Protohermes arunachalensis Ghosh

Liu, Xingyue, Hayashi, Fumio & Yang, Ding, 2007, Systematics of the Protohermes costalis species-group (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Zootaxa 1439, pp. 1-46 : 16-18

Protohermes arunachalensis Ghosh

( Figs. 7 , 31–37 )

Protohermes arunachalensis Ghosh, 1991 . Rec. Zool. Surv. India, 88: 147. Type locality: India (Arunachal Pradesh).

Diagnosis. Head with 2–4 pairs of black markings; pronotum with two pairs of large black markings; male ninth sternum with trapezoidal posterior incision; tenth tergum with outer-distal corner produced. Body length 29–35 mm (male) and 43–47 mm (female); forewing length 40–45 mm (male) and 48–50 mm (female), hindwing length 34–40 mm (male) and 42–45 mm (female).

Head ( Fig. 31 ) yellow, without post-ocular spine; vertex with 2–4 pairs of black markings, posterolateral markings subtriangular. Occiput laterally with pair of black markings. Compound eyes greyish brown; ocelli yellow, darkly margined medially. Antennae dark, with scapes and pedicel yellow. Mouthparts yellow; mandible with distal half black.

Thorax yellow. Pronotum ( Fig. 31 ) laterally with two pairs of large black markings; posterolateral corner black. Meso- and metanota brownish on lateral sides. Thoracic pilosity yellow, much longer on meso- and metathorax. Legs yellow with dense yellowish short setae; fore and middle tibiae with dorsal surface black, hind tibia occasionally with dorsal surface also black; tarsi dark; tarsal claws reddish brown. Forewings ( Fig. 7 ) pale brown, with 1 subtriangular, large yellowish marking at base, several fused yellowish markings at middle, and 1 round yellowish marking on apical 1/3; costal cellules with distinct brown stripes. Hindwings much paler than forewings, with basal half almost hyaline, and with 1 round yellowish marking on apical 1/3. Veins pale yellow but dark toward apex. Rs 10-branched, last branch bifurcate; 7–12 crossveins between R1 and Rs; M1+2 6 to 9-branched, M3+4 3 to 4-branched; 1A 3-branched.

Abdomen yellowish brown with yellowish short setae. Male ninth tergum ( Fig. 32 ) subquadrate, with arched anterior and slightly incised posterior margin. Ninth sternum ( Fig. 33 ) broad with arched lateral margin, posterior margin with trapezoidal incision forming two blunt triangular posterior processes; central portion apparently inflated. Ninth gonostylus ( Fig. 34 ) unguiform and slightly curved dorsomedially. Tenth tergum ( Figs. 32–33 ) short subcylindrical, ventrally with one feebly developed tufted tubercle at posteromedial corner; posterolateral corner distinctly and acutely produced; tip slightly incised and densely setose. Tenth sternum ( Fig. 35 ) arched, anteriorly slightly elevated at middle; posterior margin medially with one extremely small incision; lateral lobes thick and long digitiform. Female eighth sternum ( Figs. 36–37 ) strongly sclerotized, subtriangular in lateral view, posterior margin truncate; ninth segment ( Fig. 36 ) laterally with a pair of small suboval sac-like lobes; ninth gonocoxite valvate and membranous with one digitiform process at tip; tenth tergum short, with posterior margin medially incised, leaving one short subtriangular upper and one semicircular lower lobe.

Materials examined. 4 ɗ 4 Ψ, CHINA: Yunnan, Baoshan, Baihualing, 1500 m, 23.V.2006, Xingyue Liu ( CAU); 6 ɗ 2 Ψ, CHINA: Yunnan, Baoshan, Baihualing, 1500 m, 22.V.2006, Xingyue Liu ( CAU); 2 ɗ Ψ, CHINA: Yunnan, Tengchong, Longchuanjiang, 1050 m, 16.V.2006, Xingyue Liu ( CAU); 3 ɗ, CHINA: Yunnan, Tengchong, Jietou, 1500 m, 17.V.2006, Xingyue Liu ( CAU).

Distribution. China (Yunnan); India (Arunachal Pradesh).

Remarks. Protohermes arunachalensis was originally described by Ghosh (1991) based on a single male from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Ghosh (1991) also noted that this species closely resembles Protohermes anticus (Walker) . Although the type specimen was not available for examination, the presence of a subcylindrical male tenth tergum with a ventral tuft according to the original illustration easily places this species in the P. costalis group. During our survey of western Yunnan, China, several individuals were found and identified as P. arunachalensis , agreeing closely with the original description. The redescription of the male and description of the female was based on the specimens from western Yunnan. This species seems to be closely related to P. triangulatus , but can be separated from it by the trapezoidal posterior incision of the male ninth sternum. In P. triangualtus , the male ninth sternum bears a V-shaped posterior incision. In the original description of P. arunachalensis , a black squarish marking at the tip of the hindwing was mentioned, which is absent from our specimens as well as in the other species of the P. c o s t a l i s group. However, whether the black marking is a stable character or resulted from an aberrant individual should be investigated.

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 15. Habitus of the species in the P. costalis group. 6. P. acutatus sp. nov. (Holotype), male. 7. P. arunachalensis Ghosh, male. 8. P. basiflavus Yang (Holotype), male. 9. P. basimaculatus sp. nov. (Holotype), male. 10. P. c o s t a l i s (Walker), male. 11. P. disjunctus sp. nov. (Holotype), male. 12. P. fujianensis Yang & Yang (Holotype), male. 13. P. gutianensis Yang & Yang (Holotype), male. 14. P. hunanensis Yang & Yang (Holotype), male. 15. P. lii sp. nov. (Holotype), male. Scale bars = 5 mm.

FIGURES 31 – 37. Protohermes arunachalensis Ghosh. 31. Male head and pronotum, dorsal view. 32. Male genitalia, dorsal view. 33. Male genitalia, ventral view. 34. Male ninth gonostylus, caudal view. 35. Male tenth sternum, ventral view. 36. Female genitalia, lateral view. 37. Female eighth sternum, ventral view. Scale lines = 1.0 mm.