Protohermes furcatus, Liu, Xingyue, Hayashi, Fumio & Yang, Ding, 2008

Liu, Xingyue, Hayashi, Fumio & Yang, Ding, 2008, The Protohermes guangxiensis species-group (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 1851, pp. 29-42 : 31-32

Protohermes furcatus sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 , 6–12 )

Diagnosis. This species is characterized by a yellow head that possesses one or two pairs of small black marks on the vertex, while the pronotum possesses up to three pairs of black marks, with the anterior pair being much longer. The male 10th tergite narrows caudally and the male 10th sternum possesses distinctly bifurcate lateral lobes.

Male. Body length 23–31 mm (n=5); forewing length 33–40 mm, hindwing length 30–36 mm.

Head yellowish-brown, vertex with one or two pairs of small black stripes on posterolateral margins; postocular spine absent. Compound eyes brown; ocelli yellow, medially margined brown. Antenna black with scape and pedicel yellowish-brown. Mouthparts yellowish-brown; mandibles with distal half dark.

Thorax yellow; pronotum with a pair of black marks near anterolateral margins and one or two pairs of black marks near posterolateral margins, anterior pair at least twice as long as posterior pairs. Thorax with pilous pale yellow setae that are much longer on meso– and metathorax than on prothorax. Legs yellow, with yellowish short dense setae; pro– and mesothoracic legs with tips of tibiae and entire tarsi black; hind legs with tips of 1st tarsomere and entire 2nd to 4th tarsomeres black; tarsal claws reddish-brown. Wings slightly yellowish, with several whitish marks. Forewing with numerous brownish stripes on costal cellules; proximally with a subtriangular mark, medially with three irregular marks connected to each other, and with a large round mark at distal 1/3. Hindwing immaculate throughout. Veins pale yellow. Rs 9 to 10-branched, last branch bifurcate; 6–10 crossveins between R1 and Rs; M1+2 5 to 6-branched, M3+4 2-branched; 1A 3-branched.

Abdomen dark brown. Ninth tergum much wider than long with oblique lateral margins ( Fig. 7 ), arcuately and deeply incised anteriorly, shallowly incised posteriorly; internal inflection widely V-shaped; posterolateral portions slightly produced laterally. Ninth sternum ( Fig. 8 ) short; posterior margin with a deep trapezoidal incision, forming two broad subtriangular posterior processes slightly produced laterally. Ninth gonostylus ( Fig. 9 ) elongate unguiform with tip slightly curved medially. Tenth tergite ( Fig. 7 ) short, about 0.5 times as long as 9th tergum, with posterolateral corner not produced, and with tip incised; tip ( Fig. 9 ) in caudal view rather narrow, strongly produced ventrad into a flattened long process slightly curved medially. Tenth sternum ( Fig. 10 ) arched, dorsomedial process absent; lateral lobe thick with tip bifurcated into pair of slender digitiform processes.

Female. Body length 31–40 mm (n=2); forewing length 42–47 mm, hindwing length 36–42 mm.

Eighth sternum ( Figs. 11–12 ) subtrapezoidal in lateral view, strongly sclerotized except for anteromedial portion feebly sclerotized; in ventral view subtrapezoidal with truncate posterior margin; membrane behind 8th sternum semisclerotized and slightly inflated. Ninth gonocoxite valvate and membranous, posterior portion subtriangular, ventrally slightly incised, with a small digitiform process at tip. Tenth tergite short with posterior margin incised, leaving thick digitiform dorsal and subtriangular ventral lobes.

Material examined. Holotype ɗ, THAILAND: Chiangmai Province, Doi Pui, 18.8294°N, 98.8904°E, 17.V.1985 ( NSMT). Paratypes: 1 ɗ 1 Ψ, same data as holotype ( NSMT); 2 ɗ, THAILAND: Chiangmai Province, Doi Pui, 14.V.1985 ( NSMT); 1 Ψ, THAILAND: Chiangmai Province, Doi Pui, 19 May.1985 ( NSMT); 1 ɗ, THAILAND: Chiangmai Province, Doi Pui, 22 May.1985 ( NSMT).

Distribution. Thailand (Chiangmai Province).

Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ furcatus ’ refers to the distally bifurcate lateral lobe of the male 10th sternum in the new species.

Remarks. The new species differs from the other four members of the P. guangxiensis group by having short prothoracic marks and by the distally bifurcate lateral lobes of the male 10th sternum. The prothoracic marks are long and the lateral lobes of the male 10th sternum are not bifurcate in the other four group members.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Habitus images of the species of the P. guangxiensis group. 1. P. furcatus sp. nov. (holotype), male; 2. P. guangxiensis Yang & Yang (holotype), male; 3. P. impunctatus sp. nov. (holotype), male; 4. P. piaoacanus sp. nov. (holotype), male; 5. P. zhuae sp. nov. (holotype), male.

FIGURES 6 – 12. Protohermes furcatus sp. nov. 6. Male head and prothorax, dorsal view; 7. Male genitalia, dorsal view; 8. Male genitalia, ventral view; 9. Male 10 th tergite, caudal view; 10. Male 10 th sternum, ventral view; 11. Female genitalia, lateral view; 12. Female 8 th sternum, ventral view. C: cercus; G 9: 9 th gonostylus; Gx 9: 9 th gonocoxite; I: internal inflection; L: lateral lobe; S 8: 8 th sternum; S 9: 9 th sternum; S 10: 10 th sternum; T 9: 9 th tergum; T 10: 10 th tergite; Vp: ventral process. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.