Neoperla claviger, 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 : 146

69. Neoperla claviger n. sp.

( Figs. 394–396 )

Type material: Republic of Cameroon, Holotype ♀: Cameroon, Akom [2.7866 N, 11.304], 450m, 18.X.66, Ross & Lorenzen ( NEOP292 ; CASENT 8413077 ).

Habitus. Yellowish, also antenna, cercus, legs; possibly faded.

Male. Unknown.

Female ( Fig. 394 ). WL 11.8mm. Caudal edge of S8 slightly concave. Floor of vagina sclerotised with convergent lateral edges, also some stout scales next to SSt attachment. SSt is sausage-like, of uniform width, little longer than the vagina ( Fig. 394 ).

Egg ( Figs. 395–396 ). Oval, slender, 422*213µm, an about 35µm long projection (included in EL) rises from the narrow anchor pole. The projection ends in a slightly roughened cap to which the anchor attaches directly, it has no stem. Cap thick, clear, folded back, and touching a ring-like shoulder around the process base. In several eggs, light-refracting spherical bodies noticed between cap and process. Operculum parabolic, surface uneven, narrow bare ribs delimit shallow polygones ( Fig. 395 ). Numerous straight striae extend from shoulder of process to base of operculum where rounded swellings on costae form a pale belt. Costae are wide, smooth, flat, with microscopic crenulations along edge which seem to be homologous to micropunctures. Sulci are very narrow and deep, micropyles are minute holes on the impunctate floor ( Fig. 396 ).

DNA ( Figs. 491–492 , 498). The female holotype from Cameroon, the only specimen known, was sequenced with the genome-skimming approach, resulting in 10,989bp of mitochondrial, protein-coding genes. The species is maximally supported (100/100/100) as sister to N. dianae n. sp., N. dolium n. sp., and N. gibbosa n. sp..

Notes. The genital situs with its flat sclerite in S8 is distinctive. The egg process is unique and very different from short stubs on the anchor pole in, for example, N. nigricauda (spio- group, Fig. 237 ) and Morph 1 of N. leroiana ( arambourgana -complex, Fig. 476 ).

Etymology. The Latin noun in apposition describes somebody carrying a club, in allusion to the egg shape.

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.

FIGURES 394–396. Neoperla claviger n. sp., ♀ holotype: 394, 395, genital situs and an egg; 396, ends of a few striae with some rounded swellings in the opercular belt, the black arrow points at a micropyle. Scales are 100µm, 396 not to scale. a, anchor; co, costa; sa, spermatheca; SSt, spermathecal stalk; su, sulcus; V, vagina.

FIGURES 231–237. Neoperla nigricauda Navás: 231–234, male fore body, abdominal tip and penis (length 1.18mm), specimens from Cameroon, Etambo r.; 235, everted endophallus of pale ♁ from Kumba. 236, ♀ genital situs, arrow indicates the large spine patch in the vagina); 237, egg (Etambo r.).

FIGURES 466–476. females in the Neoperla leroiana cluster, eggs and diagrammatic genital situs to similar sizes, from photographs: N. arambourgana Navás: 466, egg of ♀ from Kama (D. R. Congo; NEOP272); 467, ♀ from Popokabaka (D. R. Congo, NEOP271). N. dundoana n. sp.: 468, 469, egg and genital situs of HT (Dundo, Z16.180, NEOP268). Neoperla leroiana Klapálek: 470, egg of ♀ from Ngonlutu, Togo; ♀ genital situs: 471, Xandel, Angola; 472, Odzala N. P.; 473, Guinea, Konkouré à Linsan; 474, Central Afr. Rep., Bayanga (NEOP281); 475, Victoria Falls (NEOP279); 476, SEM of anchor pole of female from Nigeria (courtesy MPI of Limnology, Pl̂n).