Potamophylax coronavirus Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Vitecek, 2021

Ibrahimi, Halil, Bilalli, Astrit, Vitecek, Simon, Pauls, Steffen U., Erzinger, Felicitas, Gashi, Agim, Grapci Kotori, Linda, Geci, Donard, Musliu, Milaim & Kasumaj, Edison, 2021, Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae), a new species from Bjeshket e Nemuna National Park in the Republic of Kosovo, with molecular and ecological notes, Biodiversity Data Journal 9, pp. 64486-64486 : 64486

Potamophylax coronavirus Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Vitecek sp. n.

Materials

Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Halil Ibrahimi; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; Taxon: class: Insecta; order: Trichoptera; family: Limnephilidae; genus: Potamophylax; specificEpithet: coronavirus; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Vitecek; nomenclaturalCode: ICZN; Location: continent: Europe; waterBody: Adriatic Watershed; country: Kosovo; countryCode: XKS; municipality: Deçan; locality: Bjeshket e Nemuna, Lloqan Mountain. ; verbatimLocality: A tributary of Lumbardhi i Decanit River , Krojet e Ali Pashë Gucisë springs.; verbatimElevation: 2066; decimalLatitude: 42.5491; decimalLongitude: 20.13833; Event: samplingProtocol: entomological net; year: 2014; month: 10; day: 13; Record Level: datasetName: Trichoptera Bjeshket e Nemuna Type status: Other material. Occurrence: recordedBy: Halil Ibrahimi; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult, with slightly damaged terminalia; Taxon: class: Insecta; order: Trichoptera; family: Limnephilidae; genus: Potamophylax; specificEpithet: coronavirus; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Vitecek; nomenclaturalCode: ICZN; Location: continent: Europe; waterBody: Adriatic Watershed; country: Kosovo; countryCode: XKS; municipality: Deçan; locality: Bjeshket e Nemuna, Lloqan Mountain. ; verbatimLocality: A tributary of Lumbardhi i Decanit River , Krojet e Ali Pashë Gucisë springs.; verbatimElevation: 2066; decimalLatitude: 42.5491; decimalLongitude: 20.13833; Event: samplingProtocol: entomological net; year: 2014; month: 10; day: 13; Record Level: datasetName: Trichoptera Bjeshket e Nemuna Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Halil Ibrahimi, Agim Gashi; individualCount: 2; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; Taxon: class: Insecta; order: Trichoptera; family: Limnephilidae; genus: Potamophylax; specificEpithet: coronavirus; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Vitecek; nomenclaturalCode: ICZN; Location: continent: Europe; waterBody: Adriatic Watershed; country: Kosovo; countryCode: XKS; municipality: Deçan; locality: Bjeshket e Nemuna, Lloqan Mountain. ; verbatimLocality: A tributary of Lumbardhi i Decanit River , Gurrat e Hasan Agës springs.; verbatimElevation: 2218; decimalLatitude: 42.560696; decimalLongitude: 20.153876; Event: samplingProtocol: entomological net; year: 2014; month: 10; day: 15; Record Level: datasetName: Trichoptera Bjeshket e Nemuna Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Halil Ibrahimi, Astrit Bilalli, Linda Grapci-Kotori, Donard Geci, Edison Kasumaj; individualCount: 4; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; Taxon: class: Insecta; order: Trichoptera; family: Limnephilidae; genus: Potamophylax; specificEpithet: coronavirus; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Vitecek; nomenclaturalCode: ICZN; Location: continent: Europe; waterBody: Adriatic Watershed; country: Kosovo; countryCode: XKS; municipality: Deçan; locality: Bjeshket e Nemuna, Lloqan Mountain. ; verbatimLocality: A tributary of Lumbardhi i Decanit River , Krojet e Ali Pashë Gucisë springs.; verbatimElevation: 2066; decimalLatitude: 42.5491; decimalLongitude: 20.13833; Event: samplingProtocol: entomological net; year: 2014; month: 11; day: 21; Record Level: datasetName: Trichoptera Bjeshket e Nemuna Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: recordedBy: Halil Ibrahimi, Astrit Bilalli, Linda Grapci-Kotori, Donard Geci, Edison Kasumaj; individualCount: 2; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; Taxon: class: Insecta; order: Trichoptera; family: Limnephilidae; genus: Potamophylax; specificEpithet: coronavirus; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Vitecek; nomenclaturalCode: ICZN; Location: continent: Europe; waterBody: Adriatic Watershed; country: Kosovo; countryCode: XKS; municipality: Deçan; locality: Bjeshket e Nemuna, Lloqan Mountain. ; verbatimLocality: A tributary of Lumbardhi i Decanit River , Krojet e Ali Pashë Gucisë springs.; verbatimElevation: 2066; decimalLatitude: 42.5491; decimalLongitude: 20.13833; Event: samplingProtocol: entomological net; year: 2020; month: 12; day: 03; Record Level: datasetName: Trichoptera Bjeshket e Nemuna

Description

Male. General appearance (Figs 2 , 3 ). Head and appendages brown, prothorax, sclerites of meso and metathorax and coxae dark brown to black; femora and tibiae brown, tarsi gradually darkening towards the apex. Wings dark brown with dark setae. Male maxillary palp 3 segmented. Forewing length 10 - 11.5 mm, spur formula 1-3-4.

Male genitalia (Figs 4 , 5 , 6 ). Tergite VIII dark brown to black, darker than the preceding tergites, in dorsal view roughly quadratic in shape, with dorsal portion slightly narrower, posterior margin with distinct median lobe; setation concentrated on proximal portion of segment VIII, which is well sclerotised, spinate area roughly rectangular in shape with a slightly wider base in dorsal view, located on the semi-membranous distal portion of segment VIII, covered by small black spines, which are more abundant at the apex. Segment IX laterally broad, with rounded proximal areas entering into segment VIII, with short and narrow dorsal and ventral portions. Superior appendages in lateral view long, subrectangular, with rounded tips, slightly narrowing at their basal part, covered with thin setae of medium length. Intermediate appendages long, sickle-shaped with slightly rounded apex, turned upwards. Inferior appendages long, asymmetric, broadly connected with the segment IX and fused throughout most of their length, the separation line between them and segment IX visible only in basal third, bulging dorsally at the area between them and segment IX, their protruding upper portion truncated squarely, both dorsal and ventral corners of the upper portion forming rounded points, parallel to each other, directed mesally. Phallic apparatus consists of an aedeagus of medium height and a pair of parameres. Aedeagus bulbous, narrow in the middle, enlarged at the tip with bifid apex, apicomesal excision wide-U-shaped. Parameres robust, brown-black in colour, with a wider base, narrowing gradually towards the apex, with a bunch of short and very thick spines originating mainly at the distal third and a few of them ventraly.

Female. A single female specimen collected during the field trip generally resembles the female of Potamophylax juliani , but smaller in size.

Smaller and of lighter colour than the male. Head and appendages brown, prothorax, sclerites of meso and metathorax light brown to brown; femora and tibiae brown, tarsi gradually darkening towards the apex. Brachypterous. Forewings light brown in colour, shorter than abdomen, with very long and strong erect setae, mostly on the longitudinal veins. Forewing length 8.5 mm. Spur formula 1-3-4. Antennae slender.

It has slightly damaged terminalia and thus we currently refrain from describing genitalia.

Diagnosis

Males of the new species are most similar to Potamophylax juliani , currently known only from Bulgaria and Potamophylax winneguthi , known from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, but differ in exhibiting: (1) elongated subrectangular superior appendages in lateral view, slightly narrowing at their base, rounded at the apex; (2) hardly acuminate, almost rounded apex of intermediate appendages in lateral view; (3) differently shaped inferior appendages, bulging dorsally at the area between them and segment IX in lateral view, with high and broad upper protruding portion, with a narrow distance between dorsal and ventral corners of the upper portion, which are set parallel to each other and directed mesially; (4) spinate area narrow, roughly rectangular in dorsal view, only slightly wider at the base and (5) short stout parameres with base wider than the apex and short, very thick spines originating below the apex, only slightly reaching above the apex and few other smaller ones proximally. Potamophylax juliani males have: (1) small, laterally rounded, ovoid superior appendages; (2) long, slender intermediate appendages with sharply acuminate apex in lateral view; (3) rather short inferior appendages, with a shortened protruding upper portion as high as half of the entire appendage’s height, with a wide distance between dorsal and ventral corners, which are set parallel to each other and directed mesially; (4) spinate area in dorsal view narrow at the apex and almost three times wider at the base and (5) short stout parameres with very wide basal third and narrow apex, with 15 - 20 thick spines of medium length originating mostly from the tip. Potamophylax winneguthi males have: (1) small, laterally semicircular superior appendages; (2) long slender intermediate appendages with acuminate apex; (3) inferior appendages parallel-edged, dorsally truncated in a rectangular manner, longer on their ventral edge, directed dorsad; (4) spinate area wide, covering almost the entire width of the distal portion of segment VIII in dorsal view and (5) short stout parallel-edged parameres with almost same width along the entire length, only slightly narrower at their middle part, with 5-7 very long spines originating from distal half.

The new species also differs from both of its most similar congeners by its considerably smaller size and different type of habitat, inhabiting open high altitude eucrenal zones.

Etymology

The species epithet Potamophylax coronavirus relates to the severe acute respiratory syndrome Potamophylax coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which caused a global pandemia starting 2020. The current paper was written during the quarantine time due to the pandemics. The species epithet also emphasises figuratively another silent pandemic occurring on freshwater organisms in Kosovo rivers, due to the pollution and degradation of freshwater habitats, including particularly the increased activity of mismanaged hydropower plants.

Distribution

During the field survey in the Bjeshkët e Nemuna Mountains, we found Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. at only two localities within a 3 km perimeter, although several other springs and brooks were sampled.

Ecology

Both sampling stations are open spring areas, located above 2000 m a.s.l. The substrate of streams close to the sampling sites was dominated by meso- to macrolithal, surrounded by riparian vegetation. The species was collected during the day by handpicking and entomological nets. The species was not observed flying, implying low flying activity. No specimen was caught with light traps. The species was collected during late September, October, November and early December, implying it has an autumn flying period. In both sites, the specimens of the new species were collected only within a one-kilometre perimeter from the spring area downwards along the stream, implying that it is a typical eucrenal species.

In both sampling stations, Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. was found in sympatry with the following species: Rhyacophila tristis Pictet, 1834, Allogamus uncatus (Brauer, 1857), Drusus botosaneanui Kumanski, 1968, Drusus krusniki Malicky, 1981 and Drusus fortos Ibrahimi and Oláh, 2017.

Results of phylogenetic analysis

Both methods recovered the same supported topology and highly similar support values. The phylogenetic analyses reveal that the P. winneguthi species group is monophyletic with regard to the other included Potamophylax species and Melampophylax (Fig. 7 , Suppl. materials 1, 2). Within the P. winneguthi species group, relationships are largely unresolved. Only the proposed conspecificity of males and females is confirmed in all four species (posterior probabilities of 1.0, high bootstrap support). In addition, the Potamophylax spp. from Kosovo and Bulgaria appear to have a sister relationship in this group. The uncorrected interspecific pairwise distance between P. coronavirus and other species of the Potamophylax winneguthi species group is on par with those amongst other recognised species in the group, as well as with the yet ambiguously identified taxa from the Sharr, Rila and Bajgorë Mountains (0.03-0.05;Suppl. materials 2, 3).

Figures

Figure 2. Adults of Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. in copulation.

Figure 3. Male adult of Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n.

Figure 4. Left lateral view of the male genitalia of Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. VIII - tergite VIII, IX - segment IX, ia - inferior appendages, ima - intermediate appendages, sa - superior appendages.

Figure 5. Caudal (A) and dorsal (B) view of the male genitalia of Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. VIII - tergite VIII, ia - inferior appendages, ima - intermediate appendages, sa - superior appendages.

Figure 6. Aedeagus (a) and parameres (p) of the male genitalia of Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. in lateral (A) and ventral view (B).

Figure 7. Maximum Likelihood tree of phylogenetic relationships within the Potamophylax winneguthi species group and closely related congeners. The P. winneguthi group comprises a highly supported clade with new species P. coronavirus sp. n. supported as sister to other species of the group, including yet ambiguously identified taxa from the Sharr, Rila and Bajgore Mountains. Support from SH-like approximate likelihood ratio tests / Ultrafast Bootstrap / Bayesian posterior probabilities are presented above nodes; outgroup: Melampophylax austriacus.