Flavoperla yangi Mo, Li & Murányi, 2021

Mo, Raorao, Cao, Jinjun, Wang, Guoquan, Li, Weihai & Murányi, Dávid, 2021, Two new species of the genus Flavoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Guangxi China, Zootaxa 5032 (2), pp. 247-261 : 254-259

Flavoperla yangi Mo, Li & Murányi , sp. nov.

( Figs. 6–10 )

Adult habitus. Biocellate. Male adult color yellow in life, and paler in alcohol. Head pale with an obscure Mshaped dark brown marking behind M-line, a triangular dark brown spot between ocelli, and with a triangular dark brown spot in front of pale M-line; antennae brown, but basal part paler; palpi pale; head slightly wider than pronotum ( Fig. 6a , 9a ). Pronotum brown, rectangular, with paler rugosities; corners obtuse. Wing membrane pale yellow, veins yellow; legs, abdominal segments and cerci yellow.

Male ( Figs. 6b–6d , 7 , 8 ). Forewing length 8.8–9.1 mm (n=5). Hindwing 7.9–8.1 mm. Tergum 10 with a triangular epiproct sclerite positioned between and caudad to paired sclerotized triangular spines; the spines are positioned far from each other and close to the lateral sides ( Figs. 6b–6c ); epiproctal sclerite divided by a large membranous triangular area. Paraprocts curved dorsally, hook-shaped with blunt tip. Hammer brown basally with wing-shaped anterolateral extensions; apical half pigmented; subapically abruptly constricted, and with nipple-like apex in ventral view, covered by numerous brown spinules; apex swollen and curved upward in lateral view ( Figs. 6d , 7 ). Incompletely everted aedeagus ( Figs. 6b–6d , 7a, 7c , 8 ) membranous, nearly spherical in dorsal view; dorsobasally with a large, rounded medial lobe; dorsoapically with three membranous swellings; apically with a shallow notch.

Female ( Fig. 9 ). Forewing length 10.1–10.4 mm (n=5). Hindwing length 9.1–9.5 mm. Habitus generally similar to male except body color darker. Abdomens full of mature eggs. Subgenital plate large, rectangular, distinctly constricted at base of deeply notched, triangular emargination forming a pair of apical lobes with blunt tips and reaching beyond posterior of sternum 10. Sternum 9 slightly sclerotized, deeply emarginate posteromedially. Sternum 10 poorly sclerotized.

Egg ( Fig. 10 ). Length 328–394 μm, width 262–300 μm (n=6). Outline chicken egg-shape with distinct oper- cular line, widest towards collar end. Anchor cap-shaped with long tentacle-like projections and globular bodies evenly distributed and not grouped. Collar short and fully covered by anchor. Chorionic surface covered with shallow and distinct punctations throughout, pentagonal or hexagonal follicular cell impressions recognizable only on opercular end. Micropylar orifices sessile, much larger than chorionic punctations, set on subequatorial line.

Type material. Holotype: male ( HIST), CHINA: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Laibing City , Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Fenzhan Village , light trap, 2020.VI.23, N 24°7' 31'', E 110°12'14", 810m, R. R. Mo, Y. Lai et al .; Paratypes: 6 males and 6 females ( HIST), same data as holotype ; 1 female ( HIST), Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Laibing City , Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County, Dayaoshan National Natural Reserve , Hekou Station , light trap, 2020. VI.26, N 24°8' 20'', E 110°5'2", 570.2m, R. R. Mo, Y. Lai et al .; 2 males ( HIST), same locality and collectors as above, Shengtang Mountain , light trap, 2020. VI.13, N 23°58' 32'', E 110°6'49", 1148.5m ; 2 males ( HIST), same data as above, 2020. VI.12, light trap .

Etymology. The patronym honors Dr. Ding Yang, for his numerous contributions to Plecoptera science in China.

Distribution. China: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, known from medium and high elevations of the Dayaoshan Mts. There are 25 rivers originating from Dayaoshan Mountain and running radially in all directions, injecting into Gui River, Liujiang River, Qianjiang River and Xun River. It lies in the transitional zone between the lower and the middle tropics.

Remarks. Males of the two new species, Flavoperla retusata Mo, Li & Wang , sp. nov. and F. yangi Mo, Li & Murányi , sp. nov. share the wing-shaped anterolateral extensions of the hammer with F. furcomaculata Liu, Yan & Li, 2019 and F. triangulata Liu, Yan & Li, 2019 both from the Shaanxi Province of northwestern China. But the two new species are easily distinguishable from the latter two species by the distinct head pattern, the distinct apical half of hammer and the aedeagus (compare figs. 1-18 in Liu et al. 2019 and Figs. 1–3 , 6–8 ).

Flavoperla retusata is most similar to F. yangi from the same region, sharing similar head pattern, basal half of hammer, epiproct, and characteristics of female and egg. However, male of the F. retusata can be distinguished from the latter by the unpigmented triangular apical half of hammer, triangular paraprocts, and unique and complex aedeagus with three pairs of different sized lobes and three unique apical sclerites. In F. yangi , the apical half of hammer is pigmented and nipple-like, covered with numerous brown spinules; paraprocts are hook-like; aedeagus is simple, with only a large rounded dorsobasal lobe and a notched tip surrounded by three dorsal swellings. In addition, the epiproct of F. retusata is divided by a small, basal membranous triangular area while in F. yangi , the epiproct is fully interrupted by a large membranous triangular area.

Most of the females of Flavoperla species have broadly rounded subgenital plates, except the female of F. ovalolobata ( Wu, 1948) , which has a smaller, rectangular subgenital plate ( Liu et al. 2020). The female subgenital plate of the two new species is a large rectangular structure with a deeply triangular posterior notch forming a pair of apical lobes. This character easily separates the females from congeners, but those of the two new species are practically indistinguishable from each other.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Flavoperla retusata Mo, Li & Wang, sp. nov. (male from Neichao Village). a. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. b. Terminalia, dorsal view. c. Hammer, lateral view. d. Hammer after being cleared, lateral view. e. Hammer after being cleared, ventral view. f. Aedeagus, caudal view.

FIGURE 2. Flavoperla retusata Mo, Li & Wang, sp. nov. (male from Neichao Village). a. Terminalia and aedeagus, dorsal view. b. Aedeagus after being cleared, dorsal view. c. Terminalia and aedeagus, ventral view. d. Terminalia and aedeagus, lateral view.

FIGURE 3. Flavoperla retusata Mo, Li & Wang, sp. nov. (male from Neichao Village). a. Aedeagus, dorsal view. b. Aedeagus, ventral view. c. Aedeagus, lateral view. d. Aedeagus, caudal view.

FIGURE 6. Flavoperla yangi Mo, Li & Murányi, sp. nov. (male from Fenzhan Village). a. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. b. Terminalia and aedeagus, dorsal view. c. Terminalia and aedeagus, oblique dorsal view. d. Terminalia and aedeagus, ventral view.

FIGURE 7. Flavoperla yangi Mo, Li & Murányi, sp. nov. (male from Fenzhan Village). a. Terminalia and aedeagus, lateral view. b. Hammer after being cleared, lateral view. c. Terminalia and aedeagus, caudal view.

FIGURE 8. Flavoperla yangi Mo, Li & Murányi, sp. nov. (male from Fenzhan Village). a. Aedeagus, dorsal view. b. Aedeagus, ventral view. c. Aedeagus, lateral view.

FIGURE 9. Flavoperla yangi Mo, Li & Murányi, sp. nov. (female from Hekou Station). a. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. b. Terminalia, ventral view. c. Terminalia after being cleared, ventral view. d. Terminalia, lateral view. e. Terminalia, oblique lateral view.

FIGURE 10. Flavoperla yangi Mo, Li & Murányi, sp. nov. (eggs from Hekou Station). a. Entire egg, lateral view. b. Entire egg, lateral view. c. Collar end, lateral view. d. Collar end, oblique apical view. e. Opercular end and micropyle (arrow), lateral view. f. Opercular end, apical view.