A new or poorly known species of Graphopsocus (Psocodea : Stenopsocidae) spotted in Brazil and Venezuela?
Browsing through Graphopsocus cruciatus findings outside Europe I found three [upd.: four] interesting observations from South America tentatively identified as G. cruciatus (two [upd.: three] of them were of research grade). All of them definitely do not belong to G. cruciatus and likely represent an undescribed or poorly known species of Graphopsocus. All observations are supplied with total photos of live specimens only, which limits the scope of observable morphological traits (wing venation is barely visible, colour pattern of fore wings and the head is clearly readable). The specimens observed differ from a typical G. cruciatus in details of forewing colour-pattern :
- Dark brown medial transverse band, broad at the costal and narrowing to the anal margin, the costal part twice as broad as the anal one (in G. cruciatus : two separate spots along Cu vein, one in R--Cu cell and the other in the M-Cu cell, sometimes fused in brachypterous forms but not reaching costal margin).
- Basal spots in the area delimited by A vein are fused into one big spot extending beyond A vein and reaching Cu vein (in G. cruciatus : two spots are limited to the anal area, and do not extend beyond A, they are clearly separated from each other in both macropterous and brachypterous forms, in the latter sometimes with a very narrow hyaline band).
Graphopsocus mexicanus has not been yet reliably documented on iNaturalist but the pictures in the three observations found do not match the original description (Enderlein, 1909), remarks in Mockford (1993, p. 119-120), and a published photograph (García Alderte, 2011, p. 323, Fig. 2.1) neither in the details of colour pattern of the fore wings (in G. mexicanus, the spots are separated as in G. cruciatus), nor in the colouration of the head (in G. mexicanus, without dark markings).
Update: Extending the searches to Graphopsocus, Stenopsocidae, and Caeciliusetae, I have found four more observations of likely the same species, two more in Venezuela by the same observer, one more in Brazil, and one in Equador.
Please, collect it in alcohol if you see it again and send the sample to experts.
Illustrations
Graphopsocus sp., Venezuela, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/193619632
Graphopsocus cruciatus, macropterous, Germany https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/202837455
Graphopsocus cruciatus, brachypterous female, Germany https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/201603506
Conspecific observations :
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/66449915 [Equador, as Stenopsocidae, by @dawicho]
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104643763 [Brazil, as Graphopsocus, by @bibiane2]
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/104741689 [Brazil, as G. cruciatus RG, by @cesarfavacho]
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/110316224 [Brazil, as G.. cruciatus RG, by @rafapsilva]
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148995304 [Brazil, as G. cruciatus RG by @west_wind]
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/192575626 [Venezuela, as Stenopsocidae, by @joseesgenial2]
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/193619632 [Venezuela, as G. cruciatus, by @joseesgenial2]
- https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/195758722 [Venezuela, as Stenopsocidae, by @joseesgenial2]
Bibliography
- García Aldrete, Alfonso N. 2011. Psócidos (Insecta: Psocoptera) in : Cruz Angón, Andrea (Coordinadora general) La biodiversidad en Veracruz : estudio de estado. México, Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO). Vol. 2. P. 319-325. DOI : https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.118336
- Enderlein, Günther, 1909. Neue Gattungen und Arten nordamerikanischer Copeognathen. Bollettino del Laboratorio di zoologia generale e agraria della R. Scuola superiore d'agricoltura in Portici. Vol. 3 : 329--339. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/21294
- Mockford, Edward L. 1993. North American Psocoptera (Insecta). (Flora & Fauna Handbook No. 10) CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.
