Pseudovelia zhengi Li, Bu & Ye 2022, sp.nov.
Creators: name: Li, Zihe
name: Jin, Zezhong
name: Bu, Wenjun
name: Ye, Zhen
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Veliidae
Pseudovelia
Pseudovelia zhengi

description: Pseudovelia zhengi Li, Bu &Ye sp.nov.
(Figs. 6, 12, 22, 28, 34, 40, 46, 52, 58, 64)
Material examined. Holotype: apterous male, CHINA, Anhui Prov., Anqing city, Yuexi County, Yaoluoping Nature Reserve, 20 July 2012, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM). Paratypes: CHINA, Anhui Prov.: 2 apterous males, 1 apterous female, same data as holotype (NKUM); CHINA, Henan Prov.: 1 apterous male, 1 apterous female, Xinyang city, Jigongshan Nature Reserve, 27 August 2014, Zhen Ye leg. (NKUM).
Diagnosis. P. zhengi sp. nov. is similar to P. taiwanensis Ye, Polhemus & Bu, 2013 and P. sichuanensis Ye & Bu, 2015. However, P. zhengi sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. taiwanensis by its relatively longer body (P. zhengi sp. nov. 2.26–2.31 vs. P. taiwanensis 2.05–2.09) and more slender abdominal segment VIII (i.e., about 2.31 times as long as wide, Figs. 40, 46), whereas abdominal segment VIII of P. taiwanensis is about 1.96 times as long as wide. In addition, compared with P. taiwanensis, the medial portion on the venter of the fore tibia of P. zhengi sp. nov. has a distinct process. This species can be distinguished from P. sichuanensis by the hind margin of abdominal segment VIII without some distinct specific modifications (e.g., distinct laminar processes) (Figs. 40, 46, 52, 58). Moreover, the abdomen of P. zhengi sp. nov. is more slender than the abdomen of P. sichuanensis, and the end of the abdomen of P. zhengi sp. nov. does not have dense, short hairs compared to that of P. sichuanensis.
Description. Apterous male (Fig. 6). Color: ground color yellowish-brown, head brown, clypeus brown, rostrum yellowish-brown with black apex, buccula red-brown; antennal segment I yellowish-brown, apical part infuscated, segments II–IV brown; pronotum yellowish-brown, with dense black spots on posterior part, lateral part of metanotum yellowish-brown; legs (Figs. 22, 28, 34) mainly yellowish-brown, femora yellowish, apices of femora infuscated, tibiae and tarsi brown, grasping combs brown; mediotergites dark-brown, connexiva yellowish-brown, lateral part of mediotergite I, medial parts of mediotergites II, III, VI and VII with prominent silvery pubescence; abdominal segment VIII (Figs. 40, 52), pygophore (Fig. 64) and proctiger yellowish, each of them weakly infuscated apically. Structural characteristics: body small-sized, bearing short and grayish setae, area around eyes and antennal segment I covered by relatively few, longer, grayish setae. Head short and wide, relatively perpendicular to thorax, without inflection; buccula clearly visible, but not produced posteriorly; eyes bare except for the presence of two ocular setae. Pronotum relatively broad, bearing dense, dark punctures on the posterior portion of lobe, hind pronotal margin nearly straight, anterior margin slightly emarginated; metanotum completely hidden beneath pronotal lobe except laterally. Fore tibia (Fig. 22) covered with dense, short setae, medial part of venter on fore tibia with process, grasping comb relatively thin; middle leg (Fig. 28) slender, tibia covered with dense, suberect, slender setae; hind femur (Fig. 34) slightly stout, tibia with suberect, needle-like setae, basal part of venter on hind tarsal segment I with a tuft of long, black bristles (Fig. 34), ventral arolium bristle-like. Abdomen almost flat, connexiva slightly raised, with suberect, few, short and brown setae; abdominal venter flat. Genital segments: relatively small, abdominal segment VIII (Figs. 40, 46, 52, 58) relatively slender, tubular-like, about 2.31 times as long as wide, hind margin with dense, short and brown hairs, ventrally with subtriangular depression, lateral margins of depression with a pair of short, brown setae, hind margin of depression with a pair of tiny processes with tufts of short, brown setae; lateral margin of pygophore (Fig. 64) with a pair of yellowish hairs, posterior part of pygophore with dense, yellowish hairs; proctiger subrectangular, with rounded apex; parameres symmetrical, small, stick-like, with rounded apex.
Apterous female (Fig. 12). Color: similar to male. Structural characteristics: body medium-sized, relatively stout, slightly larger than males, structure of head including antenna as in male; fore tibia without grasping comb, hind tibia and tarsus not modified, venter of hind tarsal segment I without a tuft of bristles; abdomen pleurally and ventrally without special modifications, connexiva relatively broad, slightly raised, converging posteriorly and touching caudally; gonocaxa I elongate, proctiger yellowish-brown, with dense, short, brown setae.
Macropterous female and macropterous male: unknown.
Measurements. Apterous male. Body length: 2.26–2.31 (holotype:2.28), head width: 0.50–0.53, head length: 0.30–0.33, head width about 1.75 times head length; antenna about 0.57 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.40, 0.26, 0.28 and 0.38; pronotum width: 0.67–0.71, pronotum length: 0.38–0.40, about 1.75 times as wide as long; length of grasping comb 0.30, about 0.54 times tibial length; length of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.61, 0.56 and 0.30, middle leg: 0.78, 0.71 and 0.42 (0.14+0.28), hind leg: 0.89, 0.88 and 0.55 (0.26+0.29). Apterous female. Body length: 2.48–2.51, head width: 0.53–0.56, head length: 0.32–0.35, head width about 1.62 times head length, antenna about 0.54 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.41, 0.27, 0.29, 0.39; pronotum width: 0.73–0.78, pronotum length: 0.38–0.41, about 1.88 times as wide as long; length of leg segments (femur, tibia and tarsus): fore leg: 0.60, 0.57 and 0.31, middle leg: 0.79, 0.72 and 0.43 (0.14+0.29), hind leg: 0.89, 0.87 and 0.54 (0.20+0.34);
Etymology. The species is named in honour of Prof. Leyi Zheng for his outstanding contributions to the study of the Chinese fauna of Heteroptera.
Distribution. China (Anhui, Henan) (Fig. 65).
description: Published as part of Li, Zihe, Jin, Zezhong, Bu, Wenjun & Ye, Zhen, 2022, Notes on the genus Pseudovelia Hoberlandt, 1950 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera Veliidae) with description of four new species from the East and Southeast Asian mainland, pp. 507-524 in Zootaxa 5162 (5) on pages 522-523, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5162.5.3, http://zenodo.org/record/6816713