Neoperla pickeri, 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 : 44

14. Neoperla pickeri n. sp.

( Figs. 69–73 )

Type material studied: Republic of Uganda, Holotype ♀ [ NEOP043 , slide MP.10], 1♀ paratype, 1 ♀ exuviae: Leba Gorge 15°0’32.13’’S 13°11’54.92’’E, M.Picker 10/1/17 ( SMNS).

Habitus. A large species, WL 19.5 ( HT)– 21.2mm ( PT). Yellowish, a pointed brown spot between ocelli. Frontoclypeus, pronotum, and scuta between wing bases greyish. Antenna dark, upper side of femora, all of tibiae and tarsi grey, cercus (only base available) pale.

Male. Unknown.

Female ( Fig. 69 ). Sternites and vagina unmodified. Spermathecal stalk as long as the vagina, bag-shaped, the rounded end with coiled spermatheca is wider than the base. Bag internally densely covered with sharp slender scales of various shapes, except along concave edge. Scales form dark bands on folds running parallel to the convex edge. In optical section scales are obliquely inserted in the cuticle, like the tile-shaped scales of other species. The coiled spermatheca has a long duct.

Egg ( Figs. 70–73 ). 393*227µm, ovoid, ≥20 straight striae ( Fig. 70 ). Operculum conical, with deep cells ( Fig. 73 ), anchor pole wide, truncate. The impunctate costae are almost twice as wide as the irregularly punctate sulci which widen around the freely visible micropyles ( Fig. 71 ). The collar is sessile, not set off against the chorion but its direct continuation, lacking cells and is distally slightly incurved, constraining the opening of the shallow anchor cavity. A longitudinal depression on costae can be seen in polar view ( Fig. 72 ). Anchor mushroom-shaped, with long stem.

DNA ( Figs. 491–493 ). Only the female holotype from Uganda was sequenced for the COX1 DNA barcode fragment and its placement as sister to N. coffea n. sp. is well supported (46.6/97/100).

Notes. The spermathecal stalk is distinctive. Nymphal exuviae collected together with the type are dark, frontoclypeus with a pair of round whitish spots, center of thoracic nota light, abdomen uniformly dark.

Etymology. Named for the collector, Mike Picker (Cape Town), in recognition of his pioneer work documenting the presence of more than one Neoperla species in South Africa ( Picker 1980), and in gratitude for the gift of material and support of our study.

Figures

FIGURE 491. Codon-model maximum likelihood phylogram based on 83 largely complete mitochondrial genome sequences only (mt-NT). Statistical support values (SH-aLRT, UFBoot) from this and other analyses summarised by squares as explained in the figure. Terminal labels include information on the species, type status, gender, originating country, unique sequence identifier (NEOP###), sequencing approach and total basepairs of 13 mitochondrial, protein-coding genes. Clades of particular interest highlighted with colours that correspond to the clades in other trees. HT = holotype; PT = paratype; PCR = Polymerase Chaine Reaction; WGS = Whole Genome Shotgun.

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 493. Partial (outgroup, clades A, B, D) codon-model maximum likelihood phylogram based on 356 mitochondrial genome and COX1 DNA barcode sequences (all-NT). Statistical support values above branches or near nodes are SH-aLRT and UFBoot for the codon-model analyses, followed by NT123 UFBoot. Terminal labels include information on the species, type status, gender, originating country, unique sequence identifier (NEOP###), sequencing approach and total basepairs of 13 mitochondrial, protein-coding genes. Clades of particular interest highlighted with colours that correspond to the clades in other trees. See Fig. 492 for an overview. HT = holotype; PT = paratype; PCR = Polymerase Chaine Reaction; WGS = Whole Genome Shotgun.

FIGURES 69–75. Neoperla pickeri n. sp. and N. coffea n. sp., female holotypes. N. pickeri: 69, genital situs; the vagina is transparent and the coiled spermatheca is visible only as a faint shadow, lines indicate location of enlarged details (not to scale); 70, lateral view of an egg; 71, diagram of chorion structure 72, fragment with collar and stem of anchor, in polar view; 73, fragment of the deeply reticulate operculum. N. coffea: 74, genital situs, transverse lines mark borders between sternites 7 and 8, and 8 and 9, respectively; 75, egg. Scales are 100µm. co, costa; mi, micropyle; mic, micropylar canal; od, oviduct; sa spermatheca, SSt spermathecal stalk; su, sulcus; V, vagina.