Oiovelia johnpolhemi Floriano & Rodrigues, 2016, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Floriano, Carla Fernanda Burguez
name: Rodrigues, Higor D. D.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hemiptera
Veliidae
Oiovelia
Oiovelia johnpolhemi

description: Oiovelia johnpolhemi sp. nov.
(Figs. 1, 2 A–D, 5A)
Material examined. All specimens macropterous. Holotype ♂ (USNM), ‘ Belize, Cayo Dist.\ San Ignacio (14 km S)\ 22May1986. Colln 14\ Paul J. Spangler\ & Robin A. Faitoute’ ‘Collected from\ Chaa River \ 500 m altitude’ ‘ J. T. Polhemus \ Collection 2014\ C.J. Drake Accession’. Paratypes: 1 ♂ (USNM), same data as holotype; 1 ♂ and 1 ♀ (USNM), ‘W. of Veracruz \ Mexico, CL 335\ Veracruz T.K, 1970\ J.T.Polhemus’ ‘ J. T. Polhemus \ Collection 2014\ C.J. Drake Accession’.
Macropterous male. Dimensions (Holotype/ Paratype) (n = 2): BL 3.56/ 3.56; HL 0.79/ 0.62; HW 0.62/ 0.60; HWAT 0.45/ 0.47; ANT I 0.62/ 0.55; ANT II 0.51/ 0.49; ANT III 0.34/ 0.28; ANT IV 0.42/ 0.36; EYE 0.13/ 0.19; PL 1.28/ 1.34; PW 1.19/ 1.23; FORE LEG, FEM 0.81/ 0.87; TIB 0.81/ 0.83; TAR I 0.08/ 0.08; TAR II 0.09/ 0.09; TAR III 0.28/ 0.28; MID LEG, FEM 1.13/ 1.04; TIB 1.13/ 1.09; TAR I 0.09; TAR II 0.17; TAR III 0.36/ 0.32; HIND LEG, FEM 1.32/ 1.23; TIB 1.53/ 1.36; TAR I 0.09/ 0.09; TAR II 0.25/ 0.19; TAR III 0.34/ 0.38.
Color. Head, pronotum and greater portion of body orange. Eyes dark red. Antennae, rostrum, lateral areas of anterior lobe of pronotum, forewings, parts of pleura, greater portion of legs, metasternum, and region of insertion of lateral abdominal muscles blackish or dark brown. Coxae and trochanters yellowish brown. Regions between cells of forewings with a distinct whitish pruinosity (Figs. 1 A, D, E).
Structural characters. Head: Covered by fine silvery pubescence and long dark setae concentrated dorsally in front of eyes; dorsally with longitudinal midline impressed and a pair of oblique indentations posteriorly. Antenna covered by golden pubescence, with long dark brown setae mainly on antennomeres III–IV; I more robust than II– IV, curved outward, with lateral margins diverging posteriorly; II longer and slightly more robust than III and IV; IV fusiform, slightly longer than III. Rostrum reaching middle of mesosternum.
Thorax: Pronotum covered by silvery pubescence; anterior lobe with long dark setae concentrated laterally; pair of small areas of whitish pruinosity laterally on posterior part of anterior lobe (Fig. 1 C); posterior lobe covered by rounded punctations, except humeral angles and posterior margin; posterior angle rounded, covered by long brownish setae. Forewing with four closed cells, covering genital segments. Posterior region of propleuron and anterior region of mesopleuron with a row of rounded punctations. Intersegmental region between meso- and metasterna with two pairs of small tubercles medially. Legs without spines or teeth, covered by golden pubescence and scattered long dark setae, mainly on tibiae. Fore femur robust, slightly dilated; fore tibia with grasping comb (0.57 mm) 2/3 as long as tibial length.
Abdomen: Covered by silvery pubescence and long brownish setae, the latter concentrated on connexiva and lateral margins of sternites. Connexiva not elevated, with posterior angle of last segment rounded, not developed into spines. Abdominal sterna unmodified. Posterior margin of sternum VII concave. Posterior margin of tergum VIII (=genital segment I) with long dark setae (Figs. 2 A, C); anterior margin excavated ventrally (Fig. 2 B); posterior margin slightly concave dorsally (Figs. 2 A–B). Proctiger with slight depression on apical 2/3, without dorsal projection or spine. Paramere elongate, slightly narrowed in the middle, with rounded apex (Fig. 2 D).
Macropterous female. Dimensions (Paratype) (n = 1), BL 4.10; HL 0.94; HW 0.66; HWAT 0.53; ANT I 0.60; ANT II 0.58; ANT III 0.42; ANT IV 0.43; EYE 0.13; PL 1.57; PW 1.38; FORE LEG, FEM 1.00; TIB 0.94; TAR I 0.08; TAR II 0.09; TAR III 0.34; MID LEG, FEM 1.28; TIB 1.28; TAR I 0.09; TAR II 0.15; TAR III 0.42; HIND LEG, FEM 1.38; TIB 1.67; TAR I 0.09; TAR II 0.23; TAR III 0.42.
Similar to macropterous male in general structure and color (Figs. 1 E–F), except as follows: fore femur not dilated; fore tibia without grasping comb; connexiva elevated, mainly on segments IV–VI; first gonocoxa platelike; and proctiger globose, directed upward.
Apterous form. Unknown.
Distribution and habitat. The known geographic distribution of O. johnpolhemi sp. nov. is from southeastern Mexico (Veracruz state) to central-western Belize (Cayo district) (Fig. 5 A). Other species of Oiovelia live predominantly on and within foam formed on the stream banks, mainly of blackwater. However, the specimen labels of O. johnpolhemi sp. nov. do not have any habitat information.
Etymology. This species is named in honor of John T. Polhemus (1929–2013) in recognition of his important contributions to the taxonomy of aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera.
Comparative notes. Oiovelia johnpolhemi sp. nov. is similar to the type species of the genus, O. cunucunumana Drake & Maldonado-Capriles, and resembles it by also having the color of the pronotum orange with dark areas laterally on the anterior lobe, the absence of pruinose area on the posterior lobe of pronotum (Fig. 4 B), blackish legs, and paramere slightly narrowed in the middle with rounded apex (Fig. 2 I). However, O. johnpolhemi sp. nov. differs from it by the striking orange color of the head and pronotum, absence of dark marks on the posterior lobe of pronotum (Fig. 1 C), and forewing with stronger pruinose areas (Figs. 1 A, E); whereas in O. cunucunumana the head is blackish, the pronotum is darker orange with blackish areas on the lateral border of the posterior lobe, and the forewing has faint pruinosity (Fig. 4 B).
description: Published as part of Floriano, Carla Fernanda Burguez & Rodrigues, Higor D. D., 2016, A new species of Oiovelia (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae) from Mesoamerica, with an identification key to the genus, pp. 584-592 in Zootaxa 4144 (4) on pages 585-591, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4144.4.8, http://zenodo.org/record/272074