Mahanarva (Ipiranga)

Mahanarva (Ipiranga) Fennah, 1968: 186. Type species: Monecphora rubicunda Walker (by original designation).

Diagnosis. Head with a wide tylus, vertex and tylus strongly carinate, postclypeus inflated, in females with an angulated profile (obtuse angle), with one prominent longitudinal carina and lateral grooves strongly marked. Tegmina wide. Metathoracic tibiae with apical crown bearing two or three rows of spines covered by dense setae. Tarsal claws with a subungueal process present and triangular. Pygofer with one process between anal tube and subgenital plates, subgenital plates longer than pygofer with a rounded apex; paramere robust, usually with a single, strong, sclerotized, hook-like spine with apex acute or obtuse; aedeagus cylindrical, with one pair of long and slender dorsal processes, shorter than shaft inserted at middle. Ovipositor with first valvulae long and slender with an acute apex and one basal, rounded process, directed downward; second valvulae long, with apical portion of dorsal margin serrate; third valvulae short and wide, with long ventral setae.

Distribution. Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay.

Taxonomic notes. According to Fennah (1968) the type species of Mahanarva is a single female specimen from an unknown locality in Brazil and its general appearance is represented by Lallemand (1912) being the profile of the postclypeus similar to that found in Zulia and Sphenorhina. Carvalho & Webb (2005) in their book pictured the female syntype, according to these authors its external appearance is dissimilar from the other species of Mahanarva.

In addition to the characteristics highlighted by Fennah (1968) the subgenus Ipiranga does not have an angulated postclypeus and the rostrum reaches only the base of mesocoxae. Overall, Ipiranga is distinguished from the subgenus Mahanarva by the combination of a strongly receding postclypeus, a relatively narrow body form (Figs 21, 23), male genitalia similar to the type species of the subgenus with a slender and more elongate paramere, aedeagus with dorsal processes shorter than those of Mahanarva. Female with first ovipositor valvulae with basal processes smaller than those of Mahanarva. Some species of Ipiranga can exhibit color polymorphism.

Carvalho & Webb (2005) stated that M. rubripennis has features in common with both subgenera; the postclypeus is angular in profile as in the type subgenus but the tegmen is more elongate as in M. (Ipiranga).

Examining the type series (3 males and 3 females syntypes) and other specimens of M. rubripennis we observed that the postcylpeus is convex and not angulated as the others authors described.