taxonID	type	description	language	source
03E38784FF81FFE2FF5402F8B733F8D8.taxon	description	(Figs 1 – 98)	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF81FFE2FF5402F8B733F8D8.taxon	type_taxon	Type species: Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932.	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF81FFE2FF5402F8B733F8D8.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. Differs from all other taxa by unique structure of eggs: egg is elongated and narrowed, spindle-shaped (Figs 84, 90); chorion is armed with hidden longitudinal ladder-like structures running from one pole to another; the ladder-like structure consists of a pair of rigid rods connected by fine transverse anastomoses (Figs 85, 95); these anastomoses are hidden in a longitudinal groove (Figs 90 – 91), so that can be invisible under scanning electron microscope (Fig. 84). By such egg structure, Afrochoroterpes sharply differs from all other Choroterpes s. l., which have the « Choroterpes - type » egg structure (see below and Figs 99 – 100). The rods of ladder-like structures can be either straight (Fig. 85), or undulate (Fig. 95); other details of egg structure also differ in Choroterpes (Afrochoroterpes) nigrescens (Figs 84 – 89) and Ch. (A.) ndebele (Figs 90 – 98) (see below). Middle process of larval tergalii II – VII (one of three apical processes of each two lamellae characteristic for Choroterpes s. l.) is narrow at base and more or less widened at middle (Figs 44 – 49, 51 – 56, 58 – 63, 65 – 70). The same in subgenera Choroterpes s. str. and Neochoroterpes, in contrast to Euthraulus, Cryptopenella and Dilatognathus, in which the middle process is always narrowing from base to apex. Composition. Two species, Choroterpes (Afrochoroterpes) nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Choroterpes (Afrochoroterpes) ndebele Agnew 1962.	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF81FFE2FF5402F8B733F8D8.taxon	distribution	Distribution. South Africa. All known Afrotropical representatives of the genus Choroterpes s. l. belong to subgenera Euthraulus and Afrochoroterpes.	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF82FFEBFF5406E9B69CFD8C.taxon	description	(Figs 1 – 10, 20 – 21, 28 – 35, 43 – 56, 75, 76 – 80, 84 – 89)	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF82FFEBFF5406E9B69CFD8C.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape province: Wolwekloof river near falling into Witte river (Bain’s Kloof), Tweede Tol campsite, 33 ° 34 ʹS, 19 ° 08 ʹE, 20 – 22. I. 2019, coll. N. Kluge & L. Sheyko: 2 L-S-I ♂, 5 L-S-I ♀, 11 S-I ♂, 2 S-I ♀, 112 larvae; Wolfkloof, Keurbooms river (8 km WNW Swellendam), 33 ° 59 ʹS, 20 ° 22 ʹ 30 ʹʹE, 25 – 26. I. 2019, coll. N. Kluge & L. Sheyko: 2 L-S-I ♂, 1 L-S ♂, 2 S-I ♂, 2 S-I ♀, 20 larvae; Homtini river (1.5 km NW Rheenendal, 15 km NW Knysna), 31. I – 1. II. 2019, coll. N. Kluge & L. Sheyko: 10 larvae. Larva. CUTICULAR COLORATION. Head brown. Pronotum and mesonotum brown with few lighter areas (Fig. 1). Thoracic pleura ochre-brown, sterna colorless. Legs ochre-brownish, each femur with diffusive longitudinal lighter area; on femur of fore leg, lighter area wider in proximal part (Figs 3 – 5). Abdominal terga either uniformly light brownish-ochre, or with diffusive lighter and darker areas evenly repeated on terga II – IX; sterna lighter ochre (Fig. 2). HYPODERMAL COLORATION. Head and thorax with brown markings. Femur of each leg with more or less expressed longitudinal brown macula at middle and transverse brown macula near apex (Fig. 8). Abdominal terga with extensive brown maculae (as in imago — Figs 6 – 7).	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF82FFEBFF5406E9B69CFD8C.taxon	description	SHAPE AND SETATION. Labrum with very deep median emargination; due to this, distal transverse setal row sharply bent V-like, proximal transverse setal row less sharply bent V-like (Fig. 20). Mandibles with outer margin very convex (Fig. 21). Stout setae on anterior side of all femora few and small (Fig. 28). Arched pectinate setae near inner margin of posterior side of hind femur relatively small (Fig. 29). Inner side of middle tibia without pectinate setae (Fig. 31). Pectinate setae on hind tibia few, small and located on posterior side only (Fig. 33); anterior side of hind tibia with row of stout, non-pectinate setae (Fig. 32). Posterior margins of abdominal terga I – VIII with very small, pointed denticles (Fig. 34); terga IX – X with larger pointed denticles (Fig. 35). Abdominal sterna without denticles. In male larva, posterior margin between protogonostyli concave; protopenes short (Fig. 80). Winged stages. In both sexes, hind wing with blunt costal projection and reduced apical part, so that wing apex locates between ends of RSa and RSp, and margin between apex of costal projection and wing apex straight or convex (Fig. 75; Barnard 1932: fig. 38 b; Peters & Edmunds 1964: fig. 13; Peters & Edmunds 1970: fig. 39). Subimago. CUTICULAR COLORATION. Head with colorless and light ochre-brown areas; flagellum of antenna brown. Pronotum ochre-brown. Mesonotum with lighter and darker ochre-brown areas: medioscutum with achromozone light ochre-brownish, chromozone only slightly darker (Fig. 79). Thoracic pleura and sterna with ochre-brown and colorless areas. Wings colorless, with microtrichiae dark brown. Legs uniformly ochre-brown. Abdominal terga and sterna uniformly ochre-brown, sigilla of same color. Medio-posterior area of styliger lighter (Fig. 77). Caudalii uniformly ochre-brownish. HYPODERMAL COLORATION. As in imago: each femur with large brown maculae at middle and at tip (as in Figs 9 – 10); abdominal terga with brown and ochre maculation (as in Figs 6 – 7). TEXTURE. On legs of all pairs of both sexes, 1 st – 4 th tarsomere covered with microtrichia (as tibia), 5 th tarsomere covered with very sharply pointed microlepides similar to microtrichia (Kluge 2022: table 15). Imago, male. Head brown. Dorsal eyes dull reddish-brown. Thorax brown, equally dark on dorsal, lateral and ventral sides; membranous areas of lateral side whitish. Fore and hind wings with membrane translucent, from colorless to ochre-brownish, veins brown (Fig. 75). Legs ochre-brown, with large darker brown maculae at middle and tip of femur; fore legs darker than middle and hind legs (Figs 9 – 10). Abdominal terga with brown and ochre maculation (Fig. 6). Genitalia — Figs 76, 78. Caudalii brown (cuticular coloration) with segment joinings narrowly bordered by dark brown (hypodermal coloration). Imago, female. Head and thorax lighter than in male, ochre with brown. Coloration of wings, legs and abdomen as in male (Fig. 7). Egg (Figs 84 – 89). Elongate and narrowed, spindle-shaped, without polar caps, without papillae and vesicles. Under scan electron microscope (SEM), egg looks as having deep longitudinal grooves running from one pole to another (Fig. 84). Chorion is armed with longitudinal ladder-like structures, each formed by a pair of straight, rigid rods connected by short, fine anastomoses (Fig. 85); the anastomoses are hidden in the longitudinal grooves between the rods and not visible under SEM. All rods are well visible both in glycerin and Canadian balsam, but anastomoses are visible in glycerin and invisible in Canadian balsam. Dimension. Fore wing length (and approximate body length) 7 – 8 mm.	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF82FFEBFF5406E9B69CFD8C.taxon	discussion	Comments. Barnard (1932) described and figured abdominal color of larva as having contrasting pale spots on dark brownish background (Barnard 1932: fig. 38 c and p. 249). Actually, this is the hypodermal coloration, the same as in imago and subimago (Figs 6 – 7); larval abdominal cuticle of this species is either unicolor pale ochre lacking any markings, or with pale areas different from hypodermal ones (Fig. 2).	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF88FFE8FF540438B768FE3E.taxon	description	(Figs 11 – 19, 22 – 27, 36 – 42, 57 – 70, 71 – 74, 81 – 83, 90 – 98)	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF88FFE8FF540438B768FE3E.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined. SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape province: Meul river (tributary of Kango river 25 km NE Oudshoorn), 33 ° 24 ʹ 50 ʹʹS, 22 ° 22 ʹ 59 ʹʹE, 30. I. 2019, coll. N. Kluge & L. Sheyko: 1 L-S-I ♂, 1 L-S / I ♂, 1 L / S ♀, 20 larvae; lodge « Wild Spirit », tributary of Bobbejaans river 5 km NW Nature’s Valley, 33 ° 57 ʹS, 23 ° 31 ʹ 30 ʹʹE, 3 – 5. II. 2019, coll. N. Kluge & L. Sheyko: 1 larva. Eastern Cape province: Thomas Baianes nature reserve, 2. X. 1995, coll. S. Mangold: 1 I ♂. Larva. CUTICULAR COLORATION. Head brown. Pronotum and mesonotum brown with few lighter areas (Fig. 11). Thoracic pleura ochre-brownish, sterna colorless. Legs ochre-brownish, each femur with diffusive longitudinal lighter area; on femur of fore leg, lighter area wider in proximal part; each tibia either uniformly ochre, or darker brown in distal part; each tarsus either uniformly ochre, or darker brown in proximal part (Figs 13 – 15). Abdominal terga with lighter and darker areas evenly repeated on terga II – IX; sterna lighter ochre (Fig. 12). HYPODERMAL COLORATION. Head and thorax with brown markings. Femur of each leg with more or less expressed longitudinal brown macula at middle and transverse brown macula near apex (Figs 18 – 19). Abdominal terga with extensive brown maculae (as in imago — Fig. 16).	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF88FFE8FF540438B768FE3E.taxon	description	SHAPE AND SETATION. Labrum with shallow median emargination; distal transverse setal row evenly arched, proximal transverse setal row nearly straight (Figs 22 – 24). Mandibles with outer margin moderately convex (Fig. 25). Stout setae on anterior side of all femora numerous, relatively long and pointed (Fig. 36). Arched pectinate setae near inner margin of posterior side of hind femur numerous and relatively long (Fig. 37). Inner side of middle tibia with long, pointed, stout, pectinate setae similar to setae on fore tibia, but less numerous (Fig. 39). Anterior, inner and posterior sides of hind tibia with numerous, relatively long, pointed, pectinate setae, without non-pectinate setae (Figs 40 – 41). Posterior margins of all abdominal terga I – X with sharply pointed denticles (Fig. 42). Abdominal sterna without denticles. In male larva, posterior margin between protogonostyli with small median projection; protopenes elongate (Fig. 83). Winged stages. In both sexes, hind wing with blunt costal projection and fully developed apical part, so that wing apex locates near end of RA, and margin between apex of costal projection and wing apex concave (Figs 73 – 74). Subimago. CUTICULAR COLORATION. Head with colorless and light ochre-brown areas; flagellum of antenna brown. Pronotum ochre-brown. Mesonotum with lighter and darker ochre-brown areas: medioscutum with achromozone light ochre-brownish, chromozone only slightly darker (as in Fig. 79). Thoracic pleura and sterna with ochre-brown and colorless areas. Wings colorless, with microtrichiae dark brown. Legs nearly uniformly ochre-brown. Abdominal terga and sterna uniformly ochre-brown, sigilla of same color. Medio-posterior area of styliger lighter (as in Fig. 77). Caudalii uniformly ochre-brownish. HYPODERMAL COLORATION. As in imago: each femur with large brown maculae at middle and at tip (as in Fig. 17); abdominal terga with brown and ochre maculation (as in Fig. 16). TEXTURE. On legs of all pairs of both sexes, 1 st – 2 nd tarsomere covered with microtrichia (as tibia), 3 rd – 5 th tarsomere covered with very sharply pointed microlepides similar to microtrichia (Kluge 2022: table 15). Imago, male. Head brown. Dorsal eyes dull reddish-brown. Thorax brown, equally dark on dorsal, lateral and ventral sides; membranous areas of lateral side whitish. Fore and hind wings with membrane colorless, veins brown (Fig. 71 – 72). Legs ochre-brown, with large darker brown maculae at middle and tip of femur (Fig. 17); fore legs darker than middle and hind legs. Abdominal terga with brown and ochre maculation (Fig. 16). Genitalia — Figs 81 – 82. Caudalii brown (cuticular coloration) with segment joinings bordered by dark brown (hypodermal coloration). Imago, female. Judging by wings developing in larval protoptera, their shape and venation as in male (Fig. 74) (see above). Judging by hypodermal coloration present in mature larva, coloration of legs and abdomen as in male. Egg (Figs 90 – 98). Elongate and narrowed, spindle-shaped, with two polar caps formed by papillae pressed together (Figs 90, 97). Under scan electron microscope (SEM), egg looks as having deep longitudinal grooves running from one pole to another; each groove contains a longitudinal row of small vesicles (Fig. 90). Chorion is armed with longitudinal ladder-like structures, each formed by a pair of undulate rods connected by numerous anastomoses (Fig. 95); the anastomoses are hidden in the longitudinal grooves between the rods and are mostly invisible under SEM; the vesicles are located above the anastomoses (Fig. 91). The rods and anastomoses can be visible in Canadian balsam (Figs 92 – 94), better visible in glycerin (Figs 95 – 96, 98). The vesicles are nearly invisible in glycerin (Figs 95 – 98); in Canadian balsam vesicles are visible either as light spots (Figs 92 – 93), or as dark spots (Fig. 94).	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF88FFE8FF540438B768FE3E.taxon	discussion	Comments. Agnew (1962) described Ch. ndebele based on 2 male imagines (with the holotype among them), 3 female imagines and 2 larvae of various instars. Imagines and larvae were not associated by rearing, so belonging of the larvae to Ch. ndebele was not grounded. As proceeds from the original description, male imago of Ch. ndebele well differs from Ch. nigrescens by structure of genitalia (Agnew 1962: figs 4 a and 4 c); this fact is supported in the present study (Figs 78 and 82). As for the larvae, Agnew (1962: 364) wrote: « The only structural differences between nymphs of the two species seem to be in the gill lamellae, if Barnard’s drawings of those of his species are accurate ». However, judging by reared specimens, individual variability of tergalii (Figs 43 – 70) is greater than differences between these two species assumed by Agnew (1962); so it is unclear, larvae of which species were characterized and figured by him under the names « Ch. ndebele » and « Ch. nigrescens ». Larva of Ch. nigrescens well differs from other species of Choroterpes by structure of labrum, which has very deep median incision on anterior margin (Fig. 20; Barnard 1932: fig. 39 a), while Ch. ndebele has labrum of a usual shape, with moderately deep median incision (Figs 22 – 24).	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
03E38784FF8CFFEDFF540176B142FE89.taxon	description	These two South African species are similar in general appearance of larvae, subimago and imago and most reliably differs by the following characters: In larva: Labrum in Ch. ndebele has usual shape (Figs 22 – 24), in Ch. nigrescens — with unusually deep median incision (Fig. 20). Other larval characters distinguishing these species are setation of legs, denticles on abdominal terga and shape of sternum IX in male (see above). In winged stages (subimago and imago of any sex): Hind wing in Ch. ndebele has usual shape (Fig. 73), in Ch. nigrescens — with unusually reduced apical part (Fig. 75). In male imago (besides hind wing structure), Ch. ndebele and Ch. nigrescens differ by structure of penis (Figs 78 and 82). In female subimago and imago (besides hind wing structure): Egg of Ch. ndebele has two polar caps consisted of large papillae pressed together; hidden longitudinal rods are undulate, with a row of vesicles between rods of each pair (Figs 90 – 98). Egg of Ch. nigrescens has no polar caps; its hidden rods are straight, and vesicles are absent (Figs 84 – 89). Eggs of these two species can be distinguished using light microscope.	en	Kluge, Nikita J. (2025): Redescriptions of Choroterpes nigrescens Barnard 1932 and Ch. ndebele Agnew 1962 with notes about egg structure of Choroterpes Eaton 1881, Megaglena Peters & Edmunds 1970 and Klugephlebia Selvakumar et al. 2016 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae). Zootaxa 5711 (2): 203-222, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.3
