Allocapnia aurora Ricker, 1952

Nations, Tina M., Stark, Bill P. & Hicks, Matthew B., 2007, The Winter Stoneflies (Plecoptera: Capniidae) Of Mississippi, Illiesia 3 (9), pp. 70-94 : 73-75

Allocapnia aurora Ricker

Allocapnia aurora Ricker, 1952 . Holotype male, Pigeon River, Woodrow , North Carolina

Allocapnia aurora: Alford, 1998 . SEM of male Allocapnia aurora: Stark & Lacey, 2005 . SEM of maleand nymph

Distribution. AL, DC, GA, MD, MS, NC, PA, SC, TN, VA ( Stark & Baumann 2006). Mississippipopulations have been reported in Amite, Clarke, Franklin, Lauderdale and Tishomingo counties ( Stark 1979; Alford 1998; Stark & Lacey 2005) and in this paper new records are given for Kemper County and Prentiss County. The base distribution lies along the Alabama line from Tishomingo Co. to Clarke Co. with an apparent small disjunct population in the Homochitto National Forest of southwest Mississippi ( Fig. 3 ); only three specimens have been taken from the disjunct area.

Allocapnia aurora

Mississippi collection data. ( Fig. 3 ). Amite Co., Foster Creek at Hwy 33, 26 December 1997, M. Alford, 1 ♂. Clarke Co., Little Okatuppa Creek, Hwy 18, 29 December 1999, B. Stark, 1 ♀; Samelocation , 7 December 2002, B. Stark, 2 ♂; Samelocation , 18 December 2002, B. Stark and J. Lacey, 9 ♂, 1 ♀; Same location, 18 January 2003, B. Stark, W. Hawkins and S. Cope, 1 ♂; Samelocation , 8 January 2005, B. Stark, 1 ♂. Franklin Co., Cane Mill Branch , 29 December 1996, M. Alford, 1 ♂; Samelocation , 26 December 1997, M. Alford, 1 ♂; Dry Creek at USFS Road 145, 5 December 1997, M. Alford, 1 ♂. Kemper Co., Straight Creek, Hwy 39, 14 December 2006, B. Stark and M. Hicks, 2 ♂, 1 ♀; Wahalak Creek, Holly Haley Road , 32 ° 51’ 92.2” N, 88 ° 38’ 12.1” W, 14 December 2006, B. Stark and M. Hicks, 2 ♂. Lauderdale Co., Cow Creek, I‐20, 12 January 1979, B. Stark and P. Hartfield, 3 ♂, 1 ♀; Cow Creek, Cow Creek Road, 32 ° 22’ 75.0” N, 88 ° 50’ 36.8” W, 12 January 2007, B. Stark, 1 ♂; Tallahatta Creek , I‐20, 12 January 1979, B. Stark and P. Hartfield, 1 ♂. Prentiss Co., Big Brown Creek , Hwy 364, 34 ° 40’ 22.8” N, 88 ° 25’ 79.9” W, 23 December 2006, B. Stark, 1 ♀. Tishomingo Co., Clear Creek, 4 miles E Iuka, Hwy 72, 5 February 1977, B. Stark, 1 ♂, 4 ♀; Rock Quarry Creek, Tishomingo State Park , 34 ° 36’ 73.4” N, 88 ° 12’, 25.1” W, 28 December 2005, T. Nations and B. Stark, 1 ♀; Same location 23 December 2006, B. Stark, 3 ♂; Samelocation , 8 January 2007, B. Stark, 1 ♂; Tishomingo State Park , 16 January 1981, J. Goddard, 2 ♀ (University of Mississippi); Samelocation , 10 February 1979, M.O. Mann, 1 ♀ (University of Mississippi); Jourdan Creek , CR 16, 8 January 2007, B. Stark, 2 ♂; Rock Creek , CR 1, 34 ° 29’ 93.2” N, 88 ° 18’ 87.7” W, 8 January 2007, B. Stark, 5 ♂, 1 ♀

Male epiproct. Epiproct long, slender, and spear shaped in dorsal aspect (Fig. 4), armed in the apical fourth with smooth, undulant ridges (Figs. 4‐6), but smooth in basalthree quarters. A prominent, narrow, longitudinal groove divides most of theapical half in dorsal aspect, and a broad, shallowtrough is present on the basal third. In lateral aspect, apex slightly inflated to a terminal acute tip; lower limb apex not visible in dorsal aspect but in lateral aspect it bends sharply ventrad near dorsal limb tip (Fig. 5), and lower limb slightlywider in dorsalaspect than upper limb from base to beyond midlength (Fig. 4).

Male tergal process. Tergum 8 bears a single process with moderately deep notch (Figs.5, 7), narrow and upright in lateral aspect (Fig.8); notch slightly wider than tall, oval knobs at each end of process; knobs covered over mostof surface with scale‐ like tubercles (Figs.7‐8).

Female subgenital plate. The truncate hind margin of sternum 8 does not projectbeyond lateral margins of segment and mesal sclerite on sternum 8 completely fused with mesal sclerite on sternum 7; fusion point between segments 7‐8 marked by dark transverse line ( Fig. 59 ) formed from infolding of bridge sclerite beneath segment 7 (Fig. 9).

Figures

Fig. 3. Distribution of Allocapnia aurora in Mississippi.

Figs. 59‐62. Female terminalia. 59. Allocapnia aurora, 60. Allocapnia granulata, 61. Allocapnia mystica, 62. Allocapnia polemistis. fl = fusion line; sgp = subgenital plate.