Phoetalia amigo Vanker, Medina-Espinoza, & Evangelista sp. nov.

Figs 18, 19

Type material.

Holotype. • Male, pinned, with genitalia in a separate microvial. Original label: “ Peru: MD [Madre de Dios], Estación Biológica Los Amigos. In / around buildings, terra firme, 12°34'08.9"S, 70°06'01.3"W [-12.569139, -70.100361]; 5–8. vii. 2021 [5–8 July 2021], night. D. A. Evangelista leg ”. AUDE-PE-1-95. Paratype. • Female. UIRB-PE-30-77 (locality and other data for both specimens are given in Table 3).

Determination.

This species was placed in Blaberinae based on the presence of sclerite L 4 ’ (Klass 1997) and by the large crown of spines on L 10 ’. We tentatively placed it in Phoetalia after comparisons of genitalia in Phoetalia (L 10 ’ spines present; (Roth 1970 c), Parasphaeria (L 10 ’ spines absent), and Schultesia (L 10 ’ spines absent and has a differently shaped via; (Roth 1973). Grandcolas and Pellens (2002) mentioned the left paraproct forming a blunt, curved hook as a synapomorphy of Parasphaeria but it is also present in P. amigo.

Differential diagnosis.

Parasphaeria amigo differs from P. circumvagans (Burmeister, 1838) and P. pallida (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865) in the shape of via, which is highly elongated in P. amigo. P. amigo and P. circumvagans are similar in pronotal coloration, which both have a pale boarder with a uniform width on the anterior-lateral margin (vs P. pallida in which the interface between the pale and dark regions is sinusoidal).

Remarks.

Grandcolas and Pellens (2002) mentioned the left paraproct forming a blunt, curved hook as a synapomorphy of Parasphaeria but it is also present in P. amigo.

Description of holotype.

Male (AUDE-PE-1-95). Pronotum. Sub-semicircular, with no pigmentation on anterior-lateral margin. Central mahogany-color region reaches posterior margin. Tegmina extends past end of abdomen, and mostly lacks pigmentation except for brown highlights on the veins, which is more prominent basally. Head with frons uniformly black smooth, with slight texture and sparse dimples throughout. A slight concavity connecting the ocelli create a slight W shape (Fig. 18 C). Ocelli white without a defined border, placed next to the superior inner part of the antenna. Clypeus and labrum paler than remainder of head. Ventral body. Almost uniformly dark chestnut colored, abdomen bordered by buff all around. Foreleg femur with no genicular spines, and AV margin spination type B 1 with one large basal spine and 20–24 small hairs / spinules. Legs with euplantulae on all legs and arolia on middle and hind legs (foreleg tarsus broken). Genitalia. SA plate with a patch of hairs, densest medially. Paraprocts asymmetrical, left paraproct forming a stout, slightly curved hook. Right paraproct amorphous. SG plate slightly asymmetrical, with slightly more concave margin on right. Base of subgenital plate long and without pigmentation. Right stylus short and projecting from the nadir of the concavity. Left style projects from left corner of subgenital plate. Styli otherwise symmetrical. Morphological measurements are presented in Table 4.

Description of paratype.

Female (UIRB-PE-30-77). Same as male except larger, and with the following departures. Subtle concavity between ocelli is U-shaped. Tegmina only reaching to slightly before SA plate. Foreleg AV margin type B 1 with two basal spines. Arolia on fore and mid-legs (hindlegs broken) and euplantulae on all tarsomeres (likely same as male).

Range.

We do not have any data on this species outside of Madre De Dios, Peru. We collected only a single adult male of this species at Los Amigos Biological Station. The female described above is from Kawsay Biological station. We have numerous immatures (all from Finca Las Piedras) tentatively identified to Phoetalia, and they appear more like P. amigo than P. pallida.

Habitat.

Low hill forest.

Etymology.

The specific epithet amigo, Spanish for friend (masculine) is a reference to the collection area of the male type, Los Amigos Biological Station.