Eyarinella robusta, Zettel & Laciny, 2021

Zettel, Herbert & Laciny, Alice, 2021, The taxonomy of some unusual Microveliinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from India, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 517-527 : 522-523

Eyarinella robusta sp. nov.

( Figs 3, 4 , 16–24 )

Type material: Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ: J (apterous) ( NHMW), labelled “ INDIA: Kerala, 8.1.1999 \ 10km WSW Munnar, 1200m \ Kallar Valley, 10°03′N 76°59′E \ leg.D. Boukal (52)”. Pൺඋൺඍඒඉൾඌ ( NHMW): 1J (apterous) with same label data; 1♀ (apterous),labelled “ INDIA: Kerala, 7.1.1999 \ 10km WSW Munnar, 1100m \ Kallar Valley, 10°03′N 76°58′E \ leg. D. Boukal (50)”; 1 ♀ (apterous; allotype), labelled “ INDIA: Kerala, Kallar Valley \ 10km WSW Munnar, \ 10°03′N 76°58–59′E \ 1100- \, 1200 m a.s.l., 7– 8.1.1999 \ leg. D. Boukal (49/52)”; 1 ♀ (apterous), labelled “ INDIA: Tamil Nadu, 25.1.1999 \ Shevaroy Hills, Yercaud \ Kiliyur Falls env. \ 11°47′N 78°12′E, 1400m \ leg. D. Boukal (85)”; 1 ♀ (apterous), labelled “S. INDIA, KERALA, Thekkady \ Periyar Lake, 09°34′N 77°10′E \ 900- 1000m, 19.-27.IV.1997 \ leg. Dembicky & Pacholátko leg.” Description of apterous male. Measurements of holotype: Body length 2.52; maximum body width (at abdominal segment 4) 1.05. Head length 0.44, width 0.65. Synthlipsis 0.36. Pronotum length 0.38, width 0.91. Lengths of antennomeres, I 0.44, II 0.34, III 0.48, IV 0.60. Lengths of leg segments: profemur 0.76, protibia 0.72, protarsus 0.34, mesofemur 0.88, mesotibia 0.82, mesotarsus 0.14 + 0.29, metafemur 1.00, metatibia 1.02, metatarsus 0.12 + 0.28; protibial comb length 0.02; comb index 0.03. Measurements of paratypes (n = 1): Body length 2.57; maximum body width (at abdominal segment 4) 1.08. Head length 0.44, width 0.66. Synthlipsis 0.35. Pronotum length 0.34, width 0.89. Protibia length 0.70; protibial comb length 0.03; comb index 0.03.

Colour ( Fig. 3 ): Dark brown to black. Posterior margin of head and stripes along medial eye margin more or less dark orange; only holotype provided posteriorly with a pair of yellow marks. Pronotum anteromedially with a transverse, broad, yellow stripe, sides and a narrow hind margin more or less orange-brown; sharp edge on propleuron below eye yellow. Mediotergite 1 at middle orange-brown. Narrow lateral margins of laterotergites and sterna pale orange. Sides of segment 8 yellowish. Antenna pale brown. Legs basally pale yellow, apices of femora, bases and apices of tibiae, and apices of tarsi indistinctly infuscate.

Pilosity: A short grey appressed pilosity covering body except disc of pronotum. In addition, almost entire body (except sides and venter of head and thorax) with scattered long setae, longest on pronotum and dorsalmost part of metapleuron; those on head and pronotum standing, those on abdomen oblique. Metapleuron densely hirsute. Silverish hairs ( Fig. 3 ) arranged in a pair of large patches laterally on mediotergite 1 and small patches at hind margins of laterotergites 2–6. Antenna with two long setae on antennomere I, and one on antennomere II; all antennomeres with several shorter setae. Legs densely beset with decumbent pilosity; profemur with row of standing setae on flexor side; meso- and metafemur with some longer oblique setae on flexor side subapically; all tibiae with moderately long, oblique setae on extensor sides.

Structures: Head ( Fig. 16 ) short, with pointed apex, posterodorsally deeply inserted in strongly concave anterior margin of pronotum. Eye moderately large ( Figs 16, 17 ), posteriorly touching pronotum. Antenna very long and slender; antennomere I surpassing apex of head by about three fourths of its length ( Fig. 16 ); antennomeres II more slender, III and IV very slender, filiform. Pronotum ( Fig. 16 ) long, anterior margin broadly concave, posterior margin broadly convex, but with a shallow concavity in approximately medial fourth; only there metanotum visible as a narrow transverse line. Pronotum with transverse rows of punctures in front of and behind yellow stripe, and with scattered punctures on disc except on midline. Propleuron with short ridge at anterior margin behind eye ( Fig. 17 ). Legs moderately long, stout; profemur slightly narrower than mesofemur and much narrower than metafemur ( Fig. 19 ). Protibial grasping comb very stout, situated on a small apical spur ( Fig. 18 ). Pregenital abdomen very broad; mediotergites about three times wider than laterotergites; mediotergite 7 ca. 1.5 times longer than 6, about 2.2 times wider than long. Segment 8 ( Fig. 21 ) moderately wide, subcylindrical. Pygophore ( Fig. 22 ) slender, ca. 1.9 times as long as wide, distally upcurved, and with concave posterior margin. Proctiger ( Fig. 23 ) narrow, tongue-shaped, about twice as long as wide, apex narrowly rounded. Parameres ( Fig. 24 ) symmetrical, very long and slender, curved, in resting position surpassing apex of proctiger.

Description of apterous female. Measurements of allotype: Body length 2.69; maximum body width (at abdominal segment 4) 1.34. Head length 0.50, width 0.68. Synthlipsis 0.39. Pronotum length 0.34, width 0.92. Lengths of antennomeres, I 0.47, II 0.35, III 0.47, IV 0.57. Lengths of leg segments: profemur 0.80, protibia 0.74, protarsus 0.38, mesofemur 0.90, mesotibia 0.88, mesotarsus 0.14 + 0.31, metafemur 1.10, metatibia 1.15, metatarsus 0.16 + 0.31. Measurements of paratypes (n = 3): Body length 2.53–2.59; maximum body width (at metapleura) 1.26–1.29. Head length 0.44–0.47, width 0.63–0.66. Synthlipsis 0.35–0.36. Pronotum length 0.31–0.33, width 0.89–0.90.

Colour ( Fig. 4 ): Similar to male, in some specimens slightly darker.

Pilosity: Similar to male, but short pilosity also present on pronotal disk, and very long, erect setae all over dorsum of head and thorax, mediotergites, laterotergites, and sides of sterna. Long pilosity partially rubbed off in some specimens. Patches of silverish pilosity ( Fig. 4 ) laterally on mediotergite 1 more extended than in male; in addition, a larger central part of mediotergites 6 and 7 silverish. Gonocoxa 1 only with short pilosity.

Structures: Head and thorax similar as in male. Pronotum without concavity of hind margin. Propleuron without ridge behind eye. Abdomen wider than in male, but posteriorly more narrowed. Mediotergite 7 ( Fig. 20 ) about 2.1 times as long as wide. Mediotergite 8 flat, wider than long, directed posteriorly. Proctiger narrow, posteriorly protruded. Gonocoxa 1 flat, base concealed by sternum 7. Etymology. The species epithet, the Latin adjective robustus (- a, - um), refers to the stout body shape.

Figures

Figs 1–4. Habitus of Thirumalaia ocularis gen. nov. & sp. nov. (1 – apterous male, 2 – apterous female), and of Eyarinella robusta gen. nov. & sp. nov. (3 – apterous male, 4 – apterous female).

Figs 16–24. Structural details of Eyarinella robusta gen. nov. & sp. nov.: 16 – head, first antennomere, and pronotum, dorsal; 17 – head and anterior margin of pronotum, lateral; 18 – foreleg of male (arrow points at proximal end of grasping comb); 19 – metafemur of male; 20 – abdominal segments 6–8, and proctiger of female, dorsal; 21 – abdominal segment 8 of male, ventral; 22 – pygophore of male, ventral; 23 – proctiger of male, dorsal; 24 – left paramere, lateral. Pilosity omitted, except in Fig. 24.