Rhabdiopteryx doiranensis Ikonomov, 1983

Murányi, Dávid, Kovács, Tibor & Orci, Kirill Márk, 2014, New country records and further data to the stonefly (Plecoptera) fauna of southeast Macedonia, Ecologica Montenegrina 1 (2), pp. 64-77 : 67

Rhabdiopteryx doiranensis Ikonomov, 1983

( Fig. 2A–E )

Macedonia: Valandovo municipality, Valandovsko Polje, Dedeli , macchia brook W of the village, 150 m, N41°17.036’ E22°35.905’, 15.03.2008, leg. SC, DM: 2♂ 1♀ larvae ( HNHM: PLP2552 ); same locality, 21.02.2014, leg. DA , LD, TK, DM: 1♂, 3♂ 1♀ larvae ( HNHM: PLP4600 ), 2♂ 2♀, 1♂ larva (MM: 2014- 34).

Besides the type locality, hitherto this species was reported only from SW Anatolia ( Kazanci 2000). It seems to be a species of temporary streams in lowlands. Herein we describe the hitherto unknow larva.

Description of the matured larva ( Fig 2A ): Body length 8.0–10.0 mm. General colour light brown with dark dorsal pattern. Setation generally short, but distinct on the genital plates, and long swimming hairs present on tibiae and femora; cercus lacks swimming hairs. Head with a complex dark pattern in front of ecdysial suture, tentorial callosities distinct; occipital rugosities numerous, distributed on the whole occiput. Antenna pale, scape and apical third darker; antennal segments over 50 in number, only those in the apical half are longer than wide. Mouthparts pale but labrum with dark edges. Pronotum with few rugosities, forming a Cshaped pattern on both sides. Meso– and metanotum with cloudy pattern not reaching the wing pad bases, wing pads of length usual for the genus. Femora and tibiae uniformly light brown, tarsi darker. Ventral surface of thorax and abdomen whitish besides the genital plates. Transverse row of dark spots distinct on all tergites, anterior margin of tergites I–VII with medially interrupted transverse line; transverse anterior line is usually entire on tergite VIII, a posterior line also present on this tergite. Tergites IX–X with complex dark pattern; cercus light brown, apical segments darker; cercal segments over 40 in number, longer than wide around the 10th segment, apical ones more than three times longer than wide.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 2B–C ): Subgenital plate elongate, one and a half longer than wide; widest in its midlength, then conspiciously tapering but ending in a blunt, widely rounded apex. Posterior two thirds of the plate covered with setae, apical third with long, thin hairs. Base of the paraproct wide, apical projection short and slightly curved outwards, tip blunt. Epiproct triangular, pointed.

Female terminalia ( Figs 2D–E ): Pregenital plate, vulvar lobes and gonopore well visible through sternite VIII. Postgenital plate short and oval, its length is six fifth of the width; widest in midlength, posterior edge widely rounded. Posterior two thirds of the plate covered with setae, apical fourth with long, thin hairs. Paraproct wide and short, apex subrectangular. Epiproct simple, rounded.

Affinities: Habitus of the larva is typical for the genus, and can be identified only by the terminalia. Both the male and female larvae are easily distinguishable from members of the Rhabdiopteryx neglecta species group by their much smaller subgenital (male) or postgenital (female) plates (compare with e.g. Lubini et al. 2012: Figs. 151–154). The female larva differs from other known Rhabdiopteryx species by the wider and not pointed postgenital plate (compare with Kittel 1981: Fig. 4b for R. acuminata Klapálek, 1905 ; Kovács & Weinzierl 2003: Fig. 5 for R. hamulata ( Klapálek, 1902) ; and Theischinger 1975b: Fig. 11 for R. christinae Theischinger, 1975 ). The male larva differs with the blunt apex of the subgenital plate from R. acuminata (see Fig. 4d in Kittel 1981), R. antoninoi Vinçon & Ravizza, 1999 (see Fig. 11 in Vinçon &Ravizza 1999) and R. christinae (see Fig. 9 in Theischinger 1975b), while with the complex dark pattern on tergites IX–X from R. hamulata (see Fig. 4 in Kovács & Weinzierl 2003).

Figures

Figure 2. Larva ofRhabdiopteryx doiranensisIkonomov, 1983:A – male habitus, dorsal;B –male terminalia, ventral; C – male terminalia, lateral;D – female terminalia, ventral;E – female terminalia, lateral. Scale bars 1 mm.

Figure 4. Macedonian specimen ofZwicknia acutaMurányi & Orci, 2014:A – male epiproct, lateral view, scale bar 0.5 mm;B – oscillogram showing a sequence of three calls, ambient air temperature was 18.2oC during the recording.

Figure 5. Habitats in the Anska Reka watersheds:A – Vodenic Stream at Motel Izvor;B – Anska Reka at Kočuli settlement;C – Karani Stream above Bašibos;D – macchia brook at Dedeli.