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Spanglerelmis femoralis (Hinton, 1940) gen. et comb. nov. Figs 1, 10A, F Microcylloepus femoralis – Hinton, 1940: 241, figs 3, 6. Microcylloepus ochus – Hinton, 1940: 245, figs 4, 5. Syn. nov. Diagnosis Body dark brown in colour, antennae, mouthparts and legs red-brown. Spanglerelmis femoralis gen. et comb. nov. morphologically resembles S. timburi Polizei & Bispo gen. et sp. nov. by the profemora swollen, hypomeron without tomentum near the suture; and disc of the abdominal ventrite 1 without carina. However, it can be differentiated by a curved spur on metatibia. Furthermore, the male genitalia can be differentiated by the phallobase 2× as long as the penis, approximately 4× as long as wide; and penis 3× as long as wide. While in Spanglerelmis timburi, the spur is lacking on the metatibia and the male genitalia has phallobase 1.5× as long as penis, approximately 2.5× as long as wide, and penis 4× as long as wide. Material examined Holotype BRAZIL • ♂; “ N. Teutonia / 1936 Braz. // Type // Microcylloepus / femoralis / Hinton / Type // NHMUK010583892 //”; NHMUK010583892. Others specimens BRAZIL • 2 ♂, 2 ♀; “ N. Teutonia / 1936 Braz. // Microcylloepus / femoralis / Hinton / Paratype // H. E. Hinton / collection. / B. M. 1977–566 ”; NHMUK • ♂; “Type // N. Teutonia / 1936 Braz. // Microcylloepus / ochus / Hinton / Type // Brit. Mus. / 1942 // NHMUK010583871 //”; NHMUK • 1 ♂, 3 ♀; “ N. Teutonia / 1936 Braz. // Microcylloepus / ochus / Hinton / P-type // H. E. Hinton / collection. / B. M. 1977-566 ”; NHMUK • “ Nova Teutônia / SC, Brasil / V-66 / F.Plaumann col. // MZSP 36559”; MZSP36559. Size Holotype: total length: 2.60 mm; maximum width: 1.04 mm. Comments Hinton (1940) described Microcylloepus femoralis (Fig. 1A–D) and M. ochus (Fig. 1E–H) as the only species of Microcylloepus without a longitudinal impression on the disc of pronotum and with shallow oblique impressions entirely confined to the side near the sublateral carina. Hinton (1940) considered the two species very similar, presenting a complete description for M. femoralis, and a note pointing the differences for M. ochus. Hinton detached the aedeagus of both species, preserving them glued to a card pinned with the specimens. However, for an unknown reason, he did not describe or illustrate these genitalia. Studying the morphological structures of these two species in detail, mainly the male genitalia (Fig. 1D, H), we concluded that Microcylloepus ochus is a junior synonym of Microcylloepus femoralis. In both species, the head is without distinct impressions; the pronotum without oblique impressions (Fig. 1A, E); elytra twice as long as pronotum; humeri feebly gibbous, and the same pattern of sexual dimorphism. For example, in both species, the males have: 1) mesoventrite strongly raised; 2) metaventrite and disc of abdominal ventrite 1 strongly depressed (slightly depressed on females); and 3) metatibia with a curved spur (straight on females). Here, it is important to note that the impressions in the pronotum mentioned by Hinton (1940) and slightly represented in the illustration of Bug (1973), in fact, are not present in the types. The types of the two species are housed on NHMUK (Fig. 1) and the morphological analysis revealed no kind of impression on pronotum. Despite this, Hinton (1940) informed a pronotum with an “oblique impression shallow” and “without a trace of a median longitudinal impression”. On the other hand, the illustration of M. femoralis by Bug (1973: 125, fig. 3) also revealed a pronotum with a slightly median longitudinal impression, but different to Hinton (1940), included a pair of shallow oblique impressions. In view of the inconsistencies between our morphological data and the studies of Hinton (1940) and Bug (1973), our conclusions about M. femoralis were based only on our analysis of the types. These analyses revealed that there is no impression on the pronotum. It is also important to note that both Hinton (1940) and Bug (1973) agreed that M. femoralis do not fit into the “typical” species of Microcylloepus. Here, Microcylloepus femoralis is transferred to Spanglerelmis Polizei & Bispo gen. nov. by the following characters: pronotum without transverse, longitudinal, or oblique impressions, sulci, or gibbosities on the disc, and sublateral carinae sinuous reaching the anterior and posterior margins of pronotum, converging toward apex; elytra with three carinae, on intervals III, V and VI; a disc of prosternum with a pair of carinae reaching the posterior half region; sides of mesoventrite strongly raised; femora with an oblique belt of tomentum dorsally and a transverse belt ventrally. This combination of characters fits that of Spanglerelmis and differs from the other genera of Elmidae. |
