Miroculis (Miroculis) azevedoi Rodrigues & Nascimento & Raimundi & Lima 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Rodrigues, Jackson A. O.
name: Nascimento, Stênio R. S.
name: Raimundi, Erikcsen A.
name: Lima, Lucas R. C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Ephemeroptera
Leptophlebiidae
Miroculis
Miroculis azevedoi

description: Miroculis (Miroculis) azevedoi sp. nov.
(Figs 4A–E, 5A–E, 6A–D, 7A–F, 8A–D).
Diagnosis: Miroculis (Miroculis) azevedoi sp. nov. can be distinguished from the other species of the genus by the following combination of characteristics. In the nymph: 1) labrum with anterolateral margin angular (Fig. 7A); 2) posterolateral spines on abdominal segments V–IX, more developed from VII to IX (Figs 4A, C); 3) gills narrow, with the lateral lobes present, and trachea branched (Fig. 4D). In the male: 1) dorsal portion of compound eyes on a medium stalk (1.2× longer than wide), with eight facets on the longest row (Figs 4C); 2) fore- and hind wing with membrane hyaline (Figs 4A, C); 3) styliger plate with posterior margin slightly concave (Fig. 4D); 4) penes length approximately 1.6× length of forceps segment I, tubular (Figs 4D, E, 5C, E), apically flattened and rounded in lateral view (Fig. 5D; medially with a minute spine (Fig. 5C).
Description. Male imago (Figs 4A–E, 5A–E).
Measurements (n=3). Body: 4.9 mm; forewing: 4.8 mm; angularity of CuA portion: 95°; hind wing: 1.3 mm. Foreleg: 5 mm; mid leg: 2.4 mm; hind leg: 3 mm. Caudal filament: broken.
Ratios. Wings: forewing width 0.4× fore wing length; hind wing length 0.2 fore wing length; hind wing width 0.5× hind wing length; fork on MA 2 of fore wing 0.4× total length of MA. Legs: segments of foreleg: 0.73: 1.00 (1.75 mm): 0.03: 0.35: 0.25: 0.16: 0.11; mid leg: 1.11: 1.00 (0.9 mm): 0.07: 0.07: 0.06: 0.09: 0.08; hind leg: 0.94: 1.00 (1.22 mm): 0.05: 0.04: 0.04: 0.09: 0.06. Genitalia: medial length of styliger plate 1.5× maximum width; lateral length of styliger plate 0.9× medial length of styliger plate. Forceps segment III 0.8× forceps segment II; forceps segment III 0.4× forceps segment I; forceps segment II 0.5× forceps segment I. Penes length approximately 1.6× the forceps segment I.
Coloration. General coloration: brown (dark brown in fresh material). Head. light brown. Compound eye with stalk orange; facets of upper portion orangish, separated by dark grooves (Figs 4A–C). Ocelli white, surrounded with dark gray. Antenna whitish washed with black. Thorax (Figs 4A, C). Pro, -meso and metanotum dark brown. Pleura and sterna light brown. Wings (Figs 4A, C). Fore- and hind wing with hyaline membrane; cross and longitudinal veins brown. Legs: foreleg with coxa and trochanter brown; femur and tibia white washed with brown, femur and tibia with apical blackish band; tarsi white to light brown. Mid and hind legs with trochanter and coxae light brown; dorsal portion of midfemur with median brown mark; tibiae with apical blackish band. Abdomen (Figs 4A, C). Terga translucent light brown with blackish marks on medial area of segments I – III and VI – VIII; terga I – VI washed with black, tergum VI with medial, triangular blackish mark; terga VII – X light brown (Fig. 4C). Sterna translucent light brown (Fig. 4A). Genitalia (Figs 4D, E). Styliger plate grayish translucent. Forceps segment I gray, whitish on apical area of inner margin; segments II gray with inner margin whitish; and segment III gray, lighter toward at apex. Penes brown. Caudal filament gray.
Morphology. Head. Posterior margin straight. Compound eye with upper portion on a stalk of medium length (1.2× longer than wide), separated from each other by distance subequal to maximal width of upper portion; dorsal surface circular, with eight facets on longest row (Figs 4A–C). Thorax. Wings: forewing with 2 cross veins basal to bulla between C and Sc; MP2 connected to base of MP1 by one cross vein; IMP connected to MP1 at base; CuA connected to CuP by one cross vein; ICu1 and ICu2 not connecting by cross vein; two A veins (Fig. 5A). Hind wing with fork of R+MA symmetric; CuP present; costal projection poorly developed; distal margin rounded (Fig. 5B). Abdomen. Genitalia: posterior margin of styliger plate with posterior margin slightly concave. Forceps segment I narrowing gradually toward apex, with constriction at apex, without distomedial projection (Fig. 4D). Penes long, tubular, wider at base, narrowing gradually toward apex (Figs 4D, E, 5C, E); medially with minute spine on lateral view (Fig. 5C); apically flattened and rounded in lateral view and with apical gonopore on the inner margin of each lobe (Fig. 5D).
Mature nymph (Figs 6A–D, 7A–F, 8A–D).
Measurements (n=1). Body: 4.8 mm. Foreleg: 2.8 mm; mid leg: 3 mm; hind leg: 3.1 mm. Caudal filament: broken.
Ratios. Mouthparts: segment III of maxillary palp 0.5× segment II; segment II 0.7× segment I; segment III of labial palp 0.3× segment II; segment III 0.2× segment I; segment II 0.8× segment I. Legs: width of forefemur 0.3× length; width of mid-femur 0.3× length. Abdomen: width of lamella of gill in its wider part 0.3× length of gill; length of medial filament of gill 0.6× length of lamella.
Coloration. Body. Brownish. Head: brownish, pale brown marks along epicranial and frontal sutures, grayish between compound eye and lateral ocellus; grayish mark among lateral and medial ocelli and antenna; antenna brown with flagellum grayish (Figs 6A, B). Labrum brown basally, lighter toward apex. Mandible yellowish brown, darker basally; maxilla, hypopharynx, and labium washed with grayish yellow (Figs 7A–F). Thorax: pro- and mesonotum brown, except for dark brown marks on sublateral and anteromedial margins (Fig. 6A). Fore and hind wing pads yellowish brown (Figs 6A, B). Sterna yellowish, mesosternum with dark brown marks on posterior margin (Fig. 6C).. Legs: pale brown. Femora with subapical blackish mark on dorsal surface; tibiae with incomplete blackish band subbasally, and complete brown band apically; tarsi light brown (Figs 8A–D). Abdomen: terga light brown; terga I–X with longitudinal grayish stripe on anterosubmedial margin; terga I–VIII with dark brown marks along posterior margin (Fig. 6A). Sterna light brown. Gills with membrane grayish and trachea black (Fig. 6D).
Morphology. Head: clypeus anteriorly concave; anterolateral margin of labrum angular (Fig. 7A). Legs: subapical denticle of tarsal claws larger than remaining denticles (Fig. 8D). Abdomen: posterolateral spines on abdominal segments V–IX, more developed from VII to IX (Figs 6A, C); gills narrow, with lateral lobes present and heavy branched tracheation (Fig. 6D).
Life cycle association. Rearing.
Biology. The nymphs were collected inhabiting leaves in a shallow stream with moderate flow and about 1 m wide.
Etymology. We name this species in honor of Carlos Augusto Silva de Azevêdo for his friendship and important contribution to the knowledge about aquatic insects in Maranh„o State.
Distribution. Brazil: Maranh„o State.
Type Material. Holotype: Ô imago (reared, exuviae and male imago preserved in alcohol), Brazil, Maranhão State, Caxias municipality, Riacho Planaçucar, S4°54′24.8′′, W43°21′45.2′′, 71m, 25.x.2019, Nascimento, S.R.S. col. (INPA-EPH000034). Paratypes: two Ô subimagos, same data as holotype (INPA-EPH000036); one Ô nymph, same data as holotype (INPA-EPH000035).
Comments. Miroculis (Miroculis) azevedoi sp. nov. is morphologically similar to Miroculis (Miroculis) botafora sp. nov. by sharing penes long and wider at base and by having a styliger plate expanded, with posterior margin concave. However, the male imago of M. (M.) azevedoi sp. nov. differs by having a penes apically flattened and rounded in lateral view, with a minute spine medially in ventral view, opposed to the penes presenting a gonopore almost completely fused, with ventral sulcus in the apical half of each lobe and apically curved upward in M. (M.) botafora sp. nov. Besides, in M. (M.) azevedoi sp. nov. the forceps segment I present a constriction at apex and there is no subdistomedial projection on the inner margin.
Nymphs of M. (M.) azevedoi sp. nov. resemble those of M. (Atroari) nebulosus Savage, 1987 and M. yulieae Raimundi & Salles, 2017 because of the similarity of their branched gills and tarsal claws with subapical denticle larger than the remaining denticles. However, they differ from each other especially by the color pattern of abdomen and shape of anterolateral margin of labrum: angular in M. (M.) azevedoi sp. nov., rounded in M. nebulosus, and slightly angular in M. yulieae.
description: Published as part of Rodrigues, Jackson A. O., Nascimento, Stênio R. S., Raimundi, Erikcsen A. & Lima, Lucas R. C., 2023, New species and new records of Miroculis Edmunds, 1963 (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Chacoan Domain in northeastern Brazil, pp. 27-47 in Zootaxa 5230 (1) on pages 32-38, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5230.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7550447