Wellsomina tamoides, Cartwright & Dostine, 2022

Cartwright, David I. & Dostine, Peter, 2022, Five new species and new records of caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from Australia’s ‘ Top End’, Zootaxa 5138 (3), pp. 283-304 : 290

Wellsomina tamoides sp. nov.

Figures 10–12

Type material. Holotype male (CT-820 figured), Northern Territory, unnamed creek nr Surprise Falls , Litchfield N.P., –13.3950, 130.7767, 20–21 Aug 2020, P. Dostine ( MVM, T-22580 ).

Paratype. 1 male (genitalia only, body used for DNA analysis), Northern Territory. Bamboo Ck , 26 May 2019, P. Dostine ( MAGNT / FFD) .

Diagnosis. The male of Wellsomina tamoides sp. nov. resembles that of W. tam Cartwright 2010 from North Queensland in all genitalic structures but can be separated by the slenderer branches of the superior appendages.

Description, male. Spur formula: 3:4:4. Head, body light brown, abdomen paler ventrally and wings damaged, grey-brownish, wings similar to those of W. stuarti ( Cartwright 2010, fig. 7), length of each forewing: male 2.4 mm. Wing venation: forewings each with forks 2, 3, 4, and 5 present; fork 2 relatively short, fork 2 footstalk relatively very long, length about 1.5 times length of cross-vein r -m, length of fork 2 about 1.8 times length of fork 3; fork 3 short, length of fork 3 about same as length of footstalk, footstalk of fork 3 long. Hind wings each with forks 2, 3, and 5 present, all relatively short.

Male (Genitalia of illustrated holotype male slightly damaged on right side). Tergum X membranous with 2 lobes ( Fig. 12 ), and ventrally directed intermediate process forming large apical spine ( Fig. 12 , partly hidden in lateral views by ventral branches of superior appendages). Superior appendages branched, each with two semi-equal branches, inner dorsal branch with few apical spines on mesal lobe and single long spine on the outer lobe, outer ventral branch with three robust, spine-like setae apically ( Figs 10–12 ). Phallus simple, tube-like ( Fig. 10 ). Inferior appendages dorsoventrally depressed ( Figs 10, 11 ), in ventral view fused in basal half, with pair of robust digitiform processes apically, separated widely in distal half by mesal split ( Fig. 11 ); in lateral view slender, tapering slightly and upturned distally ( Fig. 10 ).

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. Tamoides —based on tam and - oides (= like).

Remarks. Only two males are known from two sites in the Litchfield N.P., NT Top End (latitude range 13.06– 13.40°S).

Figures

FIGURES 6–12. Ecnomidae. Figures 6–9, Neboissomina topendica sp. nov.: 6, apices of right fore- and hind wings, dorsal. 7–9, male genitalia: 7, left lateral; 8, ventral; 9, dorsal. Figures 10–12, Wellsomina tamoides sp. nov. male genitalia: 10, left lateral; 11, ventral; 12, dorsal.Abbreviations: F2 = fork 2; F3 = fork 3; F4 = fork 4; F5 = fork 5; ap. sp. X = apical spine tergum X; inf. app. = inferior appendage (paired); mes. pro. terg. X = mesal process tergum X (paired); pha. = phallus; sup. app. = superior appendage (paired); sup. app. dors. = dorsal branch of superior appendage (paired); sup. app. vent. = ventral branch of superior appendage (paired).