Amphinemura tianmushana Li & Yang

Li, Weihai & Yang, Ding, 2011, Two new species of Amphinemura (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) from China, Zootaxa 2975, pp. 29-34 : 31-33

Amphinemura tianmushana Li & Yang , sp. nov.

( Figs. 6–12 )

Diagnosis. Males of this species are defined by the two pairs of the darkly sclerotized median and lateral bars of the epiproct and the features of the median paraproct lobe ( Figs. 6–9 ). Females of the species are diagnosed by a large semicircular pregenital plate, partly covering anterior part of subgenital plate. The subgenital plate has wavy outer margin in shape and is slightly expanded outward ( Fig. 12 ).

Description. Forewing length 5.7–6.3 mm, hind wing length 5.0– 5.2 mm (n=9) in males; female forewing length 8.4–8.8 mm, hindwing length 7.3–7.5 mm. Head and appendages dark brown, but compound eyes black. Cervical gills prominent and large; inner cervical gills 6-branched and outer ones 8-branched. Thorax dark brown; pronotum usually subtrapezoidal with corners bluntly rounded and with dark rugosities ( Fig. 11 ); legs yellowish brown. Wings subhyaline, grayish brown. Abdomen dark brown and cerci brown; hairs on abdomen mostly pale brown.

Male terminalia ( Figs. 6–10 ): Tergum VIII with complete antecosta. Tergum IX weakly sclerotized, two slightly elevated areas present paramedially, covered by many tiny spines at posterior margin. Sternum IX with claviform vesicle; hypoproct quadrangular basally, gradually tapering toward tip. Tergum X weakly sclerotized, except posteromedian margins mostly sclerotized, with a longitudinal median concavity beneath epiproct, bearing two rows of tiny black spines located at lateral margin. Cercus slightly sclerotized, longer than wide, with a dark vestigial second segment in older specimens. Epiproct subquadrangular with basal portion enlarged; dorsal sclerite hexagon-shaped and membranous at base, remainder heavily sclerotized, with darkly sclerotized median and lateral bars on each side of midline, a conspicuous apical tube originating from ventral sclerite; ventral sclerite strongly sclerotized, slightly expanded ventrally, bearing rows of tiny spines. Paraproct divided into three lobes: outer lobe distinctly sclerotized, upcurved apically with a dark spine, mostly fused with median lobe; median lobe sclerotized with proximal basolateral part heavily sclerotized, distinctly curved upward subapically, with 4–5 distinct apical spines on a membranous apex; inner lobe slightly sclerotized, with obtuse tip, shorter than median and outer lobes.

Female terminalia ( Fig. 12 ): Sternum VII with slightly sclerotized posterior area, which is produced into a large semicircular pregenital plate, partly covering anterior part of subgenital plate. Subgenital plate of sternum VIII slightly sclerotized with lateral portion heavier so, outer margin wavy in shape and slightly expanded outward, pointed apicolaterally, the whole plate divided medially and the apical portion with a wide median notch.

The inner genital sclerites ( Fig. 13 ) are slightly elongate, with a large sclerotized shield that consists a strongly sclerotized, triangular anterior area and a bilobed lateral and posterior area.

Type material. Holotype: male ( HIST), China: Zhejiang Province, Lin’an County, Mt. Tianmushan, 30.3124 N, 119.4484 E, 2009. III.3, Hua Ling. Paratypes: 4 males ( CAU), China: Zhejiang Province, Lin’an County, Mt. Tianmushan, 30.3124 N, 119.4484 E, 2009. III.3, Hua Ling, 4 males, 2 females ( HIST), same date and locality, Weihai Li.

Etymology. The name of the species refers to the type locality, Mt. Tianmushan.

Distribution. China (Zhejiang).

Remarks. The epiproct of the new species is similar to that of A. ancistroidea Li & Yang, 2007 from Guangdong Province. The two pairs of the darkly sclerotized median and lateral bars of the epiproct and the features of the median paraproct lobe are diagnostic ( Figs. 8–10 ) and may distinguish A. tianmushana from A. ancistroidea and other known congeners of the genus. In A. ancistroidea , the outer pair of lateral bars of the epiproct are robust, less sclerotized and divergent apically ( Li and Yang 2007: Fig. 3 ) in contrast to the subparallel and darkly sclerotized lateral bars in the A. tianmushana ( Fig. 8 ). In the presently known females of its congeners, A. chui Wu, 1935 seems the related one by the similar shape of pregenital plate and subgenital plate, but the whole subgenital plate of the new species is divided medially while the former not so ( Wu 1938: Fig. 201).

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 10. Amphinemura tianmushana Li & Yang, sp. nov. (male). 6. Terminalia, dorsal view. 7. Terminalia, ventral view. 8. Epiproct, dorsal view. 9. Epiproct, lateral view. 10. Right paraproct, caudal view.

FIGURES 11 – 13. Amphinemura tianmushana Li & Yang, sp. nov. 11. Pronotum, dorsal view. 12. Female terminalia, ventral view. 13. The female inner genital sclerites, dorsal view. Pg: Pregenital plate on sternum VII; S 9: anterior margin of sternum IX.

FIGURES 1 – 5. Amphinemura ningxiana Li & Yang, sp. nov. (male). 1. Terminalia, dorsal view. 2. Terminalia, ventral view. 3. Epiproct, dorsal view. 4. Epiproct, lateral view. 5. Right paraproct, caudal view.