Klugephlebia kodai Selvakumar, Subramanian & Sivaramakrishnan

Selvakumar, C., Sivaruban, T., Subramanian, K. A. & Sivaramakrishnan, K. G., 2016, A new genus and species of Atalophlebiinae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Palni hills of the southern Western Ghats, India, Zootaxa 4208 (4), pp. 381-391 : 384-389

Klugephlebia kodai Selvakumar, Subramanian & Sivaramakrishnan n. sp.

Figs. 1–26

Materials examined. Holotype: male imago, INDIA, Tamil Nadu, Palni hills, Kodaikanal , Pillar Rock stream, 10°12’ 36.46 N, 77°27’ 54.45 E, 2185 m, 01.ii.2015 [ZSI/SRC-I/E 16] . Paratypes: 1 male imago and 1 female imago [ZSI/SRC-I/E 17] and 5 larvae, same data as holotype [ZSI/SRC-I/E 18].

Descriptions. Male imago.

Lengths: body 9.0– 9.5 mm; forewing 7.5–8.0 mm ( Fig. 1 ). Forewing 9.0– 9.5 mm. Upper portion of eyes and stalks brownish red, lower portion black; lower portion of eyes shorter in length than upper portion, upper portion on short stalk, facets of upper portion small ( Fig. 2 ). Ocelli light brown. Head, thorax and coxae of legs brown, sutures paler. Femora and tibiae of prothoracic legs brown, remainder of legs pale; mesothoracic legs pale, except femur washed lightly with brown; metathoracic legs pale except subapical portion of femora with wide, brown, transverse band. Wings ( Figs. 3–4 ): longitudinal and cross veins of fore- and hindwings brown to light brown; membrane of fore- and hindwings hyaline, whole Sc and R1 fields tinted with brown. Abdomen ( Fig. 1 ): terga 1–10 brown; narrow, pale, longitudinal, median line on terga 1–9; large, pale anteromedian and smaller, pale anterolateral maculae on terga 2–7; posterior margins of terga 1-9 darker brown; sterna light brown, posterior margins of terga 1–8 darker. Genitalia ( Fig. 9 ): basal half of penis yellowish-brown, apical half light yellowishbrown; forceps yellowish-brown, washed with dark brown at lateral edges. Caudal filaments light brown, annulations at articulations dark brown.

Female imago. Length of body: 10.0– 10.5 mm. Eyes black. Colour of head, thorax, and coxae of legs as in male. Colour and markings of legs as in male. Colour of fore- and hindwings as in male. Colour and markings on abdominal terga as in male, except terga 1–8 each with narrow, pale, transverse, posterior bands, and narrow, pale, longitudinal bars; colour and markings on abdominal sterna as in male, except sterna 1–8 with large, dark brown anterolateral spots. Small broad ovipositor or egg guide on abdominal segment 7 ( Fig. 11 ), ovipositor light brown. Colour and markings of caudal filaments as in male.

Larva. Body length: 8 mm; cerci: 10 mm; median filament: 12 mm ( Figs. 12–13 ). Cerci longer than body length. General colouration of head, thorax and abdomen medium brown, without specific patterns, sternites yellowish brown; legs uniformly yellowish, median with black maculae. Antennae about 3× longer than head width. Labrum ( Figs. 14–15 ): Length of labrum more than half its width; lateral lobes rounded, with setae. Superlinguae of hypopharynx with setae on dorsal margin, not reaching apex ( Fig. 16 ). Left and right mandibles ( Figs. 17–18 ) both with upper half of mandibles angular, lower half straight, bearing about twelve very long and thin simple setae; row of long setae on dorsal face. Maxilla with crown of setae almost covering apex of galea; palp three-segmented, segments 1 and 2 equal in length; segment 3 shorter than segment 1 and 2, 2× longer than wide; outer margin of segment 3 with long and thin setae, especially at apex; outer margin of segment 2 with long and thin setae; inner margins of segments 2 and 3 with short setae ( Fig. 19 ). Labial palp with segment 1 stout, 2× longer than wide, outer and inner margins each with row of long and pointed setae; segment 2 slightly shorter than segment 1, covered with thin setae; segment 3 shorter than segment 2, pointed at apex ( Fig. 20 ). Legs ( Figs. 21– 24 ): dissimilar, foreleg 4.0 mm, midleg 3.5 mm, and hindleg 5.0 mm; Femora each with dark brown macula on middle; dorsal faces of mid and hind femora without any setae except each with 4–6 scattered, long and pointed setae on proximal parts. Tarsal claw ( Fig. 24 ) not hooked, with single row of 8–9 denticles, with distal 2–3 denticles larger than proximal ones. Gill 1 slender and lanceolate with branched trachea; dorsal and ventral portions of lamellae of gills 2–7 wider and lanceolate, long and smoothly tapered near apex ( Figs. 25–26 ). Subanal plate regularly cleft. Terminal filament longer than cerci; caudal filaments with whorl of setae on every segment, setae shorter than length of corresponding segment.

Etymology. The noun in apposition “ kodai ” is in reference to the geographic region, i.e., Kodaikanal, where specimens were collected.

Ecology. The larvae were collected in a stream near Pillar Rock of Palni hills that was 2.0– 2.5 m wide and 60 cm deep, with medium water current (0.6m /sec) on the southern Western Ghats ( Fig. 27 ). The wet temperate forests of these hills are known as Sholas in native Tamil, meaning natural prime forests. The water and air temperatures from the holotype site were 12°C and 23°C, respectively. The pH was between 6.6 and 7.4. Substrates mainly consisted of rocks and stones. The larvae cling to the underside of boulders in the middle of streams where the boulders lie amidst sand and silt. Noon emergence was observed.

Figures

FIGURE 27. Habitat of Klugephlebia kodai sp. n. in the stream near Pillar Rock (Kodaikanal) of Palni hills, Tamil Nadu.

FIGURES 1 – 4. Imago of Klugephlebia kodai sp. n. 1. Lateral view of male; 2. Dorso-lateral view of male head 3. Forewing; 4. Hindwing.

FIGURES 5 – 11. Imago of Klugephlebia kodai sp. n. 5. Foreleg; 6. Midleg; 7. Hindleg; 8. Claw; 9. Genitalia; 10. Lateral view of genitalia; 11. Lateral view of female sternum.

FIGURES 12 – 20. Larva of Klugephlebia kodai sp. n. 12. Dorsal view of male; 13. Dorsal view of female; 14. Ventral view of labrum; 15. Dorsal view of labrum; 16. Hypopharynx; 17. Left mandible; 18. Right mandible; 19. Maxillae; 20. Labium.

FIGURES 21 – 26. Larva of Klugephlebia kodai sp. n. 21. Foreleg; 22. Midleg; 23. Hindleg; 24, Claw; 25, Gill I; 26, Gill IV.