Prostoia similis (Hagen)

Grubbs, Scott A., Baumann, Richard W., DeWalt, R. Edward & Tweddale, Tari, 2014, A review of the Nearctic genus Prostoia (Ricker) (Plecoptera, Nemouridae), with the description of a new species and a surprising range extension for P. hallasi Kondratieff & Kirchner, ZooKeys 401, pp. 11-30 : 18

Prostoia similis (Hagen) Figs 33-40, 42

Taeniopteryx similis Hagen, 1861: 34. Holotype ♂ (USNM), Washington D.C., USA.

Nemoura similis : Banks 1907: 14.

Nemoura divergens : Claassen 1923: 282. Syn. Illies, 1966: 221.

Nemoura divergens : Needham and Claassen 1925: 203.

Nemoura similis : Needham and Claassen 1925: 214.

Nemoura (Prostoia) similis : Ricker 1952: 49.

Prostoia similis : Illies 1966: 221.

Prostoia similis : Zwick 1973: 346.

Prostoia similis : Baumann 1975: 27.

Prostoia similis : Poulton and Stewart 1991: 30.

Material examined

(Suppl. material 1).

Distribution.

Canada: ON (New provincial record), PQ ( DeWalt et al. 2013); USA: CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NY, OH, PA, SC, VA, WI, WV ( DeWalt et al. 2013), TN (New state record).

Remarks.

Prostoia similis is readily distinguished from all other Prostoia species by the dorsal sclerite of the epiproct bearing long and sinuate lateral arms. As stated earlier, the ranges of Prostoia completa and Prostoia similis overlap extensively. Examination of large collections of Prostoia similis and Prostoia completa from the Great Lakes region has revealed that the former species appears to be markedly less common with increasing latitude ( Grubbs et al. 2012). In comparison to Prostoia completa , there are far fewer historical (pre-1960) and contemporaneous collections of Prostoia similis from Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconson, and Ontario.