Liaghinella heldamariae, Castro-Huertas & Forero, 2017

Castro-Huertas, Valentina & Forero, Dimitri, 2017, Small range distributions in the high Andes: two new species of Liaghinella (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae) from Colombia, Zootaxa 4277 (3), pp. 399-412 : 401-404

Liaghinella heldamariae , sp. nov., Castro-Huertas & Forero

( Figs. 1 , 2 , 7 )

Holotype: Female. COLOMBIA. Cundinamarca, Páramo de Monserrate, 3,230 m, 6 ii 1968, Sturm leg. / En hojas muertas de Espeletia grandiflora [in fallen leaves of Espeletia grandiflora ] / Liaghinella heldamariae sp. nov. Castro-Huertas & Forero 2017 ( ICN) . Paratypes: Female : Boyacá, Villa de Leyva, 30 dic 2003 / MUPJ _ ENT 0 0 41140 ( MPUJ) .

Other specimens examined: 2 nymphs, same locality data as holotype ( ICN).

Diagnosis. Recognized by a pair of medial spines on the posterior margin of the pronotum ( Fig. 1 C‒E), clypeus with an anteriad projected sharp spine ( Fig. 1 F), posterolateral angles of dorsal laterotergites flat ( Fig. 1 B), and caudal margin of tergite 9 rounded ( Fig. 2 C).

Description. Male: unknown.

Apterous female (total length, holotype 13.1 mm; head length, 1.6 mm; prothorax length, 2.1 mm; meso- and metathorax length, 2.2 mm; abdomen length, 7.2 mm).

Color. Head: Dorsally pale brown, ventrally dark brown ( Fig. 1 F). Clypeus spine pale brown, second (first visible) and third (second visible) segments of the labium basally dark brown and apically whitish, third segment of the labium dark brown. Scapus pale brown, apically dark brown, flagellomeres dark brown. Thorax: dark brown with the posterior margin of the prothorax reddish ( Fig. 1 D); coxal cavities dark brown; procoxae, protrochanter and profemur dark brown; protibia pale brown, distally dark brown; protarsus dark brown; meso- and meta coxae and trochanters dark brown, meso- and metafemur dark brown, meso- and meta tibiae pale brown with a dark brown narrow bands on sub-basal and apical regions, meso-and metatarsi dark brown. Abdomen: Dark brown, dorsally with a medial longitudinal darker band; medially interrupted in the tergites 1 and 2 and entire in the rest of tergites ( Fig. 1 A).

Vestiture. Body covered with numerous setiferous tubercles. Head: Dorsally with setiferous tubercles, ventrally with sparse setae; antennal scapus with numerous, short setae; labium glabrous. Male genitalia: Gonapophysis 8 (gap8) with some sparse setae medially. Structure. Head: Elongated, interocular sulcus deep, clypeus with a projected sharp spine; eyes globose in dorsal view, ovoid in lateral view ( Fig. 1 F); antenna slender, scapus the longest, first flagellomere the shortest; second (first visible) labial segment short, third (second visible) labial segment swollen basally, about as long as second, fourth (third visible) segment slender, about twice the length of the third segment. Thorax: Pronotum longer than wide, about as long as meso- and metanotum together; lateral angles of anterior margin with rounded tubercles, posterior margin with a pair of conspicuous medial spiniform process projected upward ( Figs. 1 C‒E); meso- and metanotum flat, posterior margin of metanotum with a pair of short tubercles; stridulitrum narrow. Legs: Proleg distinctly wider and shorter than meso- and metalegs; procoxa elongate, profemur about three times as long as the protibia, wider profemur with posteroventral series composed by spiniform process and setae, and located near to the base of article ( Fig. 1 D), anteroventral series composed by a row of setae, protibia ventrally with a row of triangular denticles, protibial comb present; protarsus one-segmented, about as long as protibia, with two claws; meso- and metalegs longer and slender than proleg. Abdomen: elongate, abdominal tergites I‒VI not produced on posterior margin ( Figs. 1 A‒B), dorsal laterotergites with short projections on lateroposterior margin, not produced dorsad; posteromedial margin with an acute projection. Female genitalia ( Fig. 2 ): Tergite 8 (T8) rectangular, with caudal margin (mpm8) rounded, medially flat ( Fig. 2 C); tergite 9 (T9) nearly rectangular with the caudal margin (mpm9) entire and rounded ( Fig. 2 C); gonocoxa 8 (gcx8) nearly quadrangular, short and wide, with the lateral anterior area produced into a prolongation (lap) nearly straight apically ( Fig. 2 D); gonapophysis 8 (gap8) nearly triangular ( Fig. 2 A); gonocoxa 9 (gcx9) elongated; gonapophysis 9 (gap9) small and elongated ( Fig. 2 B); gonoplac (gpl) rounded, fused medially, with a subapical ventral projection and longer setae on the apical margin ( Fig. 2 A, B); bursa copulatrix (bc) elongate, ventral medial surface of bursa copulatrix transversely striated, with ring gland (gr) present, situated transverse across the bursa ( Fig. 2 A).

Etymology. This species is dedicated in memory of Mrs. Helda María Castro Moreno, V. Castro-Huertas´s grandmother (1936-2015). Thanks for to be an inspiration.

Biology. One of the examined specimens was collected on fallen leaves of Espeletia grandiflora Humboldt & Bonpland (1809) (Asteraceae) , a typical paramo species.

Distribution. Found on Monserrate, adjacent to Bogotá (Cundinamarca), and Villa de Leyva (Boyacá), Colombia.

Discussion. Despite having only female specimens, we are confident in considering this taxon as a new species, mainly by differences in the morphology of the genitalia, particularly in the structure of tergites 8 and 9.

The holotype was found with two immature specimens. The nymphs do not show any process on the posterior margin of the pronotum as in the adult, in contrast to what happens in L. tuberculata sp. nov. (see below), in which nymphs do exhibit a pair of tubercles on the posterior margin of the pronotum. We tentatively attribute these two examined nymphs to L. heldamariae sp. nov., at least until a greater series of immature specimens are examined and more accurately collected specimens where adults and positively associated nymphs become available. Forero (2007) examined a nymph of Liaghinella from Villa de Leyva that he attributed to L. andina . Nonetheless, given the problematic association of nymphs with adults and the scant information on the ontogenesis of these species, we regard the record of L. andina from Villa de Leyva dubious, until adults of this species are found.

Liaghinella heldamariae sp. nov. and L. tuberculata sp. nov. are further records of species of Liaghinella in the Colombian high Andes , in the remnants of Andean montane forests adjacent to urban areas, in contrast to L. farri , known from Jamaica at approximately 900 meters of altitude ( Wygodzinsky 1966; Forero 2007). Liaghinella heldamariae sp. nov. is the first record of this genus at altitudes over 3,000 meters. It is interesting to note that the type locality of L. heldamariae sp. nov. is relatively close to the type locality of L. andina , being only five kilometers apart ( Fig. 7 ), whereas both localities of L. heldamariae sp. nov. are set apart for about 150 km. The locality of Villa de Leyva is ambiguous with respect to the altitude. Villa de Leyva is at about 2,100 meter, although nearby are high mountains in which several habitats reach well beyond 3,000 meters, where paramo is found. It is probable that this specimen was collected at a higher altitude (see also below for discussion) similar to the altitude in which the holotype was found, but only further careful collecting will allow testing this idea.

Emesella nebulosa Dohrn, 1860 , is another Metapterini recorded from Bolivia and Colombia at remarkable high altitudes. Wygodzinsky (1966) mentioned as diagnostic characters for this species: the dorsal process of the pronotum, nodulose meso- and metalegs and the unique structure of prolegs. Because of the high altitude in which L. heldamariae sp. nov. was found and the particular structure of the posterior margin of the pronotum with a pair of processes, Emesella could be confused with L. heldamariae sp. nov. or L. tuberculata sp. nov. Nonetheless, there are morphological characters that allow separating Emesella from Liaghinella , such as the nodulose mid and hind legs present in Emesella , or the particular structure of the prolegs as found in Liaghinella .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Liaghinella heldamariae sp. nov., female holotype. A ‒ B. Habitus, A. dorsal view; B. lateral view. C. Pro and - mesothorax, dorsal view, arrow points to the pronotal process on posterior margin of prothorax. D. Head and thorax, lateral view, arrow indicates the metanotal tubercles on posterior margin of metathorax. E. Prothorax, lateral view. F. Head, lateral view, arrow indicates acute clypeus.

FIGURE 2. Liaghinella heldamariae sp. nov., female genitalia. A. Ventral view, left gcx 8 and gap 8 removed. B. Lateral view. C. Tergites 8 and 9, caudal view. D. Gonocoxa eight, ventral view. Abbreviations: bc, bursa copulatrix; gap 8, gonapophysis eight; gap 9, gonapophysis nine; gcx 8, gonocoxa eight; gcx 9, gonocoxa nine; gpl, gonoplac; gr, ring gland; lap, latero anterior prolongation of the gonocoxa eight; mpm 8, medial posterior margin of gonocoxa eight; mpm 9, medial posterior margin of gonocoxa nine; T 8, tergite 8; T 9, tergite 9..

FIGURE 7. Distribution map of Liaghinella species found in Colombia based on the examination of adult material.