Diploperla janeae Kondratieff and Verdone, 2017

Kondratieff, Boris C. & Verdone, Chris J., 2017, A New Species Of Diploperla Needham And Claassen (Plecoptera: Perlodidae) From North Carolina And Virginia, Illiesia 13 (13), pp. 127-139 : 129-139

Diploperla janeae Kondratieff and Verdone sp. n.

http://lsid.speciesfile.org/urn:lsid: Plecoptera .speciesfile.org: TaxonName:501063

( Figs. 1a , 2a , 3 , 4a , 5a , 6a , 7a )

Jane’s Stripetail

Material Examined. Holotype ♂, Virginia: Grayson Co., Helton Creek, Rte 783 , at gated trail by beaver pond, N 36.62816, W 81.56684, 13 May 2017, B.C. Kondratieff, C. Verdone ( USNM) . Paratypes: North Carolina: Avery Co., Jones Creek, Hwy 19E & Old Hanging Rock Road , N 35.98221, W 82.01676, 10 May 2017, B.C. Kondratieff, C. Verdone, ♂ ( CSUIC) . Haywood Co., Cataloochee Creek, Old Cataloochee Turnpike at bridge, GSMNP, N 35.66695, W 83.07280, 25 May 2016, C. Verdone, B.C. Kondratieff, ♂ ( CSUIC) . Macon Co., Cold Spring Creek, jct. Cold Springs Creek Road & Forest Road 711, N 35.22323, W 83.60403, 15 May 2017, B. Kondratieff, C. Verdone, 2♀ ( CSUIC) . Virginia: Grayson Co., Helton Creek, Rte 783, at gated trail by beaver pond, N 36.62816, W 81.56684, 12 May 2017, B.C. Kondratieff, C. Verdone, ♂ ( CSUIC) ; Same location, 13 May 2017, B.C. Kondratieff, C. Verdone, 2♂, ♀ ( CSUIC) . Tazewell Co., Roaring Fork, Roaring Fork Rd. , N 37.03494, W 81.47878, 27 May 2016, C. Verdone, B.C. Kondratieff, ♂ ( CSUIC) . Washington Co., Straight Branch, Forest Road 837, Beaver Flats , N 36.68316, W 81.64869, 8 May 2017, B.C. Kondratieff, C. Verdone, ♀ ( CSUIC) .

Adult. Macropterous. Body length, male 11.7–13.9 mm (n = 5); female 12.1–13.3 mm (n = 4), Forewing length, male 14.8–15.5 mm (n = 5); female 13.2–15.3 mm (n= 4). General color yellow to light brown with dark brown to black markings ( Fig. 1a ). Head dorsally with a yellow “spade- shaped” spot that extends from the posterior margin of the head to beyond the epicranial suture, a dark brown to black thick “X- shaped” mark centrally that extends laterally from the anterior ocellus, and a triangular dark brown spot on the frons ( Figs. 1a , 2a ). Antennae dark brown to black, scape brown, yellowish tinged basally ( Figs. 1a , 2a ). Prothorax with wide yellow mid-dorsal stripe, slightly expanded anteriorly ( Figs. 1a , 2a ). Wings slightly fumose, veins dark brown ( Fig. 1a ). Legs yellow, femora banded with dark brown, tibia longitudinally banded with dark brown ( Fig. 1a ). Mesothorax with a pair of large dark brown spots ( Fig. 1a ). Abdomen dorsally shaded with dark brown, yellow ventrally, laterally brown. Cerci dark brown ( Fig. 1a ).

Male. Seventh and eighth abdominal sterna with well-defined lobes, lobe on seventh narrow, cone-shaped, distal edge darkened; lobe on eighth sternum reduced, broadly rounded ( Fig. 3 ). Tenth tergum cleft posteriorly with long hemitergal lobes studded with sensilla basiconica on the anterior surface ( Fig. 4a ). Lateral stylets irregularly and strongly ribbed throughout, apex expanded dorsally and ventrally, slightly asymmetrical ( Figs. 4a , 6a ). Epiproct short, membranous, apex bluntly rounded, without setae ( Figs. 4a , 5a ).

Female. Subgenital plate parabolic reaching beyond ninth sternum ( Fig. 7a ).

Ovum. Unknown.

Larva. Only larval exuviae of D. janeae were available for examination. Only one of these that could be measured had a body length of 15.5 mm (n =1). Dorsum of head with contrasting pattern; frontoclypeus moderately pigmented, brown, concolorous; anterior margin with a dense fringe of fine setae; frons moderately pigmented, brown, with a light colored, well defined M-pattern; a pair of obliquely oriented, small, pale spots lateral to median ocellus. Antennae light brown. Lacinia subtriangular, bidentate with 7 submarginal setae and no marginal setae. Pronotum dark brown; meso- and meta-nota light brown with no distinct markings. Abdomen brown with paired medial pale spots on terga 2–9. Legs lightly pigmented; femora with scattered distally directed stout setae dorsally; tibia and tarsi with a dorsal setal fringe. Cerci brown with circlets of long apical hairs on each segment.

Distribution. USA – NC, VA ( Fig. 9 ).

Etymology. The new species is named for Jane Earle, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, in honor of her contributions to the study of North American Plecoptera . Jane has also been a loyal participant of the International Society of Plecopterologists. We propose the following common name of “Jane’s Stripetail” for this species.

Diagnosis. Diploperla janeae is distinguished from the most similar species, D. duplicata , in genitalic structures, its dark coloration, and conspicuous brown to black dorsal head markings. Both species possess lateral stylets with the apices expanded. However, the apices of the new species are expanded dorsally and ventrally ( Figs. 4a , 6a ), whereas in D. duplicata the apices are expanded only ventrally ( Figs. 4b , 6b ). Both species are also distinguished by the apex of the epiproct. In D. janeae , the epiproct apex is bluntly rounded without setae ( Figs. 4a , 5a ), whereas the epiproct apex of the D. duplicata is more elongate with sparse setae ( Figs. 4b , 5b ). The female subgenital plate of D. janeae is similar to D. duplicata ( Figs. 7a, 7b ), but the distinctive habitus coloration will serve to distinguish both taxa. Diploperla janeae is yellow to light brown with dark brown to black markings, slightly fumose wings with dark brown veins, and dark brown antennae and cerci ( Fig. 1a ), compared to D. duplicata which is yellow with light brown to brown markings, amber colored wings with light brown veins to light brown to brown antennae and cerci ( Fig. 1b ). Additionally, the head pattern of the two species differ. The head of D. janeae , has a yellow “spade- shaped” spot that extends from the posterior margin of the head to beyond the epicranial suture, and a dark brown to black thick “X- shaped” mark centrally that extends laterally from the anterior ocellus ( Fig. 2a ). Whereas, the head of D. duplicata usually has a closed light brown spot covering the interocellular area with arms that extend anteriorly from the anterior ocellus ( Fig. 2b ). Three other Diploperla species , D. kanawholensis , D. morgani , and D. robusta , are darkly marked as D. janeae . But males are easily distinguished by the genitalic characters and the shape of the lobe of sternum 7, which is broadly rounded apically (fig. 8.90, Kondratieff 2004) in D. kanawholensis , D. morgani , and D. robusta , and narrowly rounded apically in the new species ( Fig. 3 ).

Biological notes. There is no information about the biology or life cycle of D. janeae . Based on the available records, the emergence period appears to be from early to late May. The new species has been collected from 1 st to 4 th order streams in the Blue Ridge, and Ridge and Valley physiographic provinces from southwestern Virginia to southwestern North Carolina. The type locality, Helton Creek drains the southwest side of Mount Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia at 1,746 m (5,729 ft.), and has a diverse stonefly fauna. Other adult stoneflies collected with the new species at the type locality were Alloperla concolor Ricker, 1936 , Amphinemura wui (Claassen, 1936) , Cultus verticalis (Banks, 1920) , Haploperla parkeri Kirchner & Kondratieff, 2005 , Isoperla cotta Ricker, 1952 , I. dewalti Verdone & Kondratieff, 2017 , I. reesi Szczytko & Kondratieff, 2015 , Leuctra duplicata Claassen, 1923 , L. ferruginea (Walker, 1852) , L. grandis Banks, 1906 , L. sibleyi Claassen, 1923 , Malirekus hastatus (Banks, 1920) , Ostrocerca albidipennis (Walker, 1852) , Paraleuctra sara (Claassen, 1937) , Pteronarcys scotti Ricker, 1952 , Sweltsa lateralis (Banks, 1911) , S. mediana (Banks, 1911) , Tallaperla anna (Needham & Smith, 1916) , T. maiyae Kondratieff, Kirchner & Zuellig, 2007 , and T. maria (Needham & Smith, 1916) .

Discussion. Kondratieff (2004) provided an illustration of the lateral stylets of D. duplicata (fig. 8.84) from a specimen collected from Big Otter River, Bedford County, Virginia, which was not accurately illustrated. No specimens of D. duplicata examined in this study, including the specimen from Big Otter River, have lateral stylet apices with a dorsal expansion projecting markedly beyond the basal plane. In several male specimens of D. duplicata from North Carolina, the head pattern is similar to the new species, but the lateral stylets clearly lack the characteristic dorsal expansion of D. janeae .

Figures

Figs. 1a–b. Adult habitus of Diploperla janeae sp. n., Helton Creek, Grayson Co., Virginia and D. duplicata, Laurel Fork, Floyd Co., Virginia, 1.5X. Fig. 1a. D. janeae sp. n, habitus, dorsal. Fig. 1b. D. duplicata, habitus, dorsal.

Figs. 2a–b. Adult head and pronotum of Diploperla janeae sp. n., Helton Creek, Grayson Co., Virginia and D. duplicata, Bull Run Mtn, Prince William Co., Virginia, 5X. Fig. 2a. D. janeae sp. n, head and pronotum, dorsal. Fig. 2b. D. duplicata, head and pronotum, dorsal.

Fig. 3. Male sterna 6–10 of Diploperla janeae sp. n., Helton Creek, Grayson Co., Virginia, 5X.

Figs. 4a–b. Terminalia of Diploperla janeae sp. n., Helton Creek, Grayson Co., Virginia and D. duplicata, Little Rock Castle Creek, Patrick Co., Virginia, 5X. E. Epiproct, HL. Hemitergal lobe, LS. Lateral stylet. Fig. 4a. D. janeae sp. n, terminalia and lateral stylet, dorsal expansion (arrow), lateral. Fig. 4b. D. duplicata, terminalia, lateral.

Figs. 5a–b. Epiproct of Diploperla janeae sp. n., Helton Creek, Grayson Co., Virginia and D. duplicata, Laurel Fork, Floyd Co., Virginia. Fig. 4a. D. janeae sp. n, epiproct, anterior, 1600X. Fig. 5b. D. duplicata, epiproct, lateral, 750X.

Figs. 6a–b. Paraprocts of Diploperla janeae sp. n., Helton Creek, Grayson Co., Virginia and D. duplicata, Laurel Fork, Floyd Co., Virginia. Fig. 6a. D. janeae sp. n, paraprocts and dorsal expansion (arrow), lateral, 430X. Fig. 6b. D. duplicata, paraprocts, lateral, 200X.

Figs. 7a–b. Female subgenital plate of Diploperla janeae sp. n., Helton Creek, Grayson Co., Virginia and D. duplicata, Little Rock Castle Creek, Patrick Co., Virginia, 5X. 7a. D. janeae sp. n, female subgenital plate. 7b. D. duplicata, female subgenital plate.

Fig. 9. Distribution map of examined material and physiographic provinces. See text for comprehensive list of states occupied for some species.