Nemoura latilongispina, Qian & Xiao & Chen & Du, 2018

Qian, Yu-Han, Xiao, Qian, Chen, Zhi-Teng & Du, Yu-Zhou, 2018, A remarkable new species of Nemoura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, China, Zootaxa 4375 (2), pp. 281-286 : 282-285

Nemoura latilongispina sp. nov.

Figs. 1–12 .

Adult habitus. Head dark brown, wider than pronotum and posterior margin with two elliptical pale spots; triocellate and posterior ocelli closer to compound eyes than to each other; antennae dark brown and palpi light brown. Gills absent but with single small membranous gill-like stubs outside of lateral cervical sclerites. Pronotum dark brown, subquadrate, rugose with obtuse corners. Legs banded with brown patterns. Wings subhyaline and veins dark brown ( Figs. 1–2 ).

Male. Terga 2–6 each with a small pair of transverse, anterior sclerites. Terga 7–9 strongly sclerotized laterally. Sterna 2–8 each with a pair of spots sclerotized. Hypoproct of sternum 9 broad and with sclerotized margins; the vesicle slightly constricted basally, near parallel-sided at apical ¾ ( Figs. 4 , 6 ). Tergum 10 sclerotized with two anterior sclerites upcurved ( Figs. 3, 5 ). Cercus strongly sclerotized, apically forked and with sharp apices; three small spines present on each cercus, respectively, on base of cercus, outer prong, and middle of the fork ( Figs. 3, 4, 5 , 8 ). Epiproct long and wide, strongly sclerotized, having a knob at base ⅓ in lateral view ( Figs. 5–9 ); apex of dorsal sclerite divided into four lobes, two sharp inner lobes with five spines ( Fig. 9 ), and two blunt outer lobes with dark spinules; basal portion of dorsal sclerite widened in dorsal aspect and elevated in lateral view; basal sclerite extend laterally, forming upcurved plates, the plates with long rows of spine along upper margins ( Figs. 3, 5 , 9 ). Paraproct divided into two lobes, outer lobe irregular in shape and mostly sclerotized; inner lobe claviform and apically rounded, longer than outer lobe, basally connecting the outer lobe ( Figs. 4 , 7 ).

Female. Pregenital plate on sternum 7, reaching anterior margin of sternum 9 and with W-shaped posterior margin ( Fig. 10 ). Vaginal lobes on sternum 8 semicircular, fold over the pregenital plate, two symmetrical sclerites over the vaginal lobes weakly sclerotized and each sclerite fold into approximate rectangle-shape, forming the vaginal complex ( Fig. 10, 11 ). Anterior margin of sternum 9 extended forward and with sclerotized anterior margin ( Figs. 10, 11 ).

Type material. Holotype male, CHINA: Yunnan Province, Chuxiong City, Zixi Mountain, Laokangqing , 25°1’5” N, 101°24’15” E, 2446 m, 24 Jun 2017, Leg. Yu-Han Qian ( ICSFU) . Paratypes: 8 males and 9 females, same data as holotype ( ICSFU) .

Etymology. The Latin name “ lati ” means lateral, “ longispina ” means long spines, “ latilongispina ” refers to the distinctly long spines of epiproct.

Remarks. This remarkable new species can be distinguished from all other Chinese Nemoura species by the ventral sclerite of epiproct extended laterally, forming upcurved plates fringed with long spines along upper margin, and by the strongly sclerotized, fork-shaped cercus. The female was collected in copula with the male holotype. The external genitalia of the female are distinctive by possessing two symmetrical sclerites underlying the pregenital plate and weakly sclerotized, each sclerite sub-rectangle in shape, and the vaginal lobes distinctly semicircle. It is interesting to note that the female terminalia of N. latilongispina is externally similar to those of Indonemoura Baumann, 1975 .

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Nemoura latilongispina, sp. nov.1. Male habitus, dorsal view. 2. Female habitus, dorsal view.

FIGURES 3–5. Nemoura latilongispina, sp. nov. 3. Male terminalia, dorsal view. 4. Male terminalia, ventral view. 5. Male terminalia, lateral view.

FIGURES6–9.Nemoura latilongispina, sp. nov. 6. Male hypoproct, ventral view. 7.Male left paraproct, ventral view.8. Male left cercus, caudal view. 9. Male epiproct, lateral view.

FIGURES 10–11. Nemoura latilongispina, sp. nov. Female terminalia, ventral view. 11. Female terminalia with pregenital plate removed, ventral view.

FIGURE 12. Type locality, Zixi Mountain,Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China.