Miroculis (Miroculis) caparaoensis Salles & Lima 2011

Raimundi, Erikcsen Augusto, Domínguez, Eduardo & Salles, Frederico Falcão, 2021, Description of a new species, nymphs of two known species and a new record of Miroculis Edmunds, 1963 (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Brazil, Zootaxa 4963 (2), pp. 384-392 : 387-390

Miroculis (Miroculis) caparaoensis Salles & Lima 2011

Figures 7; 10 ; 13–14

Miroculis (Miroculis) caparaoensis Salles & Lima, 2011: 53 (male and female imago); Massariol, Soares & Salles, 2014: 370.

Diagnosis. The nymph of Miroculis (M.) caparaoensis differs from the remaining species of Miroculis by the following combination of characters: 1) labrum with anterolateral margin rounded ( Fig. 7 ); 2) maxilla with 56–61 pectinate setae along subapical margin; 3) posterolateral spines on abdominal segments V–IX, more developed from VII to IX; and 4) gills narrow, with the lateral lobes present, and trachea unbranched.

Description. Mature nymph—in alcohol ( Fig. 10 ).

MEASUREMENTS (mm). Body: 4.7–5.1 Thorax: fore leg: 3.5–3.7; mid leg: 3.2–3.4; hind leg: 3.5–3.6. RATIOS. Mouthparts: segment III of maxillary palp 0.5× segment II; segment II 1.0–1.2× segment I; segment III of labial palp 0.4–0.5× segment II; segment III 0.4–0.6× segment I; segment II 1.2–1.4× segment I. Legs: width of fore femur 0.3× length; width of mid-femur 0.4–0.5× length. Abdomen: width of lamella of gill in its wider part 0.13× length of gill; length of medial filament of gill 0.9–1.0× length of lamella. COLORATION. Body. Light brown. Head: yellowish brown, pale yellow marks along epicranial and frontal sutures, and between compound eye and lateral ocellus; grayish mark among lateral and medial ocelli and antenna; antenna brown with scape and flagellum lighter. Labrum brown basally, lighter toward apex. Mandible yellowish brown; maxilla, hypopharynx, and labium washed with grayish brown. Thorax: pro- and mesonotum yellowish brown, except for grayish brown marks on sublateral and anteromedial margins of pronotum. Sterna yellowish. Prosternum light yellowish with oblique gray mark sublaterally. Fore and hind wing pads pigmented. Legs: pale yellow. Femora with subapical gray mark on dorsal and ventral surfaces; tibiae with incomplete brown band subbasally, and complete brown band apically; tarsi washed with light brown. Abdomen: terga yellowish brown; terga I–X with longitudinal grayish brown stripe on anterosubmedial margin, and with grayish brown mark along posterior margin; terga I–VII with antero-sublateral brown band. Sterna light yellow; grayish brown marks sublaterally on sterna I–VII and submedial on sterna I–VIII. Gills with membrane grayish and trachea dark gray ( Fig. 11 ). MORPHOLOGY. Head: clypeus anteriorly concave; anterolateral margin of labrum rounded ( Fig. 7 ); maxilla with 56–61 pectinate setae along subapical margin. Abdomen: posterolateral spines present on segment IV or V–IX, more developed on VII–IX. Gills with trachea unbranched; lengths of inner and outer margin of lamella subequal ( Fig. 11 ).

Male and female imagos ( Figs 13–14 ). Properly described by Salles & Lima (2011); additional information as follows. Male imago: MEASUREMENT (mm): fore wings: 5.9–7.3; hind wing: 1.6–2.3. RATIOS: lateral length of styliger plate: 0.5–0.7 lateral margin; penis length 0.7–0.8 forceps segment I. MORPHOLOGY: inner and outer margins of forceps with different types of rugosity ( Fig. 13 ). In the inner margin they are short, high, with crenulated edges, and in the outer, they are long, low and with smooth edges ( Fig. 14 ).

Distribution. BRAZIL: Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais.

Material examined. BRAZIL: Espírito Santo: 1 nymph (n), Alfredo Chaves , municipality, 20°32’58.9’’S, 40°51’18.8’’W, 566m, 31.i.2012, D-net sampler ; 13n, Iúna ( Parque Nacional do Caparaó — PNC), 20°24’38.7’’S, 41°50’3.6’’W, 1976m, 13.x.2011, Raimundi, E. R.; Massariol, F.C., D-net sampler; 32n, Ibitirama ( PNC), 20°23’48.1’’S, 41°44’8.1’’W, 1076m, 15.x.2011, Raimundi, E. R.; Massariol , F.C., D-net sampler; 9n, Ibitirama ( PNC), 20°28’8.8’’S, 41°43’22.5’’W, 1063m, 21.iv.2008, D-net sampler ; 13n, Ibitirama ( PNC), 20°28’8.8’’S, 41°43’22.5’’W, 959m, 21.iv.2008, D-net sampler ; 3n, Santa Teresa (border of Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi ), 19°52’31.7’’S, 40°31’47.3’’W, 705m, 16.xi.2008, D-net sampler ; 5n, Santa Teresa (border of Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi ), 19°52’32.6’’S, 40°31’49.8’’W, 721m, 19.i.2008, D-net sampler. Minas Gerais: 10n, Alto Caparaó ( PNC), 20°25’11.6’’S, 41°50’11.6’’W, 1309m, 12.x.2011, Raimundi, E. R.; Massariol, F.C., D-net sampler; 32n, Espera Feliz ( PNC), 20°37’30.3’’S, 41°49’27.1’’W, 884m, 15.x.2011, Raimundi, E. R.; Massariol, F.C., D-net sampler; 44n, Alto Caparaó ( PNC), 20°28’19.5’’S, 41°49’41.7’’W, 1972m, 16.x.2011, Raimundi, E. R .; Massariol , F.C., D-net sampler; 1n, Alto Caparaó ( PNC), 20°28’57.1’’S, 41°49’50.4’’W, 1850m, 22.iv.2008, D-net sampler ; 5n, Alto Caparaó ( PNC), 20°25’11.6’’S, 41°50’11.6’’W, 1309m, 23.iii.2009, Raimundi, E. R.; Massariol, F.C., D-net sampler; 3n, Alto Caparaó ( PNC), 20°27’21.4’’S, 41°48’’32.1’’W, 2250m, 23.iv.2008, Raimundi, E. R.; Massariol , F.C., D-net sampler; 2n, Alto Caparaó ( PNC), 20°28’52.6’’S, 41°49’44.6’’W, 1854m, 23.iv.2008, D-net sampler ; 1n, Alto Caparaó ( PNC), 20°28’57’’S, 41°49’50.2’’W, 1855m, 25.iii.2009, D-net sampler ; 6♀, 4♂, Espera Feliz ( PNC), 20°37’30.3”S, 41°49’27.1”W, 884m, 14.x.2011, Raimundi, EA ; Massariol, FC, Insect Net. All the specimens are housed at UFVB .

Biological aspects. Miroculis (M.) caparaoensis is distributed in the Atlantic Forest biome, mainly associated with protected areas (such as the Parque Nacional do Caparaó) and adjacencies, including on the border of Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi, in altitudes from 566 to 2250 m.a.s.l. Nymphs occur in a range of small to large streams, but they always are associated with leaf litter, among rocky substrates, in weak to moderate current. A flight of M. (M.) caparaoensis was recorded between 5 and 6 PM, approximately 3m above ground, with an abundance of about 50 specimens, both male and female.

Figures

FIGURES 7–10. Miroculis spp., nymph. Figures 7 to 9, schematic representation of dorsal view of labrum: 7) Miroculis (Miroculis) caparaoensis; 8) Miroculis (Ommaethus) misionens; 9) Miroculis (Atroari) amazonicus; 10) habitus in dorsal view of Miroculis (Miroculis) caparaoensis.

FIGURES 13–14. Miroculis (Miroculis) caparaoensis, Scanning Electron Microscopy of apical ⅓ of forceps segment I: 13) Types of rugosities on inner and outer margin; 14) detail of the rugosities.

FIGURES 11–12. Miroculis gills IV: 11) Miroculis (Miroculis) caparaoensis; 12) Miroculis (Ommaethus) misionens.