Neoperla furcostyla Li & Qin

Wei-Hai, Li, Guo-Quan, Wang & Xue-Feng, Qin, 2013, Two new species of Neoperla (Plecoptera, Perlidae) from China, ZooKeys 290, pp. 21-30 : 22-24

Neoperla furcostyla Li & Qin sp. n. Figs 12

Type material.

Holotype: male, China: Guangxi autonomous region, Nanning City, Wuming County, Mt. Damingshan, 23.4047N, 108.4772E, 9 Aug. 2011, Zhang Ting–Ting. Paratypes: 5 males, same data as holotype.

Description.

Male. Forewing length 16.6-16.9 mm. General body color brownish. Distance between ocelli about as wide as diameter of ocellus. Head slightly wider than pronotum, lateral margins and M-line pale, a large medial portion brown with area between ocelli and a triangular patch on frons darker (Fig. 1A); compound eyes dark; antennae brown. Pronotum pale brown with medial portion brown (Fig. 1A); wing membrane subhyaline, veins brown; legs evenly brown. Abdomen brown, hemiterga darker.

Terminalia.

Tergum 7 process forming a sclerotized, upraised plateau, covered with many small sensilla basiconica (Figs 1B, 2A). Tergum 8 with a recurved quadrate process bearing small spines at distal margin. Tergum 9 without sensilla patches. Hemitergal processes of tergum 10 short and slightly curved (Figs 1B, 2A). Aedeagal tube very long and almost straight, but bearing a pale bifurcate structure with common stem located subapically (Figs 1C, 2B); dorsal surface heavily sclerotized and membraneous areas on ventral surface gradually enlarged toward tip of the tube. Aedeagal sac very short, about one fifth as long as tube, triangular in shape; with granules around sac apex and several dorsoapical spines and patch of smaller ventroapical spines (Fig. 2B).

Female.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the subapical forkof the aedeagal tube.

Distribution.

China (Guangxi).

Diagnosis.The male of Neoperla furcostyla is characterized by an elongate, almost straight aedeagal tube bearing a subapical fork with common stem. The aedeagal sac is triangular in shape and barely one fifth as long as tube; several dorsoapical spines and patch of smaller ventroapical spines are present at apex (Figs 1C, 2B). The type of the aedeagus of the new species is also found in Neoperla forcipata Yang & Yang, 1992 known from Mt. Wulingshan of Hunan Province of China, but the aedeagus of this species is different. In Neoperla forcipata (Fig. 2C), the aedeagal tube is more robust and has an obtuse curve near the subapical fork, and the fork is much larger than that of Neoperla furcostyla . The sac of Neoperla forcipata though not everted, has an evident lateral flap subapically that is absent on the sac found in Neoperla furcostyla . The new species is assigned to the Diehli subgroup of the Montivaga species group ( Zwick 1983).

Notes.

The holotype of Neoperla forcipata Yang and Yang is apparently damaged at the base of the aedeagal tube, very possibly due to an overlooking of this elongate type of tube during the course of dissection. In this case, it is safe to cut the abdominal at the fifth or preceding segments in order to keep this kind of tube intact after dissection.