Potamobates tumaquensis, Padilla-Gil, Dora N. & Damgaard, Jakob, 2011

Padilla-Gil, Dora N. & Damgaard, Jakob, 2011, A new species of Potamobates Champion from Colombia with a re-analysis of phylogenetic relationships (Hemiptera: Gerridae), Zootaxa 2879, pp. 41-49 : 43-44

Potamobates tumaquensis n. sp.

Type material. HOLOTYPE, M, allotype F (all apterous): COLOMBIA, Nariño, Tumaco, Consejo Comunitario Río Mejicano, Vereda Santa Rosa, 0 m, 6 II 2009, leg. D. N. Padilla ( ICN). PARATYPES, same data as holotype, all apterous, 2 M, 1 F (PSO-CZ); Nariño, Tumaco, Consejo Comunitario Río Mejicano, Vereda San José del Guayabo, 0 m, 3 II 2009, leg. D. N. Padilla, 3 M, 1 F ( ICN).

COLOMBIA, Nariño, La Espriella Tumaco, 2 m, 30 I 2010, leg. N. Nicola, (all apterous): 1 M (CP); Nariño, Tumaco, Consejo Comunitario Río Mejicano, Vereda Retoño, 0 m, 4 II 2009, leg. D. N. Padilla, 1 F (CP).

Description. Ground color shining black; body covered with very dense, short and dark pubescence; head with triangular, yellow mark, vertex black; pronotum with wedge-shaped, yellow marking medially, propleura silver; mesonotum with posterior wedge-shaped and yellow mark medially, and pleurae with a linear, longitudinal, silverish stripe; posterolateral corners of meso- and metanotum with silvery marks; lateral margins of abdominal tergites and posterior margin of tergite VIII silvery. Genital segments black. Antennae and legs shining black; all coxae, fore trochanter, apex of middle and hind trochanters, and dorsal fore femur yellow. Venter yellow and with a black spot near to the fore coxae.

Apterous male ( Fig. 2 ). Body length 10.8; maximum width (across mesocoxae) 2.52. Length of head (1.08) more than three times narrowest interocular space (0.32); width of eye 0.68; eyes extending posteriorly 1/5 onto pleura. Rostrum not reaching hind margin of prosternum. Pronotum length (0.88), width (1.88). Mesonotum long (2.8) and widest across mesocoxae (2.52). Metanotum short (0.84), widest across metacoxae (2.2). Abdomen longer (2.12) than the length of the genital segments (1.84). Tergites I and VI: 0.32, tergites II–IV: 0.2, V: 0.24, VII: 0.64, and VIII 1.24. Tergite VII with angulated connexiva; tergite VIII not modified; proctiger bearing a short, thorn-like shape projection on left side ( Fig. 3 ), terminating in a “bird-head” shape. Male terminalia as shown in Figs. 3, 4 .

Antennae length of segments I: 1.48, II: 0.6, III: 0.52, IV: 1.0. Anterior femur stout, tapering distally. Proportions of male legs as follows: fore femur/tibia/tarsal 1/tarsal 2: 2.20/2.32/0.18/0.50; of middle leg, 9.86/7.33/2.28/ 0.62; of hind leg, 10.60/5.06/0.42/0.30.

Apterous female. Body length 11.46, maximum width (across mesocoxae) 3.0, coloration similar to that of male. Margins of connexival segments I–V thickened, posterolateral angles of segments VI and VII slightly folded inward ( Fig. 5 ); connexiva not produced posteriorly. Abdominal tergite VIII triangular ( Fig. 5 ), ventrite VIII semitriangular (Fig. 6); second genital segment exposed as a cylindrical segment (Fig. 6).

Ecological notes. P. tumaquensis occurs in the Tumaco Municipality ( Fig. 1), situated in the Pacific lowlands (0–2 m), with high rainfall (4000–8000 mm /annum), and tropical wet forest vegetation. The species was found on a clear, flowing, water stream, occurring syntopically with Brachymetra albinervis (Amyot & Serville, 1843) at Santa Rosa; and with Telmatrometra whitei Bergroth 1908 at Guayabo and Retoño. They apparently prefer to aggregate in small groups of two or three individuals, or alone as solitary individuals, with only one large group having been found.

Etymology. The name “ tumaquensis ” refers to the Colombian municipality of Tumaco, from which the types were collected.

Comparative notes. P. tumaquensis is similar to P. horvathi , but the male of tumaquensis has the process of the proctiger exposed and characteristic.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 5. Potamobates tumaquensis n. sp. 2 Male, dorsal habitus (legs omitted), 3 – 4, male terminal abdomen, 3 lateral view, 4, ventral view; 5 – 6, female terminal abdomen, 5, dorsal view, 6 ventral view.