Sphaeronemoura multicurvata, Li & Li & Yang, 2020

Li, Weihai, Li, Wenliang & Yang, Ding, 2020, Additions to Sphaeronemoura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from Oriental China, Zootaxa 4722 (3), pp. 234-240 : 234-238

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4722.3.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AB50A6EE-1424-4D88-9DB7-E7FA970792D9
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E15264-C378-FFDB-FD91-8A60AFC5FB7C
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Sphaeronemoura multicurvata
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Sphaeronemoura multicurvata View in CoL sp. n.

( Figs. 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 )

Diagnosis: Male of this large species is characterized by tergum VIII with a large trapezoidal plate overhanging tergum IX. Inner lobes of male paraproct shorter than the tubular median lobes. Flagellum of male epiproct in dorsal view curved multiple times.

Adult habitus: Forewing length of holotype ca. 10.6 mm. General color dark brown with yellow patterned legs. Pronotum lighter than head and antennae, surface with scattered rugosities. Legs dark brown, except femora and tibiae with yellow median bands; wing membrane brownish, venation dark brown.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 a–f, 2b–e): Hypoproct dark brown, generally subquadrate, median portion abruptly tapering, apex with dark wrinkles; width less than one third of the width of sternum IX; vesicle claviform with gentle median constriction at lateral margins, ca. 3x longer than wide, margins and distal third darkly sclerotized ( Fig. 1b View FIGURE 1 ). Paraproct ( Figs. 1b, 1e View FIGURE 1 & 2e View FIGURE 2 ): inner lobe black and triangular, apex acute, nearly 5x longer than median width where it separates well from median lobe, slightly shorter than median lobe. Median lobe brown to dark brown, with darkly sclerotized tubular projection, tip rounded. Outer lobe basally with heavily sclerotized strip curved around the cercal base and extended to the sclerotized tubular projection of median lobe. Under the median lobe occurs a membraneous, nipple-like apex. Cerci ( Figs. 1a, 1b View FIGURE 1 & 2c View FIGURE 2 ) about 3x longer than wide near middle, basal portion narrow, dis- tinctly curved upward and mediad in dorsal and lateral views, apex rounded and medially with a small nipple-like segment remnant. Tergum VIII brown, with very large entire median plate hanging over ⅔ of tergum IX; exposed lobes trapezoidal (the seeming asymmetry and larger size of the right side in dorsal view are artifacts caused by the left part being up-curved left before being relaxed (compare figs 1a and 2d)), posterior and posterolateral margins black ( Figs. 1a View FIGURE 1 & 2d View FIGURE 2 ). Tergum IX brown, antecosta nearly straight but thickened and darker. Tergum X sclerotized with thickened antecosta, medial part of segment under the epiproct with a slender irregular membranous concavity. Tergal projections acute in dorsal view, and erect in lateral view. Epiproct typical for the genus, generally subquadrate in dorsal aspect with medially indented apex ( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 c–1d, 1f, 2b and 2c). Dorsal sclerite mostly dark brown, with black trapezoid base anterolaterally divergent into thin lateral sclerite, in lateral view, subquadrate, slightly curved but nearly parallel-sided, apex slightly extended and curved. Ventral sclerite nearly parallel with dorsal sclerite in dorsal and lateral aspects in basal portion, fringed with several sharp teeth at midlength. Flagellum with distinct multiple curves in dorsal view but less curved in lateral view, about 2.5x longer than main sclerites of epiproct.

Female ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ): Pregenital plate of sternum 7 dark brown, nearly covering sternum 7, posterolaterally extended into a pair of very elongate triangular projections, hanging over sternum 8 and the anterior part of sternum 9, ca. 3x as long as wide at base. Subgenital plate a V-shaped dark brown sclerotized area in the middle and posterolaterally with well sclerotized triangular vaginal lobes. Sternum 9 dark brown, medially gently expanded.

Larva: unknown.

Type material: Holotype ( CAU) male: CHINA: Sichuan Province, Pingwu County, Old creek (not a stream name), 1400–1800m, N 32°30’, E 104°38’, 2016.V.14–15, leg. H. Dong. GoogleMaps Paratype: 1 female, same data as holotype GoogleMaps .

Distribution: Southwestern China (Sichuan Province).

Etymology: The specific name refers to the multicurved flagellum of the epiproct in dorsal aspect.

Remarks: The leg pattern of the new species are similar to S. kunmingensis Qian and Du, 2019 from Yunnan Province also of southwestern China, but terminalia differ greatly. Sphaeronemoura songshana Li & Yang, 2009 described from Beijing has similar large plate of tergum 8 and a similar paraproct, but the cerci in males of that species taper apically and curve inward, and the flagellum of S. songshana is curved only once. The lateral projection of the pregenital plate of the female of S. songshana is not as elongate (about as long as basal width) as in S. multicurvata proposed herein (ca. 3x as long as the basal width).