metanotum ( Fig. 2 A) 1.50 mm long; praescutum broadly rounded towards mesonotum, protruding beyond front line of scuti; scutellum broadly pentagonally shaped, apex rounded anteriorly, posterior edge straight; postlumbium narrow, constricted in center by inward intrusion of anterior margin of postscutellum; postscutellum 0.75 mm long, just slightly longer than the other metanotal components together (0.70 mm), broadly rounded posteriorly. Hind wings irreversibly tightly furled and adherent alongside metanotum, but manipulated sufficiently to reveal structure of front margin and basic elements ( Fig. 2 A); wing span (estimated) 2.22 mm. Legs ( Figs. 2 D, 2E) strong, tarsi three-segmented; coxae of leg 1 stout and imbedded in prothoracic sternal sockets; trochanters and femora sub-cylindrical; length of leg I trochanter 0.24 mm, femur 0.34 mm, tibia distally expanded, spatulate, 0.24 mm long; tarsal basal segment rounded, cup-shaped with indented edges ( Figs. 2 D, 2E1); leg II trochanter 0.29 mm, femur 0.43 mm, tibia distally expanded, 0.42 mm, basal tarsomere bulbous, elongated, similar to that of leg III; leg III trochanter 0.23 mm, femur 0.33 mm, tibia 0.39 mm; tarsal segments II and III of all three pairs paddle-shaped, with dense sensorial trichomes; tarsomere II of all three legs inserted in middle of dorsal surface of basal tarsomere ( Figs. 2 E1–E3).

Abdominal segments sclerotized ( Figs. 2 A, 2F, 2G). Terminalia (abdominal segments VIII–X) complex, not resembling that of other male strepsipterans described so far. Segment VIII spoon-shaped, distally tapered; sternite IX narrowed distally and bent ventrally at tip below proctiger (tergite X); in lateral view ( Figs. 2 F1, 2G) with elongated protrusion with narrow stem extending ventrally, at tip of which is attached the aedeagus; this protrusion ( Fig. 2 G-ENP(?)) possibly extension of endophallus. Aedeagus ( Fig. 2 H) Z-shaped, with terminal hook 0.13 mm long, at ca. 29o angle with shaft; shaft stout, 0.17 mm long, bending basally into 0.14-mm-long extension.

Discussion. This is the first record of the genus Coriophagus in the Western Hemisphere. Coriophagus jennyae sp. n. differs from all other 13 described species of the genus (see list above) by the vestigial maxillae, shape of the 1st tarsomere of leg I, structure of R1 region of hind wing, complex structure of the terminalia, and the ‘Z’- shaped aedeagus. The host is unknown. The precise location where the type specimen was collected should help future collectors to obtain additional specimens to elucidate the nature of the bizarre structure of the terminalia. The protrusion on sternite IX may be an extension of the endophallus (see Pohl & Beutel, 2005). The wing illustrations in Fig. 2 A are reconstructions based on elements visible from the preparation, supplemented by inference from illustration of the wing of Coriophagus zanzibarae ( Bohart, 1962) in Kinzelbach 1971b, p. 210, figure B.

Note: While working on the specimens described in this paper my office at Oregon State University was moved and in the process one slide each containing the metanotum and abdomen of both H. urucui sp. n. and C. jennyae sp. n. were misplaced and lost. However, a series of digital photos had already been taken and were used to complete the descriptions.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to my wife, Jenny Kogan, who, as librarian of the Soybean Insect Research Information Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, from 1975–1990, compiled a complete reference collection of Strepsiptera .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Coriophagus jennyae sp. n. Male holotype. A) Dorsal view. B) Antenna. C 1) Head, dorsal view. C 2) Head, ventral view showing vestigial maxilla = Mx. D) Pro- and mesothorax, ventral view with fore-wings, and legs 1 and 2. E 1 – E 3) Outline of legs 1 – 3. F 1) Terminalia, quarter-caudal view. F 2) Terminalia, semi-rotated, dorsal view. F 3) Terminalia, rotated dorsal view. G) Outline of terminalia, lateral view: Ae = aedeagus, EnP = possible extension of endophallus, VIII = 8 th abdominal segment, IXs = 9 th sternite, Xt = 10 th tergite. H) Aedeagus.