Altavelia columbiensis
Creators: name: Polhemus, Dan A.
name: Molano, Fredy
name: Morales, Irina
name: Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo
name: Floriano, Carla Fernanda Burguez
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Veliidae
Altavelia
Altavelia columbiensis

description: Altavelia columbiensis (Hungerford, 1930) (new combination)
(Figs. 4C, 4H, 6 C–D, 7)
Lelia columbiensis Hungerford, 1930: 124.
Paravelia columbiensis: J. Polhemus 1976: 512.
Apterous male (Figs. 4C, 4H, 6 C–D). Measurements (n = 3): BL 7.73–7.8, HL 0.93–0.95, HW 0.93–0.95, ANT I 1.35–1.36, ANT II 1.05–1.1, ANT III 0.78–0.80, ANT IV 0.98–0.99, EYE 0.39–0.40, PL 1.94–1.96, PW 1.94– 1.96, FORLEG: FEM 2.33–2.35, TIB 2.04–2.08, TAR I 0.16–0.18, TAR II 0.35–0.37, TAR III 0.41–0.43, MIDLEG: FEM 2.63–2.65, TIB 2.63–2.66, TAR I 0.17–0.20, TAR II 0.51–0.53, TAR III 0.51–0.53, HINDLEG: FEM 3.12–3.15, TIB 3.93–3.95, TAR I 0.18–0.20, TAR II 0.85–0.87, TAR III 0.68–0.70.
General color dark brown. Antennomeres II–IV brown with dark brown apices. Labium with apices of articles I–III reddish brown, article IV shining black. Pronotum dark brown with yellow to orange posterolateral margins. Coxae and trochanters reddish brown with dark distal halves. Rest of the legs reddish brown. Abdominal sternum VIII shining black. Proctiger and pygophore brown; paramere reddish brown.
Head covered by abundant golden setae adjacent to mesal margin of eye; anterolateral region, buccula, and gula without foveae or black spinules. Antennomere I stout and curved laterally. Pronotum covered by golden pubescence on margins up to slightly after humeri; longitudinal carina conspicuous; humeri elevated; humeral angle and posterior margin rounded; posterior lobe with deep, rounded foveae. Thoracic pleura without foveae. Legs without spinules, densely covered by long, dark setae. Grasping comb on fore tibia occupying approximately 1/6 of its length. Abdomen without foveae or spinules, covered by golden setae laterally and ventrally. Tufts of golden setae mesally on each abdominal laterotergite; last laterotergite produced into a short spine. Proctiger with short projections that do not exceed lateral margin (Fig. 4C); paramere large, with apex reaching the proctiger, narrow, lateral margins parallel, curved in the distal third, apex rounded (Fig. 4H).
Apterous female. Measurements (n = 2): BL 7.73– 7.75; HL 0.98– 0.99, HW 0.93– 0.95, ANT I 1.34–1.35, ANT II 1.00– 1.08, ANT III 0.82– 0.83, ANT IV 0.87–0.89, EYE 0.44– 0.46, PL 2.03–2.08, PW 2.03–2.05, FORLEG: FEM 2.26–2.28, TIB 1.92–1.94, TAR I 0.13–0.15, TAR II 0.38–0.40, TAR III 0.44–0.46, MIDLEG: FEM 2.55–2.57, TIB 2.69–2.70, TAR I 0.15–0.17, TAR II 0.48–0.50, TAR III 0.50–0.52, HINDLEG: FEM 2.98– 3.00, TIB 3.72–3.74, TAR I 0.15–0.17, TAR II 0.64–0.66, TAR III 0.51–0.68.
Similar to male in color and structure, except for golden setae more visible, especially in abdomen; abdominal laterotergites more elevated, not ending in spines.
Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂ apterous (USNM): ‘ Colombia \ Goudot \ Coll. 1846-20’. 1♀ apterous ALLOTYPE (KU): ‘ Colombia \ Goudot \ Coll. 1846-20 ’.
Additional material examined. All specimens apterous. 1♀ (UPTC): ‘ Colombia, Tolima \ Cajamarca, Q. La Arenosa\ 4.46538 N 75.49918 W, 2616 m \ 4.ix.2012 A.M. Meza, C.A. Llano, A. Villareal’. 1♂ (UPTC): ‘ Colombia, Tolima \ Cajamarca, Q. La Bermellón\ 4.44800 N 75.52076 W, 2000 m \ 11.x.2012, A.M. Meza, C.A. Llano, A. Villareal’. 2♂, 1♀, 1 nymph (IAVH E-175682, E-175679, E-1756801, E-175678): ‘ Colombia, Caldas \ Pensilvania, Sitio Berlin, Bosque\ 5°21'08'' N, 75°11'10'' W, 2750 m \ Trampa excremento humano, 24–26.vii.2004 \ E. González, L. Arango & J. M. Montes’.
Distribution. Described from Colombia without a detailed locality by Hungerford (1930) and heretofore not reported again. The first precise records of this species are presented here based on material collected in Caldas and Tolima departments, Colombia (Fig. 7).
Comments. This species differs from congeners by the abundant golden setae on the head adjacent to the mesal margin of the eye, pronotal margins up to slightly posterior to humeri, and as tufts mesally on each abdominal laterotergite (Figs. 6 C–D); the last abdominal laterotergite of the male produced into a short spine (Figs. 6 C–D); the male proctiger with short projections that do not exceed its lateral margins (Fig. 4C); and by the shape of the paramere (Fig. 4H). It is more similar to A. quindiana Molano & Morales, but can be separated from the latter by the longitudinal median carina not reaching the posterior angle of the pronotum, the absence of golden setae on the midline of abdominal mediotergites and lateral margins of the laterotergites, and the last abdominal laterotergite of the female not produced into spines. In A. quindiana, the longitudinal median carina of the pronotum reaches its posterior angle, golden setae cover the midline of all abdominal mediotergites and the lateral margins of the laterotergites, and the last abdominal laterotergite of the female is produced into spines almost as long as mediotergite VIII (Fig. 2C).
description: Published as part of Polhemus, Dan A., Molano, Fredy, Morales, Irina, Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo & Floriano, Carla Fernanda Burguez, 2019, Altavelia, a new genus of Neotropical Veliinae (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae), with a key to species and descriptions of four new species from Colombia, pp. 295-314 in Zootaxa 4585 (2) on pages 303-305, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4585.2.4, http://zenodo.org/record/2637340