Neochauliodes flinti, Liu & Hayashi, 2019

Liu, Xingyue & Hayashi, Fumio, 2019, A new species of the fishfly genus Neochauliodes van der Weele (Megaloptera Corydalidae) from India, Zootaxa 4652 (1), pp. 183-188 : 184-187

Neochauliodes flinti sp. nov.

( Figures 1–7 )

Diagnosis. The new species is characterized by the wing pattern markings (forewing with some dark spots on proximal half of costal space and several dark transverse bands on distal half of wing, including distal margin; hindwing with a short median band, some dark spots beside median band, and dark distal margin), by the male ectoproct ventrally with a tubercular process, and by the male fused gonocoxites 10 with narrowly elongate median plate, which is slightly curved dorsad and slightly broadened on apex in ventral view.

Description. Male. Body length 21.6–29.0 mm; forewing length 32.8–37.0 mm, hindwing length 29.7–33.0 mm.

Head blackish brown, with anterior margin of clypeus yellowish brown ( Fig. 1 ). Compound eyes grayish brown, ocelli yellow, medially margined black. Antennae black. Mouthparts yellowish brown; tip of mandibles reddish brown, distal two segments of maxillary palpus blackish brown, terminal segment of labial palpus black.

Thorax blackish brown; pronotum anteriorly slightly paler; metanotum slightly paler on anteromedian portion. Legs blackish brown with short dense blackish setae; tarsal claws reddish brown. Wings ( Fig. 1 ) hyaline with grayish brown markings; pterostigmal area short and pale yellow. Forewing: Wing base yellow; some dark spots present on proximal half of costal space, a few of them touching with each other, and a long and a short dark stripes respectively present beside pterostigmal area; many dark markings present from wing base to apex, some of them arranged into four or five transverse bands, which however are also crossed by some paler markings, leaving several transparent regions, particularly on distal half; distal margin of wing dark. Hindwing: Dark markings largely reduced; costal space distally with long dark stripes beside pterostigmal area; a short dark median band present between RA and RP; a few small dark spots present on branching region of RP+MA and on nygmata; distal margin of wing dark. Veins blackish brown. RP+MA six to seven-branched, smoothly directed and slightly curved posteriad.

Abdomen dark brown. Tergum 9 narrowed and acutely pointed ventrad in lateral view ( Fig. 3 ). Ectoproct ( Figs 3–5 ) short and robust, subtrapezoidal in lateral view, with arcuate posterior margin; in dorsal view inner portion moderately bulged, bearing rows of brushy setae; in ventral view anteriorly with a short setose tubercular process. Fused gonocoxites 10 ( Figs 3–4 ) strongly sclerotized, lateral arms nearly semicircular in ventral view, fused with median plate by a narrow bar; median plate narrowly elongate, tongue-shaped in ventral view, lateral portions slightly elevated ventrad, posteriorly slightly bulged and slightly concaved at tip; median plate in lateral view slightly curved dorsad, medially slightly widened.

Female. Body length 31.0 mm; forewing length 37.0 mm, hindwing length 31.5 mm.

Fused gonocoxites 8 ( Figs 6–7 ) nearly semicircular in lateral and ventral view, with roundly convex posterior margin. Gonocoxite 9 ( Fig. 6 ) valvate, slightly longer than ectoproct, subtriangular, acutely pointed at tip; a short tubercle gonostylus 9 present. Ectoproct ( Fig. 6 ) short and stout, posterodorsal corner slightly pointed in lateral view, with a distinctly prominent callus cercus on posteroventral corner.

Type material. Holotype ♂, INDIA: “N. India, Nagaland, Near Khohima (25°38’N, 94°03’E), Alt. 1650 m, 20–21.V.2016, Native collector” ( CAU) . Paratypes: ♀, same data as holotype ( CAU); 1m #, INDIA: “N. India, Nagaland State, Nagahills, Near Dzuleke (25°37’N, 93°56’E), Alt. 1930 m, 27.VII–16.VIII.2016, Native collector” ( CAU) .

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to and in honour of Dr. Oliver S. Flint, Jr. (an outstanding expert on the taxonomy of aquatic Neuropterida and Trichoptera) who passed away this year.

Distribution. India (Nagaland).

Remarks. The new species resembles N. indicus from India and Bhutan (see Liu et al. 2010c: fig. 2) and N. tamdaoensis Liu, Hayashi & Yang, 2010 from northern Vietnam (see Liu et al. 2010a: fig. 9) in having generally similar wing marking patterns. However, the new species can be distinguished from the latter two species by some detail differences of wing marking patterns as well as distinctive differences in the genitalia. Neochauliodes flinti differs from N. indicus by the proximal half of forewing costal space with some ovoid dark spots, the distal half of fore- and hindwings with broad transparent areas, the male ectoproct with arcuately convex posterior margin in lateral view, and the lateral arms of male gonocoxites 10 connected with the median plate via a narrow bar. In N. indicus the dark markings on proximal half of forewing costal space are nearly rectangular, the fore- and hindwings have many dark spots on distal half, leaving no broad transparent region, and the male genitalia have the ectoproct posteriorly concaved and the gonocoxites 10 lacking a narrow bar between the lateral arms and the median plate (see Liu et al. 2010c: figs 14–15). The new species can be distinguished from N. tamdaoensis by the blackish brown head and pronotum, the short pterostigmal area, and the male fused gonocoxites 10 slightly bulged on apex. In N. tamdaoensis the head and pronotum are yellowish brown to pale brown, the pterostigmal area is much longer, and the male fused gonocoxites 10 is strongly narrowed on apex (see Liu et al. 2010a: fig. 22). In addition, the new species shares the presence of female gonostylus 9 with N. subfasciatus . However, this character appears to be plesiomorphic in Chauliodinae ( Liu et al. 2016) .

Figures

FIGURES 1–2. Habitus images of Neochauliodes flinti sp. nov. 1. Holotype male; 2. Paratype female. Scale bars = 5.0 mm.

FIGURES 3–7. Neochauliodes flinti sp. nov. 3. Male genitalia, lateral view; 4. Male genitalia, with sternum 9 removed, ventral view; 5. Male ectoproct, dorsal view; 6. Female genitalia, lateral view; 7. Female fused gonocoxites 8, ventral view. cc: callus cercus; e: ectoproct; gs: gonostylus; gx: gonocoxite; S: sternum; T: tergum. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.