Anacroneuria apuela Stark & Gill sp. n.

(Figs. 1-5)

Material examined. Holotype ♂ and 1♂ paratype, Ecuador, Province Imbabura, Canton Cotacachi, Rio Intag, Apuela, 5020 ft, 00° 21.2’N, 78° 31.0’W, 6 November 2009, S.M. Clark, H.R. Hinkson (Holotype USNM, paratype BYUC).

Adult habitus. General color brown patterned with darker brown. Ocellar region covered with moderately dark brown pigment extending to central frons, becoming darker forward of poorly defined Mline; lappets and antennae brown (Fig. 1). Pronotum pale along median suture and along lateral margins; disk predominantly brown with scattered pale rugosities. Wing membrane pale brown, veins darker except costa pale. Femora dark over apical half and along dorsal and ventral margins for most of length; tibiae dark along outer margin and in basal and apical fourth.

Male. Forewing length 10 mm. Apical section of aedeagus gradually narrowed from shoulders, then slightly widened subapically and narrowed again to slightly notched tip (Fig. 3). Dorsal keel consists of two narrowly separated and broken lines which diverge sharply and reach lateral margins near subapical wide point (Fig. 5). Ventral aedeagal apex covered by a large pair of membranous lobes. Hooks large, subchelate and narrowed to acute tips. Lateral aspect of apical section shaped somewhat like a bird’s head (Fig. 4). Hammer thimble shaped (Fig. 2).

Female. Unknown.

Larva. Unknown.

Etymology. The species name, used as a noun in apposition, is based on the type locality.

Diagnosis. This species is a member of the A. aymara Stark & Sivec, 1998 species group discussed by Zúñiga & Stark (2002). The group also includes A. chaima Stark, 1999, A. cotacachi Stark, 2001, A. farallonensis Rojas & Baena, 1993 (see Zúñiga & Stark 2002), A.perija Stark, 1999, A. portilla Stark & Rojas, 1999 (in Stark et al. 1999), A. ricki Zúñiga & Stark, 2002, A. segnini Stark & Maldonado, 2002 (in Maldonado et al. 2002), and A. toni Zúñiga & Stark, 2002, and appears to be widely distributed in the northern and central Andes. The new species is most similar to A. toni in structure of the dorsal aedeagal keel, sharing with that species the long, apically divergent pair of keel lines. However, in A. apuela these lines are broken, and appear as a series of small bumps separated by narrow gaps. In addition, the ventral membranous lobes are much larger than in A. toni (see Zúñiga & Stark 2002, Figs. 17-19).