Ungla martinsi, Sosa, Francisco, 2015

Sosa, Francisco, 2015, First records of Ungla Navás (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) from Venezuela, with descriptions of seven new species, Zootaxa 4018 (2), pp. 176-200 : 187-191

Ungla martinsi sp. nov.

( Figures 11–15 )

Holotype Male: VENEZUELA. Portuguesa state: Ospino, Santa Barbara, 9o28.695’ N / 69º 33.111 W, 1340 m, 10–11.v.2013, F. Sosa & C. Martins Leg. Collected with light trap. Deposited in the MJMO.

Diagnosis. This species can be differentiated by its light yellow head coloration and its darkly marked, olive green body; the markings are red-wine-colored, and they include the abdominal segments. In addition, the scape has a wide dorsolateral red-wine-colored stripe, and the flagellum is pale yellow. The membrane around the crossveins and gradates series of the forewing is shaded with black, and both the forewing and hindwings have unusually dark markings on the pterostigma.

Description. Head ( Fig. 11 ). Pale yellow; vertex smooth, with paired, crescent-shaped, red-colored, slightly diffuse marks; sides of vertex with red-wine coloration ( Fig. 11 A); antennal fossa marked with red medially, laterally; frons pale yellow, unmarked; gena, basolateral margin of clypeus black. Maxillary palpus black, with apex of last palpomere pale; labial palpus pale yellow, lightly shaded with black laterally ( Fig. 11 C). Antenna: scape, pedicellus pale yellow, with wide, red-wine-colored, dorsolateral stripe; flagellum pale yellow, with black bristles ( Fig. 11 A) Thorax. Pronotum olive green, with wide, red-wine-colored, longitudinal stripe laterally; mesothorax marked with red-wine color on margin of prescutus, scutum; metathorax with round, red-wine-colored marks onto the scutum; pleural, sternal areas pale green; legs pale green, unmarked ( Fig. 11 A–B). Wings ( Fig. 12 ): forewings with longitudinal veins pale green, most crossveins brown, pterostigma with elongate black spot, gradate veins shaded with black; hindwing with longitudinal veins, crossveins pale green,pterostigma with short, black spot.

Abdomen. Olive green, each segment with red-wine-colored mark dorsally ( Fig. 11 B). Male terminalia ( Fig. 13 ): A1–8 with enlarged, ovate spiracles; circumference of A8 spiracle 1.2 times greater than circumference of callus cerci ( Fig. 13 A). T9+ectovate, with acute basilateral corner; callus cerci with ca. 34 trichobotria. S8+9 with ventral margin ca. four times longer than height of anterior margin. Gonarcal arch with rounded, “V” shape; lateral apodemes rectangular (lateral view), with triangular horn on margin of lower corner ( Fig. 13 B–E). Female terminalia ( Fig. 14 ):A1–8 with ovate spiracles. T9+ect rectangular, dorsal margin not raised; callus cerci round, with ca. 24 trichobothria ( Fig. 14 A–B). Gonapophysis lateralis with dense, long setae; anterior margin sinuous, posterior margin rounded. S7 rectangular; dorsal margin slightly sinuous; ratio of ventral margin length: anterior margin height ca. 1.8: 1. Spermatheca pillbox-shaped, ventral impression deep, spermathecal duct elongate, ca 1.7 times longer than height of spermatheca and velum ( Fig. 14 C–D). Subgenitale cordate, lobate dorsally, slightly extended basally ( Fig. 14 E).

Measurements (n=3). Head: width = 1.36–1.39 mm. Pronotum: length = 0.65–0.68 mm, width = 0.90–1.0 mm, scape height = 0.29 mm. Forewing: length = 11.67 mm, width = 4.08–4.16 mm, length/width ratio = 2.80– 2.86: 1, intramedian cell length = 0.77–0.84 mm, maximum height of costal area = 0.80 mm, four to five inner, six outer gradates. Hindwing: length = 10.0– 10.41 mm, width = 3.3 mm, length/width ratio = 3.03–3.15: 1, four inner, four to five outer gradates.

Other material examined. Paratypes. VENEZUELA. Portuguesa state: Ospino, Santa Barbara, 9°28.695’ N / 69º 33.111 W, 1340 m, 10–11.v.2013, 3♂♂, 5♀♀, F. Sosa & C. Martins Leg. ( MJMO). Collected with light trap; Idem, 1♂, 1♀ ( MIZA).

Known geographical distribution. Venezuela (Portuguesa).

Species relationship. U. martinsi sp. nov. is a very full colored species with shaded crossveins and dark pterostigmal spots in both fore- and hindwigs. The most similar species is U. rubricosa sp. nov., but this species has pale green coloration and a diffuse pterostigmal spot on the forewing and none on the hindwing. Furthermore, U. martinsi sp. nov. have all the Psm–Psc crossveins black, whereas in U. rubricosa sp. nov. they are green pale. The male and female terminalia of the two species are also similar; however, the U. martinsi sp. nov. S8 & 9 is considerably longer than that of U. rubricosa sp. nov.

Biological notes: A female laid a cluster of ca. 20 eggs at the tip of an elongate pedicel. Each egg had a short, very slender stalk that connected it to the central stalk ( Fig. 15 ). The deposition of clustered eggs has been reported for other species of Ungla (e.g., U. ivancruzi , U. argentina , U. binaria ), and several species of Leucochrysa (Leucochrysa) [e.g., L. (L.). nigrilabris (Banks) and L. (L.) insularis (Walker) ( Freitas, 2003; Monserrat & Freitas, 2005; Reguilón 2010; Tauber et al. 2013). In the study here, the eggs did not show embryonic development and they did not hatch; no larvae were obtained.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Caleb Martins, Msc., a Brazilian biologist who has studied chrysopids from Venezuela and Brazil. He was a fellow student in the lab of Sergio de Freitas.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Ungla martinsi sp. nov. External features. A) Head and pronotum, dorsal. B) Habitus, dorsolateral. C) Head, frontal. A, C) Paratype ♂; B) Paratype ♀.

FIGURE 12. Ungla martinsi sp. nov. Forewing, paratype ♂. Note the basal inner gradate meeting the Psm (arrow) and the black mark on the stigma of the fore- and hindwings. bsx = basal subcostal crossvein; c. a = costal area; cx = costal crossvein; ig = inner gradates; im = intramedian cell; og = outer gradates; Rs = radial sector; rx = radial crossvein; stg = stigma; Psc = pseudocubitus; Psm = pseudomedia.

FIGURE 13. Ungla martinsi sp. nov. Male abdomen. A) Male terminalia, lateral; B-C) Gonarcal complex, dorsal. Note the variation in the angle of aperture between the two specimens; D-E) Gonarcal complex, lateral. Note the variation in the horn shape; F) Gonarcal complex, frontal; F) Gonarcal complex, frontal. ap-gs = lateral apodemes of the gonarcus; ar = arcessus; cc = callus cerci; gs = gonarcus; gsac = gonosaccus; gst = gonosetae; h = horn of lateral apodeme of gonarcus; s = spiracle; S 7 = seventh sternite; S 8 + 9 = fused sternites 8 and 9; T 9 + ect = fused ninth tergite and ectoproct. A – B, D. Holotype; C, E – F) paratype.

FIGURE 14. Ungla martinsi sp. nov. Female abdomen, paratype. A) Female terminalia, lateral. B) Callus cerci. Note the long trichobothria. C) Spermathecal complex, lateral. D) Spermathecal complex, dorso-lateral. E) Subgenitale, frontal. cc = callus cerci; g. l. = gonapophysis lateralis; S 7 = seventh sternite; sg = subgenitale; sp = spermatheca; sp. d. = spermathecal duct; T # = tergite number; T 9 + ect = fused ninth tergite and ectoproct; v = velum; v. i. = ventral invagination.

FIGURE 15. Ungla martinsi sp. nov. Stalked egg cluster. A) Full view. B) Enlargement. Note the short, slender stalks that attach the eggs to the heavier main stalk. p = pedicellum.