Marcenendius nostras NavÁs, 1913

Lienhard, Charles & Baz, Arturo, 2011, Redescription of the genus Marcenendius Navás (Psocodea: ‘ Psocoptera’: Amphientomidae) with a key to western Palaearctic amphientomids, Revue suisse de Zoologie 118 (3), pp. 451-466 : 454-458

Marcenendius nostras NavÁs, 1913 Figs 1-4 ; 5a, b

Marcenendius nostras NavÁs, 1913: 334 (2 syntypes of unknown sex, depository not known, probably lost).

Marcenendius illustris NavÁs, 1923: 11 (holotype of unknown sex, depository not known, probably lost). Syn. nov.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Spain ( Alicante ): MHNG, 1♀, Xixona, Peñas Roset, under stones in a ravine (dry river bed), 15.vi.2003 , leg. V. M. Ortuño; MHNG, 1 nymph, same locality, under stones, 23.v.2004 , leg. V. M. Ortuño; UAH, 9 nymphs, same locality, under stones, 29.x.2009 , leg. V. M. Ortuño. – Spain ( Almeria ): UAH, 1♀, 5 nymphs, María, Umbria de la Virgen, under stones, 17.xii.2002 , leg. V. M. Ortuño. – Spain (Malaga): UAH, 13, Velez-Malaga , Finca La Alegria, on flight interception trap, 15.x.2008 , leg J. M. Vela. – Spain ( Mallorca island ): MHNG, 33, 1♀, 2 nymphs, CalviÁ, cave "Avenc de sa Finestreta", about 8m from the entrance inside the cave, on the wall, 1.v.2010, leg. M. Vadell ; UAH, 1 nymph, CalviÁ, cave " Avenc des Eriço ", about 15m from the entrance inside the cave, 27.iv.2007, leg. M. Vadell ; UAH, 8 nymphs, CalviÁ, cave " Cova de Na Boira ", about 12m from the entrance inside the cave, 24.ii.2007, leg. M. Vadell ; UAH, 7 nymphs, CalviÁ, cave " Cova de s'Estora ", about 7m from the entrance inside the cave, 28.iii.2010, leg. M. Vadell.

REDESCRIPTION: Colouration: Body yellowish to brown, specimens from Mallorca particularly dark coloured. Compound eyes black; vertex yellowish with some light brown patches, vertical suture distinct, frontal sutures faint or not visible;

Marcenendius nostras NavÁs , from Mallorca, on wall of cave (sex unknown, body length about 3 mm): (a) Habitus in dorsolateral view. (b) Habitus in dorsal view. Photographs: M. Vadell.

postclypeus, frons and genae brown, anteclypeus yellow; basal two thirds of labrum brown, apical part yellowish white. Thorax laterally with a longitudinal zone of reddish brown hypodermal pigment, legs yellowish to medium brown, no transversal annulation visible on tibiae. Forewing membrane tinged with brown in basal two thirds, apical one third very light brown or almost hyaline; pattern due to scales somewhat variable (see Fig. 1 ), usually not well-preserved in alcohol specimens. Hindwing membrane light brown, with few scales. Membranous parts of abdomen yellowish with some hypodermal pigment, in particular laterally; terminalia light to dark brown; in male the three sternites preceding hypandrium medially with a brown sclerotized transversal band.

Morphology: See genus diagnosis (above) and identification key (below), with the following additions. Vertex abruptly rounded but not clearly sharp-edged, occiput slightly concave. Compound eyes of about same size in both sexes ( IO / D 1 .9-2,2). Tip of lacinia as in Figs 2c and 3e , inner tine relatively close to lacinial apex (i. e. outer tine not much longer than its basal width), shape of distal margin of outer tine somewhat variable. Pretarsal claws with a distinct preapical tooth and a row of microtrichia on ventral margin, femora of forelegs antero-ventrally with a longitudinal row of small denticles (see Lienhard, 1998: Fig. 49i, j), Pearman's organ of hindcoxa incomplete (tympanum present, rasp absent). Wing venation as in Fig. 2a, b ; forewing densely covered with scales, hindwing with scales only in apical and marginal parts; scales longitudinally striate, with truncate or slightly concave apex. – Female terminalia: Epiproct and paraproct simple. Gonapophyses as in Figs 2h and 3b , usually bare (in the female from Mallorca with a very fine subbasal hair on the right ventral valvula and one/two such hairs on external valvulae). Subgenital plate heavily pilose, dorsally on each side near lateral margin of apical part with a more or less sclerotized area (this area particularly well-sclerotized in the female from Mallorca , shown by interrupted lines in Fig. 3a ), T-shaped sclerite reduced to a small tubercle ( Figs 2d and 3a ). Spermapore region with an oval or almost circular plate bearing the spermapore and a triangular appendix ( Figs 2g , 3c ). Spermathecal duct long and spirally coiled; duct/sac interface as in Fig. 2f , wall of sac near origin of duct with a transversal row of 8 ( Alicante ♀) or 9 ( Mallorca ♀) denticles, some of them minute; canal of spermatophore bent but not S-shaped ( Fig. 2f ). – Male terminalia: Epiproct, paraproct and hypandrium simple, the latter comprising two sclerotized sternites. Phallosome as in Fig. 3d .

MEASUREMENTS: Female (♀ Alicante/ ♀ Mallorca): BL = 2.7/3.2 mm; FW = 2.8/3.2 mm; HW = 2.3/2.6 mm; F = 710/775 µm; T = 1325/1370 µm; t1 = 690/755 µm; t2 = 84/103 µm; t3 = 130/132 µm; IO/D = 1.9/2.2. – Male (Mallorca 3 MHNG 8060): BL = 2.9 mm; FW = 3.3 mm; HW = 2.7 mm; F = 770 µm; T = 1380 µm; t1 = 760 µm; t2 = 100 µm; t3 = 133 µm; IO/D = 2.1.

DISTRIBUTION (see also Fig. 4 ): Spain: Alicante (Orihuela, S of Alicante, type locality of M. nostras ; Xixona, Peñas Roset, see above), Tarragona (Cabaces, a village in the hills near Montsant, region near Reus, type locality of M. illustris ), Almeria (María, see above), Malaga (Velez-Malaga, see above), Mallorca (CalviÁ, see above).

DISCUSSION: This macropterous species is characterized by the strong reduction of the T-shaped sclerite of the female subgenital plate ( Figs 2d , 3a ). No significant Marcenendius nostras NavÁs , from Alicante, female: (a) Forewing (pigmentation of membrane not shown). (b) Hindwing (ditto). (c) Lacinial tip. (d) Hindmargin of subgenital plate with rudiment of T-shaped sclerite, pilosity not shown. (e) Labrum, pilosity not shown. (f) Spermatheca, sac near duct, with one spermatophore. (g) Spermapore region. (h) Gonapophyses. Marcenendius nostras NavÁs , from Mallorca, female (a-c) and male (d-e): (a) Hindmargin of subgenital plate with rudiment of T-shaped sclerite and dorsolateral sclerotized areas (interrupted lines), pilosity not shown. (b) Gonapophyses. (c) Spermapore region. (d) Phallosome. (e) Lacinial tip.

diagnostic characters separating M. nostras from M. illustris are indicated by NavÁs (1913, 1923). In view of the new material from south-eastern Spain and from Mallorca (see Fig. 4 ), belonging to one relatively widely distributed and rather variable species (the Mallorca specimens are somewhat darker and larger than the specimens from continental Spain), we see no reason to think that NavÁs' specimen from Tarragona might represent another species of this genus. Thus, we tentatively propose the above mentioned synonymy. The species has been found under stones in open places (Alicante and Almeria specimens) but also in caves, relatively near to their entrance (Mallorca specimens). Nymphal camouflage has not been directly observed in this species. The presence of corkscrew hairs (see genus discussion) suggests a similar biology as described below for M. fortunatus .

Figures

FIG. 1

FIG. 2

FIG. 3

FIG. 4 Marcenendius nostras NavÁs, map of distribution.

FIG. 5. Marcenendius nostras NavÁs: (a) Biotope (dry river bed) of the Alicante specimens (Peñas Roset). (b) General view of Peñas Roset. – Marcenendius fortunatus (NavÁs): (c) Female from Fuerteventura island (Canary Islands), near Lajares, 15.xi.1998, habitus in dorsolateral view, body length 2.5 mm. (d) Biotope of this specimen (stone wall built by humans). Photographs: V. M. Ortuño (a, b), C. Lienhard (c, d).