Tapinella mishevi Georgiev, 2025

Tapinella mishevi Georgiev , sp. n.

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 6C5A285D-9B3F-4BDB-98AD-4568454F8795

Fig 1 A–D View Fig

TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype – ♀, French Guiana: road between Regina and St George towns, 4°08'50.4"N, 52°06'10.8"W, 70 m a. s. l., rainforest edge near a road, dry Cecropia sp. leaf, hanging on branches of bushes, beating the vegetation, 26.II 2025, D. Georgiev leg. ( NMNH).

DESCRIPTION. Coloration (after 23 days in 95% ethanol): the specimen is generally gray-brown. The abdomen is lighter, cream-colored, with two parallel lateral lines. The apex is darker. The dorsal part of the head is dark, as are the antennae. Ventrally, it is light, including the labrum. Compound eyes are rusty-brown. Ocelli pale partly surrounded by rusty-brown pigment. The palps have two dark terminal segments (P3, P4); P1 is light, while P2 is mostly light but has a dark distal tip. Thorax is brown dorsally and light ventrally. Legs: The trochanter is dark at the base and light distally. The femur is mostly dark but light at the base. The tibia is light at the distal end, while the tarsi are dark. Wings: The wings are generally black-brown with dark veins. The forewing has a characteristic lightened areas in the Cu2 and R zones. The hindwing is entirely dark, but the CuP vein is white, while all others are dark.

Morphology. Subgenital plate with moderately long setae apically and several significantly longer ones laterally. T-sclerite hardly visible, translucent, anchor shaped, with short thick stem and about twice longer tapering arms. Epiproct coneshaped, paraprocts elongated. Both with two types of setae: long and short. The long setae of the epiproct are same length like these of the paraprocts. The lacinia morphology is similar to this one of T. curvata Badonnel, 1949 , illustrated by Lienhard (2009).

Male. Unknown.

MEASUREMENTS (in mm). Holotype (female): LC = 1.18; F+tr = 0.54; T = 0.45; t1 = 0.20, t2 = 0.03, t3 = 0.04, P4 = 0.10, FW = 1.10, HW = 0.88, D = 0.15, IO = 0.48, IO /D = 3.2.

DIAGNOSIS. By its general appearance and wing coloration T. mishevi sp. n. is similar only with T. fusca Badonnel, 1977 described from Angola ( Badonnel, 1977). It differs by: white CuP vein of hind wing, rusty-brown compound eyes, unpigmented dorsal abdominal area, entirely dark P4, and different pigmentation of the legs. Besides the color differences, morphological ones can also be added: in the Angolan species, the head is more elongated, the ocelli are more widely spaced, and the body size is larger (LC = 1.8 mm, FW = 1.7 mm).

Another species that resembles T. mishevi n. sp. in the depigmented area of the Cu2 cell is T. candida New, 1974 from Australia ( New, 1974). However, it differs from the latter in the color of the eyes, legs, and antennae, as well as in the hindwing, the shape and structure of the wing venation, the T-sclerite, and the lacinia.

HABITAT. The species was collected at the edge of the Amazonian rainforest near a road, from dry leaves of Cecropia sp. , hanging on bush and tree branches ( Fig. 2 View Fig ).

DISTRIBUTION. Known only from type locality. ETYMOLOGY. The species is named after my friend and colleague Todor

Mishev who cooperated and helped me a lot during the expeditions in the area of

French Guiana.