Neoperla spironema, Zwick & Zwick, 2023

Zwick, Peter & Zwick, Andreas, 2023, Revision of the African Neoperla Needham, 1905 (Plecoptera: Perlidae: Perlinae) based on morphological and molecular data, Zootaxa 5316 (1), pp. 1-194 : 120-122

54. Neoperla spironema n. sp.

( Figs. 309–312 )

Type material studied. ♀ Holotype, Republic of Ghana, Ghana Western region , Ankasa game prod. Reserve [5.2167N - 2.6499E] 10–16.12.93 St. 12 J. Kjaerendsen & T. Andersen light trap; NUFU-project ZMBN Ref. No. 3 ( NEOP160 , slide GH.01_01; ZMBN) . Paratypes: 12♀ with the same data ( ZMBN & SMNS) .

Additional material studied. Republic of Cameroon: 2♀, Muyuka [4°43’18’’N, 9°38’27’’E; 305m], Victoria Div., Brit Cameroons,VI-25-49 B.Malkin at light . Republic of Ghana, 2♀, GHANA, Subri R. [6.238N, - 2.282E] 05.11.1993 light trap; NUFU project, Uni Bergen . Republic of Liberia, 3♀: 8 mi NW Belefuanai [7.26N, 9.43W], S fork S.Paul R., 11.8.66, Ross & Lorenzen ( CASENT 8413018 , slide Z17.62; egg slide Z 17.63 in SMNS) .

Habitus. WL 8.2–12.0mm. Yellow, a faded brownish ocellar spot, flagellum distally gradually brownish, cercus and legs yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Female ( Fig. 309 ). As for the complex.

Egg ( Figs. 310–312 ). Oval, 305–349µm long, about 1.70 times longer than wide. The width of the anchor pole corresponds to approximately 1/3 of maximum egg width. The collar a is low ring, the anchor cavity is very shallow or absent, the small anchor cap is supported by filaments. The numerous striae are dextrogyrous spirals of alternating wide and narrow ribs separated by a single line of micropunctures ( Fig. 311 ), micropyles are on top of the narrow ribs ( Fig. 312 ). In the holotype, striae fade away beyond the micropyles, before reaching the broadly rounded bare operculum ( Fig. 46.3 ).

DNA ( Figs. 492 , 496 ). Only the female holotype from Ghana was sequenced for the COX1 DNA barcode fragment. It is maximally supported (100/100/100) as sister to N. filamentosa n. sp. + N. orthonema n. sp..

Etymology. The name is a noun in apposition formed of the Greek stems spiro, spiral, and nema, thread, referring to the spiral egg striae and the threads replacing the anchor stem.

IV.5. The Neoperla dubia- complex (= clade I)

Male T7 caudally raised, rear face in vertical position exposed, with a narrow band-like sclerite with some SB. The top of this sclerite represents the mediocaudal process of T7 and is small, raised little above general tergal surface. Lower end of said sclerite band hinged with the antecosta 8 in the intersegmental fold T7/8. Sclerite on T8 wide in anterior third and supporting an erect conical process caudally from which the sclerite continues as a narrow band to the front of T9. Short T9, lateral pilose humps low, without SB. HT10 long and slender, mediobasal callus tongue-shaped, epiproct shaped like an arrow-head. S8 and S9 unmodified. Penis straight, a sclerotised tube with a dorsal spine patch near middle or at apex. Endophallus not longer than tube, strongly curved to ventral side, dorsal spine band much longer than ventral one, sides bare, distally no spines.

Female S8 with two small brown marks in a median row. Vagina unmodified, spermathecal coil forming only 1– 2 rings. Coil wide, concave side near base bare, with elongate folds. At the point where the distally widening dense scale cover on the convex side occupies the entire width of the coil it begins to narrow. Eggs have approximately 20 straight striae with raised costae; in some N. dubia costae are drawn out into high flanges.

The monophyly of the N. dubia -complex (clade I) is very strongly supported (98.9/100/100) by the DNA sequence data analyses. Its sister group relation to clades K + L is also strongly supported (90.6/73/96).

Figures

FIGURE 492. Simplified overview of codon-model maximum likelihood phylogram based on 356 mitochondrial genome and COX1 DNA barcode sequences (all-NT). Terminal labels include information on the species only. Clades of particular interest highlighted with colours that correspond to the clades in other trees. The full tree is shown in Figs 493-498.

FIGURE 496. Partial (clades G, H) codon-model maximum likelihood phylogram based on 356 mitochondrial genome and COX1 DNA barcode sequences (all-NT). See Fig. 493 for common details.

FIGURES 309–312. Neoperla spironema n. sp.: 309, 310, holotype; 311, a paratype; both from Ankasa Game. Res; 312, SEMdetail of chorion with the 2 kinds of costae and a micropyle (Ivory Coast, USNM; from Moore, 1991). Scales are 100µm, or as indicated. mi, micropyle; sa, spermatheca; SSt, spermathecal stalk; V, vagina.

FIGURES 42–49. Neoperla spectabilis n. sp. Male paratype from Bioko:42, abdominal tip, dorsal view, tergites 7–9 numbered; 43, artificially everted over-inflated penis; 44, enlarged detail of same. 45, penis of male from Cameroon. Female holotype: 46, vagina and spermathecal stalk, diagrammatical, limit between sternites S7 and S8 indicated; 47, egg; 48, chorion fragment with part of the operculum (op) and the flanged costae (not to scale); 49, detached operculum, top view, same scale as 47. bd, border between operculum and flanged costae; cf, costal flange; op, operculum; ds, dorsal sclerite; sa, spermatheca; sp, spicules; SSt, spermathecal stalk; sw, disto-lateral swelling on penis tube. Arrows indicate hooks with bent tip.