Rhopalopsole GR

Huo, Qing-Bo, Wang, Qi-Ming, Guo, Xiao-Lei, Rehman, Abdur, Yang, Yu-Ben & Du, Yu-Zhou, 2022, The first cavernicolous Leuctridae (Insecta: Plecoptera) nymph from Guizhou China, Zootaxa 5162 (3), pp. 290-298 : 293

Rhopalopsole GR [temporary name]

Description: Body length 10–12 mm (number = 8). Body color light yellow to white, without dark pattern ( Fig. 2A–B ); body smooth on surface, bearing sparse, short setae. Triocellate; compound eyes reduced into small spots, with length only three times that of the ocellus ( Fig. 3A–B ). Mouthparts mostly sclerotized. Lacinia short, inner edge on apex divided into 3 large teeth, followed by a row of hair brushes. Glossae slightly shorter than the paraglossae ( Fig. 3C–E ). Pronotum rectangular, typical of this family. Mesothorax and metathorax are weakly sclerotized, but the wing pads and complex ventral sclerites are still obvious in the HDR (High Dynamic Range) images ( Fig. 4A– D ). The results of morphological study showed that these features, especially the mouthparts and thoracic sclerites, match those of the genus Rhopalopsole .

Materials examined: 8 nymphs, China, Guizhou Province, Libo County, 2021-X-1, 25°18′36″ N, 107°55′12″ E, 785 m, leg. Wang Qi-Ming, Guo Xiao-Lei ( ICYZU) .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Rhopalopsole GR, nymph habitus, dorsal and ventral views. A: smaller nymph; B: larger nymph.

FIGURE 3. Rhopalopsole GR, nymphs. A: head, dorsal; B: head, ventral; C: mandible; D: lacinia; E: labium.

FIGURE 4. Rhopalopsole GR, nymphal thorax. A–B: dorsal mesothorax and metathorax, scanned figure and outline of wing pads; C–D: ventral prothorax and mesothorax, scanned figure and outline of the thoracic sclerites.