Neoperla dubia Klapálek, 1909

Zwick, Peter & Zwick, Andreas, 2023, Revision of the African Neoperla Needham, 1905 (Plecoptera: Perlidae: Perlinae) based on morphological and molecular data, Zootaxa 5316 (1), pp. 1-194 : 122-124

55. Neoperla dubia Klapálek, 1909

( Figs. 313–317 , 323–327 )

Neoperla dubia Klapálek, 1909: 218 .

N. dubia ─ Needham, 1920: 37 , figs 12, 14, 16; misidentification.

Neoperla dubia ─ Klapálek, 1923b: 135 , figs 7, 8.

Neoperla sp. 35 ─ Moore, 1991: 9, figs 20–23.

Type material studied. Republic of Cameroon, ♁ Lectotype (here designated to stabilise nomenclature): figures 7 and 8 of Klapálek (1923b), actual specimen not available.

Additional material studied. Republic of Angola: 1♁: ANG. 10494. Dundo IX.48 (M) (cleared abdomen and everted penis in a microvial) . Republic of Cameroon: Libamba [3.55°N, 11.10°E], 10 km E of Makak, light traps, J.A. Gruwell: 2♁: 1.–11.9.73; 3♁: 10.–11.1 74; 1♁: 11.2.74; 3♁: 9.3.74; 1♁: 12.–13.5.74; 2♁: 18.–19.6.74 ( USNM; 2♁ in SMNS; NEOP254 ). 4♀: ibidem, 1.–5.9.73, 6.–10.12. 73, 9.3.74, 5.VI.1974 ( USNM; NEOP 256 in SMNS) . Democratic Republic of the Congo: 14♀: Kongo, Odzala Nat. Park [1.19°N, 14.85°E; 560m], 29.9.- 3.3.1997 leg. V.Sinaev ( ZMHUB; 3 in PZ, NEOP255 , slide 12-5C). 3♁: Belgian Congo , 12 mi N Matadi [5.86S, 13.46E], 28.8.57, E.S. Ross & R.E. Leech ( CAS & SMNS) . 1♀: Musée du Congo Niangara [3.678, 27.889] 4-IV-1925 Dr. H. Schouteden; 1♀: Coll. Mus. Congo Elisabethville (à la lumière) XI-1956 Ch. Seydel ( MRAC) . Republic of Ghana: 19♀: Ghana, Volta Region, Wli Falls [7.12°N, 0.59°E], Afegame , St. 6, 11.03.1993, J.S.Amakye & J. Kjaerendsen (slides Afr 98/10, Afr 98/11 NEOP253 ) ; 1♁: Ghana, Volta Region, Wli Falls, Afegame , St. 10 08.03.1993 J.S. Amakye & J. Kjaerendsen light trap ( ZMBN, NEOP252 , pinned, abdomen in microvial, penis on slide) . République de Côte d’Ivoire: 1♁: 15 km N. Lakota [5.86N, 5.68W], 20.–21.X.71 black light trap J.A. Gruwell ( USNM) . Togolese Republic: 1♀: Togo, Amoutchou , 28.11.1985, V. Landa (Slide Z16/129; SMNS) . Federal Republic of Nigeria: Ikom [6°5’N, 8°37’E], Ogoja Prov. , Nigeria. 25.. I.1949 B. Malkin (at light) (slide Z17.025; SMNS) .

Habitus. WL 10–11mm in males, approximately 11–12mm in females. Membrane turbid, light, veins light brown, Rs with three branches. Ocelli their own diameter apart, connected by a small brown spot; sometimes a fine line along occipital suture. Body light ochre, antenna brownish, cercus distally slightly infuscate, male hind tibia wide, flat, slightly infuscate.

Male ( Figs. 313–317 ). As for the complex, T7 caudally with small globular or heart-shaped body with some SB. HT10 long, thin, straight, tip in side view slightly hooked, mediobasal callus partly concealing the Y-shaped epiproct ( Figs. 313–315 ).

Penis tubular, straight, dorsal side in caudal third with transverse band of conical spines, tips directed basad. Apex of tube bare and wide. Endophallus shorter than tube, curving to ventral side. Base of endophallus protruding, a group of large spines on it continues distally. Bare lateral strips separate the dorsal spines from a short spine band on concave ventral face. The spiny section ends abruptly, fine hair-like microtrichia cover the slender distal half of endophallus. A thin recurrent tube is visible by transparency ( Figs 316–317 ).

Female ( Fig. 323 ). As for the complex.

Egg ( Figs. 324–327 ). Size 416*219µm, 445*247µm in specimens from Odzala N.P. Ovoid, 18–21 straight striae. Operculum conical, long collar with two rings of cells with high walls.Anchor cavity deep, anchor mushroom-shaped. Sulci wide, relatively coarse punctures in indistinct transverse rows, micropyles freely visible. Ridges are sharp crests, in several specimens drawn out into lamellae ( Figs. 325–327 ) which continue onto operculum, with narrow interruption at (invisible) eclosion line ( Fig. 325 ). Lamellae undulate slightly, suggesting transverse striation in certain views. All lamellae are inclined sideward in the same direction, in top view the egg resembles a cog-wheel ( Fig. 326 ).

Variation and distribution. Neoperla dubia occurs from Guinea eastward to the Lower Congo area where its range overlaps with N. proxima n. sp. All known males are similar but eggs of some Ghanaan females have only low ridges and are not flanged ( Fig. 324 ).

DNA ( Figs. 492 , 497). A total of five specimens from Ghana, Cameroon, and the D. R. Congo were sequenced, representing the core of the geographic spread of this species and providing very strong support (98.3/100/100) for monophyly. The species is very strongly supported (69.1/100/100) as sister to N. proxima n. sp.. Both sexes are represented .

Notes. The original description was in a key ( Klapálek 1909), the name is available although material studied was not recorded. Klapálek (1923b) mentions and illustrates a single male in alcohol from “Dolodorf, Kamerun, I.07, Prof. Zuemann” [lapsus for Lolodorf, Ziemann; [3.23°N, 10.72°E], in the Berlin museum where we did not find it. Klapálek’s collection in Prague holds no N. dubia . Therefore, Klapálek‘s illustrations (1923b) are here designated lectotype.

Needham (1920) reported misidentified specimens from Faradje, Belgian Congo (Mus. New York) as N. dubia . Whether male (his fig. 12) and female (his figs. 14, 16) are conspecific is uncertain. We examined the slide preparation of the male which we cannot identify, the allegedly “tridentate tip” of the T7 process is an artifact, the region near the process is torn. The contracted endophallus contains several large spines of obliquely triangular shape.

Figures

FIGURE 492. Simplified overview of codon-model maximum likelihood phylogram based on 356 mitochondrial genome and COX1 DNA barcode sequences (all-NT). Terminal labels include information on the species only. Clades of particular interest highlighted with colours that correspond to the clades in other trees. The full tree is shown in Figs 493-498.

FIGURES 313–322. Males in the Neoperla dubia-complex: N. dubia Klapálek (from Makak, Cameroon): 313, terminal segments, dorsal view; 314, 315, enlarged centre of tergites 7 and 8, dorsal and lateral; 316, contracted, 317, everted penis with detail of distal armature (not to scale, from Ikom, Nigeria). Neoperla proxima n. sp.: 318, abdominal tip in dorsal view; 317, tip of penis with everted endophallus (D. R. Congo, Odzala N. P.). Neoperla vicina n. sp.: 320, 321, abdominal tip, dorsal and lateral views; 322, penis tip with everted endophallus in lateral view, and a detail of external spines in oblique lateral view (D. R. Congo, Bukavu). Scales in 317 and 322 are 100µm, scale in 320 is 0.5mm. The tergites, hemitergite 10 and the cercus are labeled.

FIGURES 323–331. Neoperla dubia-complex, femalesand eggs.N.dubia Klapálek:323, genital situs; 324, eggwith moderately raised costae (Ghana, Agumatsa waterfalls); 325–327, egg with flanged costae (D. R. Congo, Odzala N. P.). Neoperla proxima n. sp.: 328, genital situs (D. R.Congo, N of Matadi), 329, egg (Cameroon, Sangmelina). Neoperla vicina n. sp. (D.R. Congo): 330, female situs, 331,egg, arrow points at end of raised part of costa (paratype, Walikale, Z2101). Scales are 100µm, similar structures shown to the same scale. Top view of egg (326) based on combined halves of a photograph. Sa, spermatheca; SSt, spermathecal stalk; V, vagina.