Amphinemura caoae, Stark & Sivec, 2010

Stark, Bill P. & Sivec, Ignac, 2010, Eight New Species Of Amphinemura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) From Vietnam, Illiesia 6 (5), pp. 41-51 : 42-44

Amphinemura caoae sp. n.

( Figs. 4-6 )

Material examined. Holotype ♂ from Vietnam, Lao Cai, Muong Hoa Ho River, 5-12 May 1995, ROM 956007, D. Currie, B. Hubley, J. Swann ( ROM). Paratypes: Vietnam: Lao Cai, 12 km along road from Sapa to Lai Chau, 22° 20’ 58” N, 103° 46’ 15” E, 1-12 May 1999, 1950 m, ROM 992012, B. Hubley, 1♂ ( ROM) . Lao Cai, Sapa , Okui-Ho, 1100 m, 24-25 March 1995, W. Mey, 1♂ ( ZMB) . Same location, 25-30 March 1995, W. Mey, 1♂ ( ZMB) . Lao Cai, Sapa, Fan Si Pang Mountains , 25-30 March 1995, W. Mey, 3♂ ( ZMB) .

Adult habitus. General color pale brown. Head brown without distinctive pattern. Pronotum pale along midline and darker over most of disk. Wings transparent, veins pale brown. Legs pale.

Male. Forewing length 6-7 mm. Complexly lobed epiproct strongly sclerotized with two large lateral spines, each with small serrae on outer subapical margin ( Fig. 4 ); floor of tergum 10 beneath epiproct bearing a toothed sclerite which a mesal, ventrally directed strut supports. Dorsoapical aspect of paraproct mesal lobe partially sclerotized and bearing three short, stout spines; inner lobe of paraproct consists of a small triangular sclerite ( Fig. 5 ), outer lobe a slender, inconspicuous sclerite appressed to mesal lobe. Lateral aspect of tergum 10 with a pair of low mounds, each armed with stout spines ( Fig. 6 ). Tergum 9 sclerite completely divided by mesal membrane; inner margins of divided sclerite bearing a low spinulose mound.

Female. Unknown.

Larva. Unknown.

Etymology. The species name honors Cao Thi Kim Thu in recognition of her contributions to the knowledge of Vietnamese Plecoptera .

Diagnosis. The epiproct of this species is generally similar to that of A. leigong Wang & Du in sharing the presence of a pair of strongly sclerotized, slender, spine-like lateral sclerites. That species also has a strong, anteriorly directed mesal sclerite with a subapical spine tuft which is absent in A. caoae . In addition a distinctive sclerite and a pair of spiny knobs are located on the surface of tergum 10 in A. caoae but not in A. leigong ( Wang et al. 2006) . Details of paraproct shape and armature also differ for the two species. The epiproct of this species is also similar to those of A. divergens , A. giay and A. viet (all described below) and several Chinese species identified in the diagnosis for A. divergens , but the specific details of the epiproct and paraprocts differ significantly among these species. Amphinemura caoae is the only one of these species in which there is a wide, toothed structure lying between the divergent and apically toothed lateral arms of the epiproct. In other species the mesal toothed structure is about as wide as the lateral arms and in some other species the mesal structure, or the lateral arms are without teeth.

Figures

Figs. 1-6. Amphinemura bifurcata (1-3) and A. caoae (4-6). 1. Male terminalia, dorsal. 2. Paraproct, caudal aspect. 3. Male terminalia, lateral. 4. Male terminalia, dorsal. 5. Paraproct, caudal aspect 6. Male terminalia, lateral.