Atopophlebia pitculya Flowers

Flowers, Wills, 2012, A new species of Atopophlebia Flowers (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from western Ecuador with ecological and biogeographic notes on the genus, Zootaxa 3478, pp. 11-18 : 13-15

Atopophlebia pitculya Flowers , new species

( Figs. 1–3 , 5–20 )

Description. Male Imago ( Fig. 1 ). Holotype. Length: body 5.8mm, Forewing 5.7mm. Head: Eyes separated on meson of head by one-half the maximum width of an ocellus. Maximum width of forewings 0.54 times maximum length. Head orange-tan with black markings above clypeus and around antennal socket. Upper portion of turbinate eyes yellowish tan, lower portion dark grey. Thorax: General color tan (bright orange in life) with a pair of black spots on posterior scutal protuberances; pleural sclerites washed with black. Wings: Forewings ( Figs. 1 , 5 ) with membrane hyaline, veins amber, crossveins purplish black, a purplish black spot just anterior to basal arc. Vein MP2 attached at base to MP1 and CuA with cross vein. IMP attached at base to veins MP1 and MP2. Hind wing ( Fig. 6 ) one-tenth length of forewing, entire costal and subcostal membranes dark purplish brown. Costal projection subapical, well developed, apex of wing obtuse, rounded; cross veins few and clustered in apical 1/2 of wing. Ratios of segments of male foreleg, 0.74: 1.00 (3.4mm): 0.04: 0.32: 0.24: 0.14: 0.06. Forefemur pale orange–yellow with a black ventral subapical dash; foretibia orange–yellow, apex yellowish white with a subapical black band. Middle and hind legs yellowish–white. Abdomen: orange-yellow with posterior margins of tergites black; black margins wider on tergites 5–8. Tergites 1 and 2 with black postero-lateral spots; tergites 7–9 with large anterolateral spots ( Fig. 1 ). Abdominal sterna 2–9 with pairs of black antero-lateral dashes. Apex of subgentital plate and forceps smoky brown ( Fig. 7 ). Penes ( Figs. 8, 9 ) characteristic of the genus; fused in basal third with lobes narrow and separated in apical 2/3; each lobe with a stout apical projection directed ventro-laterally. Cerci and terminal filaments whitish tan.

Female Imago. Allotype. Length: body 11.6mm, forewing 10.3mm. Head and body pale orange yellow. Head as in male but compound eyes widely separated, and a black mark on vertex behind each lateral ocelus. Thorax and abdomen with black markings as in male, abdominal tergites marked laterally with pale brown. Wing coloration and venation similar to male but base of ICu free. Subgenital plate orange–yellow, broadly rounded at apex. Caudal filaments pale grayish brown, segments at base with white rings. Variations. One of three females have ICu1 attached at base to MP2.

Mature Nymph. Male; length 10mm, cerci broken at about one half their lengths. Head pale yellowish brown, ocelli black, compound eyes with outer portion black, inner portion reddish brown. Antenna yellowish white. Clypeus with lateral margins subparallel. Mouthparts: Labrum and dorsal surface of mandibles yellowish white, a black streak on lateral margin of maxillary stipes. Labrum ( Fig. 10 ) with lateral margins rounded, dorsum with a subapical line of strong setae, scattered setae basally. Apical denticles ( Fig. 11 ) short and very broad. Mandibles strongly curved with a line of setae at mid-length and apically ( Fig. 12 ). Maxilla ( Fig. 13 ) broad, a row of 17 subapical pectinate setae present, cardo with short fine setae on outer margin. Maxillary palp with a row of long setae on apical half of outer margin of segment 2 and margin of segment 3, three strong setae at apex of inner margin of segment 2 and three setae at base of inner margin on segment 3. Hypopharynx ( Fig. 14 ) with narrow curved lingulae, superlingulae with curved lateral arms. Labium ( Fig. 15 ): Glossae with fine setae on apical half, paraglossae with long inwardly directed setae on apical fourth, a short row of setae on ventral surface. Palpal segments 2 and 3 with evenly spaced long setae on their outer margins. Thorax: Pronotum yellowish brown with black lateral band; pronotal margins expanded and translucent. Pterothorax yellowish brown dorsally, marked with black laterally. Wingpads yellowish brown with a black spot at basal costal margin ( Fig. 2 ). Thoracic sterna yellowish white ( Fig. 3 ). Legs ( Figs. 16–19 ) yellowish white; each femur with two pale brown chevron shaped bands; apex of foretibia dark grey. Foreleg ( Fig. 18 ) with dorsal margin of femur with long setae and short spatulate setae on anterior surface. Foretibia with a dense row of short setae on apical two-thirds of inner surface. Middle ( Fig. 17 ) and hind leg ( Fig. 16 ) with femur similar to foreleg, tibiae with a dense row of long fine setae on outer margin. In addition, the hind tibia has a row of large pectinate spatulate setae on its dorsal surface ( Fig. 16 ). Tarsal claws ( Fig. 19 ) with a row of four denticles, the apical denticle larger than the others. Abdomen yellowish brown with black markings as in male imago. Abdominal terga also with yellow lateral spots and yellow postero-median markings on terga 4, 5, 7–9 ( Fig. 2 ). Abdominal sterna yellowish white with a pair of black lateral spots ( Fig. 3 ). Postero-lateral spines present on segments 2–9, becoming larger apically. Gills ( Fig. 20 ) grayish, tracheae black, a large basal lobe on inner lamella; seventh gill much reduced. Caudal filaments yellowish white, ringed with pale brown on articulations.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Atopophlebia pitculya. 1, male imago, lateral view; Figs. 2 – 3, mature nymph: 2, dorsal view; 3, ventral view. 4, habitat of nymph, Estero Jurón, Bosque Protector Cantagallo, Manabí, Ecuador.

FIGURES 5 – 9. Atopophlebia pitculya, imago. Figs. 5 – 6, wings: 5, fore and hind wing; 6, hind wing enlarged. Figs. 7 – 9, male genitalia: 7, subgenital plate and penes, ventral view; 8 penes and base of forceps, lateral view; 9, penes, dorsal view.

FIGURES 10 – 20. Atopophlebia pitculya. Figs. 10 – 15, mouthparts: 10, labrum; 11, labral denticles; 12, left mandible; 13, maxilla; 14, hypopharynx; 15, labium: a, dorsal view, b, ventral view. Figs. 16 – 19, legs of nymph: 16, hind leg; 17, middle leg; 18 foreleg, 19, tarsal claw. 20, fifth gill.