Steinovelia vittata Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, 2022

Rodrigues, Juliana Mourao dos Santos, Crumiere, Antonin Jean Johan, Toubiana, William, Khila, Abderrahman & Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo, 2022, New species and new records of semiaquatic bugs (Arthropoda, Insecta, Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Gerromorpha) from French Guiana, ZooKeys 1126, pp. 155-199 : 155

Steinovelia vittata Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira sp. nov.

Figs 19 , 20 , 21

Type material examined.

French Guiana • macropterous ♂ holotype; Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Nouragues, Camp Inselberg; 4.0892, -52.6772; 16 Oct. 2016; A.J.J. Crumière, A. Khila, F.F.F. Moreira, W. Toubiana leg.; CEIOC 82140.

Description.

Macropterous male (Figs 19 , 20 ). BL 4.07; HL 0.45; HW 0.60; ANT I 1.15; ANT II partially lost; ANT III-IV lost; EYE 0.15; PL 1.25; PW 1.02; FORELEG: FEM 1.20, TIB 1.05, TAR I-TAR III lost; MIDLEG: FEM 1.80, TIB 1.75, TAR I-TAR III lost; HINDLEG: FEM 1.85, TIB-TARIII lost.

Dorsum of head yellow, darker towards frons, with short dark setae on vertex, and longer setae on frons, along mesal eye margin and posterolateral angles; side brown, darker posterior to eye; venter brown, darker below labium. Antenniferous tubercle brown. Antennomere I brown, darker on short basal ring, densely covered by short curved brown setae, with rows of longer thin setae; remaining portion of antennomere II brown, covered by short curved brown setae only. Eye shining, dark red, without ocular setae. Buccula yellowish brown, densely covered by curved light setae. Jugum and adjacent portion of proepisternum without patches of silvery setae or black denticles. Labium yellowish brown up to base of article III; rest of III and base of IV brown; rest of IV dark brown.

Pronotum brown laterally, darker on sides of anterior lobe, yellow on a wide longitudinal stripe that continues over closed forewings; sparsely covered by straight medium setae, with longer setae on sides; without patches of silvery setae. Thoracic pleura brown, with a rough longitudinal yellow stripe above acetabula, covered by sparse long light setae, these more densely concentrated anteriorly on propleura; without patches or stripes of silvery setae. Lateral surface of acetabula brown, with sparse irregular yellowish areas, without patches or stripes of silvery setae. Proepisternum and prosternum yellow; a dense cover of long golden setae anteriorly; meso- and metasterna dark brown, with sparse medium-sized golden setae; a fringe of golden setae along posterior margin of metasternum. Mesal surfaces of acetabula yellowish brown, darker on metacetabulum; sparse setae on pro- and mesoacetabulum; a more dense cover on metacetabulum.

Forewings opaque; when closed, dark brown laterally, yellow on wide median stripe that continues from pronotum; with long golden and brown setae on brown areas; a pair of irregular yellow maculae laterally to median stripe close to apex of wings; veins mostly yellow, brown to dark brown basally and anteriorly. Apical portion of hindwings pulled to the side of forewings; translucent brown, with veins darker and a reticular pattern of minute cells with darker margins; margins of wing with fringe of short and medium setae apically.

Coxae pale yellow, with golden setae on margins. Trochanters pale yellow, with a longitudinal, brown stripe on posterior surface that continues onto femora; fore trochanter with golden setae on margins, and few thick conical black setae near apex of posterior margin; middle trochanter densely margined by curved short setae, with rows of longer, more straight setae; hind trochanter densely covered by setae, these more numerous close to apex. Femora, viewed dorsally, yellow, with a shorter and a longer preapical brown rings; posterior surface with longitudinal brown stripe continuing from trochanter, preapically interrupted by yellow area; densely covered by short and medium straight brown setae, with rows of long, brown setae on anterior and posterior surfaces; these long setae longer on posterior surface. Fore femur with several thick conical black setae / spinules approximately organized in rows on posterior surface, scarcer towards apex. Middle femur with few of these setae / spinules approximately on distal third. Hind femur with two rows of these setae / spinules along length of posterior surface. Posterior surface of middle femur with dense cover of medium setae curved on apex; distal portion of anterior surface with dense cover of medium-sized black setae. Fore and middle tibiae brown, each with a pair of submedian yellow rings; covered by medium setae curved on apex. Fore tibia with few longer, straighter setae in rows on distal portion of anterior and posterior surfaces; a dense preapical cover of thick, straight setae on ventral surface; without grasping comb; with strong black pegs approximately organized in rows on posterior surface and apical grooming comb. Middle tibia with rows of long straight setae on anterior and posterior surfaces; without conical black setae / spinules, or black pegs.

Abdominal laterotergites covered by wings, except for narrow brown posterolateral corners of last segment. Side of abdomen dark brown, with lighter stripe below wings; stripe wider and lighter posteriorly; sparse medium and long brown setae along segments; last segment with denser cover of long setae on lateral margin and posterolateral corner. Venter of abdomen velvety brown laterally, with a submedian pair of rough longitudinal darker brown stripes, and median line lighter brown; central areas of segments covered by short straight black setae, intermixed with longer lighter more curved setae, these longer setae are more dense submedially and posteriorly on each segment. Terminalia light brown.

Head wide, with shining, shining impressed median line fading posteriorly, and a pair of curved shining indentations between midline and posterior portion of eyes; frons projecting medially. Antennomere I thicker than remaining portion of II, curved laterally; remaining portion of II cylindrical, straight. Antenniferous tubercles swollen, almost half as wide as eye (~ 43%); anterior margin widely concave. Posterior margin of eye distant from pronotum by ~ 22% of dorsal eye length. Buccula with a central punctilla. Labium almost reaching middle of mesosternum.

Pronotum convex; in lateral view, higher right after humeri, declining posteriorly; anterior margin slightly concave; lateral margins of anterior lobe swollen, rounded; constriction between anterior and posterior lobes; humeri elevated, conically projected, with apex broken on both sides of body; lateral margins of posterior lobe slightly sinuous anteriorly, then tapering to apex; posterior angle widely rounded; row of subtle circular punctillae adjacent to anterior margin; punctillae unnoticeable on rest of anterior lobe, present on posterior lobe, larger posteriorly. Pleura with a row of circular punctillae posteriorly on prothorax and another anteriorly on mesothorax. Acetabula with scattered circular punctillae. Surfaces of meso- and metasterna with minute circular punctations; intersegmental region between these segments without two pairs of small tubercles medially. Mesoacetabula without large circular puncture mesally, not prolonged into a posterior tubercle. Posterior margin of prosternum almost straight. Posterior margin of mesosternum slightly convex. Metasternum with lateral tubercles near middle coxae underdeveloped, almost imperceptible; a circular punctilla near each tubercle; posterior margin almost straight.

Forewings covering abdominal laterotergites except for posterolateral angles of last segment, reaching base of proctiger, with two proximal and two distal closed cells; division between cells on anterior side almost imperceptible.

Fore and middle femora of approximately same width; hind femur slightly wider, without strong spines. Fore tibia slightly clavate, with a weak preapical depression on ventral surface.

In dorsal view, abdomen narrowed between hind coxae and trochanters. Abdominal sterna with longitudinal striae laterally; small transverse regions of differently textured cuticle anteriorly on abdominal sterna IV-VII; sternum II laterally compressed, with a wide smooth median carina; sterna III-VI transversally rectangular, of approximately same length; VII with posterior margin widely concave, and wide rounded posterolateral angles, these angles reaching half of abdominal segment VIII length. Abdominal segment VIII with dorsal apical margin projecting centrally (Fig. 20D, E ). Proctiger elongated; lateral margins irregular; apex rounded (Fig. 20F ). Paramere dolphin-shaped; dorsal margin with large, rounded projection almost at middle; apex finger-like, curved mesally, much narrower than rest of paramere (Fig. 20C, G ).

Etymology.

The specific epithet vittata (Latin, feminine) refers to the wide yellow stripe along the dorsum of this new species.

Comments.

Steinovelia vittata Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov. diverges from the redescription of the genus provided in its latest revision ( Moreira et al. 2020) in the following features: 1) sides of body with many silvery setae, sometimes forming longitudinal rows (vs. patches or stripes of silvery setae completely absent from the new species; Fig. 19C ); and 2) paramere elongate and narrow, slightly tapering to apex (vs. dolphin-shaped, with a dorsal projection, abruptly narrowed near apex; Fig. 20C, G ). The silvery setae are replaced in S. vittata by the more widespread golden setae and, on the sides of the body, by a yellow stripe above the acetabula, and a light brown stripe laterally on the abdominal sterna below the wings (Fig. 19 ). Additionally, the transverse glabrous areas on the anterior margins of abdominal sterna III-VII mentioned by Moreira et al. (2020) for Steinovelia are in fact adjacent to (not on) the anterior margins of sterna IV-VII (not III-VII) (check fig. 2D in the same article). These are represented in the new species by small regions of differently textured cuticle in the corresponding areas, but that are not completely devoid of short setae (Fig. 19B ). The presence of short setae in these areas in the other species of Steinovelia needs to be verified, perhaps using scanning electron microscopy, for a proper assessment of this character.

Despite of the differences discussed above, this new species fits better in Steinovelia than in any other described genus of Neotropical Veliinae , and it seems unreasonable to describe an entire new genus just to allocate it, in face of the many similarities shared with its proposed congeners. Among the features reported in the latest redescription of Steinovelia , we can cite: 1) general body shape elongated, widest across humeri (Fig. 19A ); 2) ocular setae absent (Fig. 19A, C ); 3) black denticles absent from jugum and adjacent portion of proespisternum (Fig. 19D ); 4) humeral angles forming projections (Fig. 19C ); 5) posterior angle of pronotum broadly rounded (Fig. 19A ); 6) forewings without basal maculae, but with distinct color pattern (Fig. 19A ); 7) mesoacetabula not prolonged into tubercles, without large, deep puncture on mesal surface (Fig. 19B, D ); 8) intersegmental region between the meso- and metasterna without two pairs of small tubercles medially (Fig. 19D ); 9) metasternum with a pair of small tubercles laterally (underdeveloped in some cases, such as in the new species) and almost straight posterior margin (Fig. 19D ); 10) femora and tibiae annulated in brown and yellow (Fig. 19A-C ); 11) black conical setae / spinules / pegs present on posterior surfaces of femora and tibiae (Fig. 19C ); 12) abdominal mediotergites II and III each with a prominent pair of submedian longitudinal carinae; and 13) abdominal sternum VII without expansions or projections (Fig. 19E, F ).

Heretofore, Steinovelia included four valid species: S. permista (Drake, 1951); S. stagnalis (Burmeister, 1835); S. vinnula (Drake, 1951); and S. virgata (White, 1879). Steinovelia vittata can be immediately distinguished from the others by the wide yellow median stripe dorsally along the body (Fig. 19A ), and by the absence of silvery patches or stripes (Fig. 19A-C ). Its congeners bear patches and/or stripes of silvery setae and, when macropterous, show a much more diffuse pattern of light and dark areas on the pronotum and forewings. Additional diagnostic features of this new species include the posterior margin of the eye distant from the pronotum by ~ 22% of the dorsal eye length (Fig. 19A ); the proportionally large conical projections of the humeri (Fig. 19C ); the relatively narrow hind femur without strong spines (Fig. 19B ); the forewings almost completely covering the abdominal laterotergites, except for the posterolateral angles of the last segment (Fig. 19A, F ); the abdomen narrowed between the hind coxae and trochanters (Fig. 19A, B ); the posterolateral angles of male abdominal sternum VII reaching approximately half of abdominal segment VIII length (Fig. 19E ); the male abdominal segment VIII with the dorsal apical margin projected centrally (Fig. 20D, E ); and the shapes of the proctiger (Fig. 20F ) and paramere (Fig. 20C, G ).

Figures

Figure 19. Steinovelia vittata Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov., macropterous male holotype A habitus, dorsal view B habitus, ventral view C habitus, lateral view D thoracic sterna, coxae, fore and middle trochanters, part of fore femora, and abdominal sternum II, ventral view E apex of abdomen, ventral view F apex of abdomen, lateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A-C); 0.2 mm (D-F).

Figure 20. Steinovelia vittata Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov., macropterous male holotype, terminalia A, B, C genital capsule A dorsal view B ventral view C lateral view D, E abdominal segment VIII, dorsal and ventral views, respectively F proctiger, dorsal view G pygophore and paramere, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (A-E); 0.2 mm (F, G).

Figure 21. Geographic distribution of Steinovelia vittata Rodrigues, Khila & Moreira, sp. nov. in the Reserve Naturelle Nationale des Nouragues, Camp Inselberg (4.0892, - 52.6772), French Guiana.