Rhopalopsole exiguspina Du & Qian,

Yu-Han, Qian & Yu-Zhou, Du, 2011, Two new species of genus Rhopalopsole (Insecta, Plecoptera, Leuctridae) from China, ZooKeys 154, pp. 1-7 : 2-4

Rhopalopsole exiguspina Du & Qian, sp. n. Figs 1-4

Material examined.

Holotype ♂ from China, Guizhou, Yanhe County, Shaba Village, 903m, 5 Oct. 2007, Leg. Xue Hai-Yang. Paratypes 18♂♂, the same details as holotype.

Adult habitus.

General color: Light brown. Head brown or light brown, wider than prothorax, hind ocelli much closer to the eyes than to each other, antennae and palpi yellowish brown. Prothorax light brown, subquadrate, all angles somewhat rounded and some black irregular stripes on it. Legs light brown. Wings hyaline and veins light brown.

Male.

Approximate measurement: forewing length 6.0 mm, body length 6.5 mm. Mid-posterior margins of tergite 9 sclerotized, slightly emarginated (Fig. 1). Sternite 9 basally with a tongue-like vesicle bears dense hairs, apically with a subgenital plate wider than long and rounded apically (Fig. 2). Tergite 10 with strongly sclerotized lateral process beak-like somewhat acute and curving inward apically and a small spine at the middle of lateral process in dorsal view, thick basally and slightly curved upward apically in lateral view. Mid-anterior sclerite sclerotized, posterior margin more sclerotized; one pair of transverse triangle sclerite weakly sclerotized (Fig. 1). Epiproct a simple curved process, erect hook-like apical portion curved inward (Fig. 4). Subanal lobe sinuate in lateral aspect, rounded and strongly sclerotized apically, apex membranous in ventral aspect; subanal lobe clearly with a pair of little lobes at middle of subanal lobe and each little lobes rounded apically in ventral aspect. Cerci long and cylindrical, thick basally and thin apically, distinctly upturned in lateral aspect, apex with a tiny spine.

Female.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The species name refers to the small spine at the middle of lateral process of tergite 10.

Diagnosis.

This new species resembles Rhopalopsole aculeata Harper (1977) from Nepal and Rhopalopsole xui Yang, Zhu & Li (2004) from Guangdong in having an epiproct with a thin spine-like apical portion and a strongly sclerotized lateral process without bifurcation of tergite 10. The new species can be distinguished from Rhopalopsole aculeata by the presence of spines on the lateral processes and cerci. Rhopalopsole aculeate has no spines on the middle of lateral process or on the cerci. The new species can be distinguished from Rhopalopsole xui by the shapes of the mid-anterior sclerite, lateral process, subanal lobe and cerci. In Rhopalopsole xui , the mid-anterior sclerite is wider than long and has two short obtuse lateral processes. Rhopalopsole xui lacks spines at the middle of the lateral processes and on the cerci and has a wide and apically rounded subanal lobe without a pair of small lobes. The characteristics of the subanal lobe and lateral process distinguish this new species from other Rhopalopsole species, which possess an epiproct with thin spine-like apical portions and no bifurcated lateral processes on tergite 10.