Titanochrysa ferreirai Sosa & Freitas

Sosa, Francisco & Freitas, Sergio De, 2012, A new genus of Neotropical Chrysopini (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), Zootaxa 3351, pp. 1-14 : 10-13

Titanochrysa ferreirai Sosa & Freitas sp. nov.

Holotype male: Brazil. Minas Gerais. Tres Pontas [21o25’S / 45o30’W, 900 m], 8.viii.2009, Ferreira C. S Leg. Deposited in the Museum of Zoology, Universidade de São Paulo ( MZUSP), São Paulo, Brazil. Measurements. Head: width 1.1 mm. Pronotum: length 0.5 mm, width 0.8 mm. Forewing: length 11.4 mm, width 4.1 mm, length/ width ratio = 2.8:1. Five inner, six outer gradates. Hindwing: length 9.9 mm, width 3.3 mm, length/width ratio = 3: 1. Four inner, five outer gradates.

Diagnosis. Adults olive green, with longitudinal dorsal yellowish green band. Protonum with dark red, longitudinal stripe laterally. Forewing inner gradates margined with round black spots, outer gradates veins lightly shaded. Microtholi present on S2–8. Mandibles asymmetrical.

Description. Head. Vertex striated transversally; occiput with red lateral spots ( Fig. 9 A); scape and pedicel yellowish green with dark red longitudinal stripe laterally, extending onto antennal base ( Fig. 9 B); flagellum pale, slightly shorter than forewing; frons creamy with dark red spots beneath scapes; clypeus white, marked with dark red laterally; gena dark red; maxillary and labial palpi black ( Fig. 9 C); mandibles with prominent basal tooth on left mandible ( Fig. 17 C).

Thorax. Green, with yellowish green longitudinal band dorsally. Pronotum wider than long, green, with broad, longitudinal, dark red stripe laterally ( Fig. 9 A); meso- and metanota pale green without markings; pleura, sternal areas, legs pale green. Wings (Fig. 10): forewing with longitudinal veins pale green; crossveins pale green, dark at intersections with longitudinal veins; costal crossveins with black extremities, radial crossveins with anterior extremity shaded black; inner and outer gradates black, arranged in parallel series; inner gradates margined by round, black spots, outer gradates lightly shaded. Hindwing with longitudinal veins, crossveins pale green, except terminal extremities of forked apical veins marked with dark spots.

Abdomen. Green, with yellowish green band dorsally, posterior extremity of each segment, tinged with dark red dorsally. Male terminalia ( Fig. 11 A): T9+ect elongate, basally tapering to acute terminus, covered anteriorly with scattered medium-sized setae; dorsal apodeme simple, straight reaching callus cerci ventrally; callus cerci ovate bearing 21–23 trichobothria; S8+9 tapering; S8 slightly longer than wide, densely covered with mediumsized setae and microtholi, dorsal margin dome-like; ventral apodeme of medium length. Male genitalia: Gonarcus truncated in dorsal view ( Fig. 11 B); lateral apodemes narrow with inverted comma-shape, anterior extremity tapering to acute tip projected laterally ( Fig. 11 B–E); arcessus short, with dorsal rods broad, decurved apically, dorsal surface lightly striated, flanked by lateral lobes ( Fig. 11 D); gonosaccus simple, with few, thin, scattered gonosetae, densely covered by microsetae ( Fig. 11 C, E). Gonapsis short, expanded anteriorly, spoon-shaped, with subapical teeth ( Fig. 11 F). Hypandrium internum broadly U-shaped ( Fig. 11 G). Female terminalia ( Fig. 12 A): S7 trapezoidal, ca. 2.5 times longer than wide; slightly tapering distally, densely covered with long, stalked setae, dorsal margin sinuous; T9+ect with dorsal margin straight, forming ca. 90o angle at posterodorsal margin; posterior margin with ventral cleft beneath callus cerci; callus cerci ovate, with ca. 30 trichobothria ( Fig. 12 A); spermatheca pillboxshaped, ventral impression deep, spermathecal duct elongate ( Fig. 12 B–D). Subgenitale cordate, lobate dorsally ( Fig. 12 E–F).

Measurements. Male (n=2): Head: width 1.1–1.2 mm. Pronotum: length 0.5– 0.5 mm, width 0.8–0.9 mm. Forewing: length 11.4–11.8 mm, width 4.0– 4.2 mm, length/width ratio = 2.8–2.9. Four inner, five outer gradates. Hindwing: length 10.2–10.4 mm, width 3.0– 3.3 mm, length/width ratio = 3.2–3.4:1. Three inner, four outer gradates. Females (n=2): Head: width 1.2–1.3 mm. Pronotum: length 0.5–0.6 mm, width 0.9– 0.9 mm. Forewing: length 12.6–13.8 mm, width 4.5–5.0 mm, length/width ratio. Four to five inner, five to six outer gradates = 2.8–2.8. Hindwing: length 11.2–11.9 mm, width 3.7–3.9 mm, length/width ratio = 3.0–3.1: 1. Three to four inner four to five outer gradates.

FIGURE 10. Titanochrysa ferreirai Sosa & Freitas sp. nov. Wing venation. bsx = basal subcostal crossvein; c.a = costal area; cx = costal crossvein; ig = inner gradates; im = intramedian cell; og = outer gradates; r-m1 = first radial crossvein; rx = radial crossvein; Rs = radial sector

Material examined. Allotype: Brazil. Minas Gerais. Tres Pontas [21o25’S / 45o30’W, 900 m], 6.vi.2009, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC). Paratypes: Brazil. Minas Gerais. Tres Pontas [21o25’S / 45o30’W, 900 m], 15.viii.2008, 13, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 14.iii.2009, 13, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 6.vi.2009, 1Ƥ, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 13.vi.2009, 13, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 20.vi.2009, 33, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 4.vii.2009, 13, 2ƤƤ, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 11.vii.2009, 43, 4Ƥ, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 25.vii.2009, 13, 2ƤƤ, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 8.viii.2009, 13, 2ƤƤ, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 5.ix.2009, 13, Ferreira C. S Leg ( SFCC); Same, 6.vi.2009, 23, Ferreira C. S Leg ( UCOB); Same, 8.viii.2009, 13, Ferreira C. S Leg ( MIZA).

Remarks. In some specimens, the left and right wings show different venation, and sometimes two inner gradate veins are surrounded by a single spot.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of the agricultural engineer Cleidson Soares Ferreira who collected many chrysopids from the southern part of Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Species relationships. See T. pseudovaricosa comb. nov. Externally, Titanochrysa ferreirai sp. nov. resembles Ungla laufferi ( Navás, 1922) based on descriptions provided by Freitas et al. (2009) and Tauber & Flint (2010). Both species have the frons tinged with red laterally; genae, lateral clypeus, maxillary and labial palpi black, and spermatheca pillbox-shaped. However, Titanochrysa ferreirai sp. nov. differs from U. laufferi in that it has a wide costal area, shading on the membrane around the inner gradates, and a cordate subgenitale with elongate distal section.

Geographical distribution. Brazil.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Titanochrysa ferreirai Sosa & Freitas sp. nov. (Male, Três Pontas, Minas Gerais, Brazil). A) Head and pronotum, dorsal. Note the greenish-yellow dorsal band; B) Head and pronotum, lateral. C) Head, frontal.

FIGURE 11. Titanochrysa ferreirai Sosa & Freitas sp. nov., (Male, Três Pontas, Minas Gerais, Brazil). A) Terminalia, lateral; B) gonarcal complex, dorsal; C) gonarcal complex, lateral; D) Gonarcal complex, frontodorsal; E) Gonarcal complex, ventral. Note the prominent papillae; F) Gonapsis, lateral; G) Hypandrium internum, frontal. ap-gs = lateral apodemes of the gonarcus; cc = callus cerci; d. ap = apodeme of T 9 + ect; gp = gonapsis; gs = gonarcus; gsac = gonosacus; gst = gonosetae; l. lb = lateral lobe; mst = microsetae; S 8 = sternite 8; S 9 = sternite 9; v. ap = apodeme of S 8 + 9.

FIGURE 12. Titanochrysa ferreirai Sosa & Freitas sp. nov. (Female, Três Pontas, Minas Gerais, Brazil). A) Terminalia, lateral; B – C) Spermatheca, lateral; D) Spermatheca, dorsal E) Terminalia, ventral; F) Subgenitale, ventral. cc = callus cerci; g. l = gonapophysis lateralis; S 7 = sternite 7; sg = subgenitale; sp = spermatheca; sp. d = spermathecal duct; T 9 + ect = Tergite 9 + ectoproct; v = velum; v. i = ventral impression.

FIGURE 17. Mandibles. A) Titanochrysa circumfusa (Burmeister) comb. nov.; B) Titanochrysa pseudovaricosa (Penny) comb. nov.; C) Titanochrysa ferreirai Sosa & Freitas sp. nov.; D) Titanochrysa trespuntensis Sosa & Freitas sp. nov.