Hydromanicus palnis Oláh & Barnard, 2008

Oláh, J. & Johanson, K. A., 2008, Generic review of Hydropsychinae, with description of Schmidopsyche, new genus, 3 new genus clusters, 8 new species groups, 4 new species clades, 12 new species clusters and 62 new species from the Oriental and Afrotropical regions (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae), Zootaxa 1802, pp. 1-248 : 46-48

Hydromanicus palnis Oláh & Barnard , new species

Fig. 67–70

This species is close to H. naraik , new species and is easily distinguished by the larger size. Moreover, in H. palnis the cornute, sclerotized endothecal process in the phallus is small and clearly curving laterally in ventral view. The harpagones have excavated spatulate dorsum; the foliose branch of the preanal appendages is only one-quarter as long as the filiform branches. The long, filiform branches in H. palnis are rod-like while those of H. naraik have a sub-apical, lateral hump in dorsal view, and not capitate in lateral view.

Male. Body and wings brown. Forewing membrane uniformly coloured. Process and protuberance absent from cleared sternum V. Maxillary palp formula I-IV-III-II-V; segment V very thin, slender, slightly longer than segments I–IV together; maxillary palps short, reaching end of mesonotum. Head dorsum brown, with 7 brown setal warts. Swollen setal wart absent on proepisternum; small setal wart, or setal area, present on precoxale (proepisternum). Pretarsal claw asymmetrical, laterally flanked by setal bundle on all legs. Spur formula 244. Protibial posteroapical spur smaller than anteroapical spur.

Wings. Venation typical for the genus. Forewing crossveins m-cu and cu separate. Sc and R run separate before costa. Cu2 and A separate before wing margin. Hind wing Sc and R meeting before costa at crossvein r. Stem of M and Cu1 well separated. False vein of convolution runs near stem of Cu1. Median cell open. Fork 1 present. Forewing length 12.0 mm, hind wing length 9.0 mm.

Male genitalia. Abdominal segment IX fused annularly, short. Dorsum between one-fifth and one-sixth the ventrum length ( Fig. 67). Median keel very short, broad ( Fig. 68), dorsal and lateral surfaces granulose; keel with slopes separates into 2 narrow lobes in dorsal view ( Fig. 68); anterior margin shallowly arciform. Antecosta well developed, forming single line; narrowing gradually dorsally and ventrally before margin; with well-developed external groove of antecostal suture. Apical lobe at posterolateral margins small, rounded, located immediately above basis of gonocoxite. Longitudinal sutures, weakly developed, dividing fused segment IX ventrally apical lobe. Posterior spine row ( Fig. 67) continuous and homogenous; with short, rather stout setae, apical lobe setal row widening and spreading anteriorly, forming large setal patch with dorsal and ventral elongation. Setae on patch near ventral margin of segment IX slightly thinner and more curving than those on apical lobe. Depression between segments IX and X stepwise, with almost right-angled step corner. Body of segment X two-partite in lateral view ( Fig. 67), slightly tapering distally, apical half constricted with rounded, blunt apex; narrower and strongly tapering distad in dorsal view. Preanal appendages forming 1 pair long and 1 pair one-quarter as long filiform plates covered by setae nested in elevated alveoli. Longest filiform branches forming straight rod in lateral view ( Fig. 67), sinuously curving mesad in dorsal view ( Fig. 68). Apicoventral setose lobe present at apex of segment X, modified into pair of short, digitiform processes in dorsal view ( Fig. 68); blunt, very broad in lateral view ( Fig. 67); distal half covered by setae. Dorsal interlobular gap wide, deep, demarcated by apicoventral processes. Apicodorsal lobe reduced to setose surface merged with setose surface of apicoventral lobe. Smooth cavity on segment X absent. Traverse and longitudinal sutures absent on segment X. Basis of coxopodites wide, straight ( Fig. 67); coxopodites exceeding apex of segment X, stout, slightly widening apically ( Fig. 67); in ventral view ( Fig. 69) narrowest immediately after bases before widening from mid-length, apices curving mesad. Harpagones broad in lateral and ventral view; in ventral view excavated spatulate dorsally ( Fig. 69). Phallic apparatus ( Fig. 70) oriented posteroventrad, basal section right-angled. Horizontal phallotheca forming broad tube with straight dorsum; ventral margin strongly concave; concavity enlarged by membranous ventral endothecal lobes. Phallotheca ending in 2 pairs distal sclerous processes; smallest pair located dorsally from beaked phallotremal sclerites surrounding phallotrema; slender pair originating from middle of apex forming cornute sclerous endothecal processes characterised by right-angled, upwardly curving, slender, corniform arch. Cornute, sclerotized endothecal process curving laterad in ventral view. Pair of large-sized, circular, membranous, ventral endothecal lobes present apicoventrally, well separated from sclerotized endothecal processes. Endophallus located horizontally in phallotheca, ending anteriorly in narrow and abruptly ventrad-curving short tube with gonopore.

Holotype male: INDIA: Tamil Nadu, Palnis, 7000 ft, Kodaikanal , ix.1921 [ T. B. Fletcher] (Brit. Mus. 1936-643, NHML).

Distribution. India.

Etymology. palnis , derived from the type locality of the species.