Xiphovelia denigrata Ye & Bu, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ye, Zhen
name: Bu, Wenjun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Macroveliidae
Xiphovelia
Xiphovelia denigrata

description: Xiphovelia denigrata sp. nov.
(Figs. 5, 6, 7, 12, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 34, 37)
Material examined. Holotype: apterous male, CHINA, Zhejiang Prov., Lishui city, Suichang county, Jiulongshan Nature Reserve (28°23' N, 118°50' E), alt. 409 m, 04.VIII.2011, coll. Zhen Ye. Paratypes: CHINA, Zhejiang Prov., 3 apterous males, 5 apterous females and 1 macropterous male, same data as for holotype.
Diagnosis. This species can be easily separated from all other members of the genus Xiphovelia by relatively large body size (body length: apterous male 1.78–1.81 and apterous female 1.94–1.97) (Figs. 5, 6, 7); male legs shining black except coxae, trochanters, basal small part of femora, and medial large part of fore tibiae yellowish (Figs. 5, 6); middle of abdominal sternum VIII of male slightly depressed (Figs. 22, 23); female abdomen rather broad and connexiva largely widen (greatest width: 1.11–1.13) (Fig. 7).
Description. Apterous male (Fig. 5). Colour: ground colour black; head dorsum black, ventrally grayish, clypeus and labrum shining black, rostrum yellowish brown with black apex; antenna black except base of segment I, yellowish brown; pronotum with a transverse band, yellowish brown, meso- and metanotum black, mesonotum with a pair of round, silvery hair markings; legs black except coxae, trochanters, basal small part of femora, and medial large part of fore tibiae yellowish (Fig. 5); abdomen dorsally black, medial parts of mediotergites IV–VII, lateral parts of mediotergites II–III, and laterotergites III, IV and VI with prominent silvery hair markings; abdominal segment VIII and pygophore yellowish, each weakly infuscated apically (after dissection).
Structural characteristics. Body length 1.78–1.81 (holotype: 1.8), greatest width 0.85–0.88 (holotype: 0.86), small-sized, body flat and oval, bearing short, grayish or silver, suberect hairs; head short and wide, head length: 0.31–0.33, head width: 0.54–0.57, about 1.72 times head length; labrum reverse triangle; eyes globose, overlapping anterior pronotal angles; antennae about 0.61 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.23, 0.26, 0.27, 0.33, antennal segment I stout, segments II–III relatively slender, segment IV stouter than preceding segment; pronotum short and transverse, pronotum width: 0.64–0.66, length: 0.12–0.14, about 5 times as wide as long; mesonotum large, broadly fused with metanotum medially. Legs with mainly decumbent, short setae except middle tibiae ventrally with relatively long, erect setae; fore femora (Fig. 12) straight and stout, fore tibiae slightly widened apically, length of grasping comb 0.18 (Fig. 19), about 0.39 times tibiae length; middle trochanters long and slender, middle femora (Fig. 16) almost straight and thin, middle tibiae inner margin convexed, with a row of about 8–9 long erect bristles along inner margin, claws and ventral arolium of middle tarsal segment II leaf-like and inserted subapically (Fig. 20); hind femora stout and narrowed towards both ends, hind tibiae straight, longer than middle tibiae; length of leg segments (trochanters, femora, tibiae and tarsi): fore leg: 0.20, 0.50, 0.46 and 0.22, middle leg: 0.25, 0.65, 0.61 and 0.51 (0.23+0.28), hind leg: 0.20, 0.62, 0.70 and 0.33 (0.13+0.20); abdomen dorsally narrowed backwards, connexiva narrow and almost flat, abdominal venter medially slightly concave. Genital segments: abdominal segment VIII (Figs. 22, 23) about 1.32 times as long as wide, posterior margin with short, sparse, erect, brown to black hairs, ventrally slightly concave medially; posterolateral region of pygophore (Fig. 27) swollen at posterior end in ventral aspect with a broad ear-like process on each side; paramere rudimental.
Apterous female (Fig. 7). Body small-sized, slightly longer and greatly wider than male, coloration and markings similar to that of male; body length: 1.94–1.97, greatest width: 1.11–1.13; structure of head including antennae as in male, head length: 0.33–0.35, head width: 0.58–0.61, about 1.76 times head length, antennae about 0.55 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.24, 0.25, 0.26, 0.32; pronotum width: 0.68–0.71, pronotum length: 0.11–0.13, about 5.83 times as wide as long. Legs similar to those of male except fore tibiae, totally black and without grasping comb, lengths of leg segments (trochanters, femora, tibiae and tarsi): fore leg: 0.20, 0.55, 0.44 and 0.23, middle leg: 0.27, 0.70, 0.69 and 0.52 (0.23+0.29), hind leg: 0.21, 0.61, 0.75 and 0.33 (0.11+0.22); abdomen rather broad (Fig. 7), connexiva broad and almost flat; genital segments retracted into abdomen.
Macropterous male (Fig. 6). Ground colour similar to that of apterous form; body small-sized, body length 2.00 (including forewings), greatest width: 0.98; structure of head including antennae as in apterous male, head length: 0.30, head width: 0.56, about 1.87 times head length, antennae about 0.53 times as long as body, length of antennal segments I–IV: 0.22, 0.25, 0.26, 0.33; pronotum large and pentagonal, pronotum width: 0.98, pronotum length: 0.75, about 1.31 times as wide as long, yellowish brown band along anterior margin of pronotum; length of leg segments (trochanters, femora, tibiae and tarsi): fore leg: 0.20, 0.50, 0.47 and 0.23, middle leg: 0.24, 0.64, 0.60, and 0.53 (0.24+0.29), hind leg: 0.20, 0.62, 0.71 and 0.34 (0.14+0.20); grasping comb about 0.4 times fore tibiae length; forewings mainly blackish brown with dark veins, slightly surpassing abdominal tip; other characters as in apterous male.
Macropterous female: unknown.
Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin denigratus means blackish, refers to the colour of legs almost black.
Distribution. China (Zhejiang) (Fig. 37).
description: Published as part of Ye, Zhen & Bu, Wenjun, 2015, A review of the genus Xiphovelia Lundblad, 1933 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from China, with descriptions of three new species, pp. 190-200 in Zootaxa 3946 (2) on pages 191-196, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3946.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/244012