Description of new apterous winter species of Leuctra (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) based morphology and DNA barcoding and further records to stonefly fauna of the Caucasus, Georgia Teslenko, Valentina A. Palatov, Dmitry M. Semenchenko, Alexander A. Zootaxa 2019 2019-04-15 4585 3 546 560 8N98P Teslenko Teslenko & Palatov & Semenchenko 2019 [151,474,897,923] Insecta Leuctridae Leuctra GBIF Animalia Plecoptera 6 552 Arthropoda species georgiae sp. nov.  ( Figs. 14–24)  urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C6A3B5AB-A3CC-40B0-B8F0-C4ED8C313243   Material examined.  Holotypemale. Georgia. Adjaria. Kintrishi River,  16 kmupstream from Kobuletiand  4 kmupstream from Tchakhati Village, 41°47.192 N 41°57.390 E, 0 6.02.2017, coll. D. Palatov( FSC EATB FEBRAS). Paratypes: 3 males( 1 malemounted),  5 females( 2 femalesmounted), same locality and date, coll. D. Palatov( FSC EATB FEBRAS).   Description.Dark brown, apterous species, with tiny rudimentary wings, appearing as dark brown plates on the meso- and mesothorax; body length of males 4.0– 4.2 mm, females 5.2¯ 6.2 mm. Setation distinct, sclerotization heavy ( Figs. 14, 15). Palpi, head, pronotum, meso- and metanotum, legs uniform black brown without pattern ( Fig. 14). Head bears two very small lateral ocelli, poorly visible, the median ocellus indistinct, difficult to distinguish ( Fig. 14). The sclerite configuration on the female prothoracic and mesotoracic sterna of  L. georgiaeis similar to that of  L. adjariae( Figs. 3, 20), except for prothoracic furcasternum as a pair of diverging bars which is larger and touching basisternum; prothoracic spinasternum of  L. georgiaeis oval, and mesothoracic basisternum having a concave anterior margin ( Fig. 20).  Male.Terga I-VII simple, heavily sclerotized, except semicircular paramedian poorly pigmented areas on posterior margins, which are increased in size to tergum VII and covered by long black setae. Tergum VIII bears anteromedial sclerotized process armed with a pair of triangular, heavily sclerotized teeth directed backward and covered by long black setae ( Fig. 16). In lateral view teeth raised oblique upward and forward ( Fig. 15). Tergum IX mostly unpigmented with distinct antecosta, divided medially on more than one fifth of segment width; posteromedial sclerite consists of pair pigmented triangular spots, disconnected at base ( Figs. 16, 17). Tergum X deeply cleft, bilobed, each lobe with oblique mesal edge in dorsal view, bears a small posteromedial process, covered with tuft long black setae ( Figs 16, 17). Between the lobes a small rounded membranous epiproct appears; a large conspicuous V-shaped pigmented sclerite is behind the epiproct ( Figs. 18, 19). Cerci long, slim ( Figs. 16- 18), more sclerotized along inner edges than along outer ones, covered with long setae, especially along outer edges; apices round, not pigmented with vestigial terminal segment modified into an ‘eye-spot’ mark. In dorsal view cerci form a circle around styles ( Figs. 17, 18). Paraprocts strong, styles more 2.0X shorter than specilla ( Figs. 16, 17). Styles base wide with triangular truncate lateral edges ( Figs 16, 19), and ending in strong sclerotized tapered to the tips, gently bent inward ( Figs 16, 17) processes. Specilla gently tapered to the tip, apices blunt, gently bent outside in dorsal view ( Fig. 18). Sternum IX with U-shaped unsclerotized area, ventral vesicle absent, a tiny, indistinct knob on the anteromedial margin weakly visible ( Figs. 14, 15).   FIGURES 14–16.Male of  Leuctra georgiae  sp. n.14. Habitus, dorsal view. 15. Abdominal tip, lateral. 16. Abdominal tip, dorsal.   FIGURES 17–19.Male of  Leuctra georgiae  sp. n.17. Abdominal tip, IX & X terga, dorsal. 18. Abdominal tip, IX & X terga, ventral. 19. Epiproct, dorsal.  Female. Sterna with wide ventral sclerite and pair lateral membranous bands ( Fig. 21). Sternum VIII forms a rectangular subgenital plate with two rounded posteromedial lobes ( Figs 21, 22). In ventral view of a cleared specimen ( Fig. 22) in ¾ of the length of the subgenital plate one notices a pair of lateral wing-shaped processes covered with black setae; each process tapered to the tip and directed to outside, makes subgenital plate slightly wider, than at anterior or posterior margin ( Fig 22); the last third of subgenital plate bilobed, posteromedian lobes rounded with slightly concaved posteromedian margin ( Figs 21, 22). A median less-pigmented area divides the posteriomedian lobes ( Fig. 22). Subgenital plate fused with paragenital plate being dark brown that can be seen by transparency ( Fig. 22). Paragenital plate with paired fan-shaped processes, directed sideward and slightly overhang from under of posterolateral corners of the subgenital plate ( Fig. 22). Sternum IX completely sclerotized, with a produced arch-shaped extension anteromesally and pair of small triangular anretolateral unpigmented spots below subgenital plate ( Figs 21, 22). Seminal receptacle spheroid ( Figs 23, 24), spermathecal sclerite ring-shaped, with strongly sclerotized semi-ring which ends in a pair of small teeth; the teeth joined to each other by slightly sclerotized a central arch ( Figs 22, 24).   Diagnosis.Apterous in both sexes.  Leuctra georgiaeis distinguished from other  Leuctraspecies by the pair of short, triangular and heavily sclerotized anteromedial processes on male tergum VIII in combination with pair of pigmented triangular posteromedial spots on tergum IX. The male is also distinguished by tergum X deeply notched with small paired posteromedial processes, covered with long setae; epiproct small, rounded and membranous; styles shorter specilla more than 2X.The female is characterized by a rectangular subgenital plate with two lateral wing-shaped processes, posterior margin of subgenital plate with paired posteromedian rounded lobes.  Affinities.Based on tergal ornamentation of the male,  L. georgiaepossibly belongs to the  primaspecies subgroup within the hippopusspecies group according to Ravizza & Vin ҫon (1998) and Ravizza (2002). Within the  primasubgroup, the male of  L. ligurica Aubert, 1962has similar paired anteromedial sclerotized processes on tergum VIII. In  L. liguricathey are pointed at the apices, whereas in  L. georgiae, the apex of each anteromedial process is rectangular. The posteriomedial sclerite on tergum IX is rectangular in  L. ligurica, the same sclerite of  L. georgiaeappears as a pair of pigmented triangular spots, which are disconnected at the base. The females of both species are only generally similar in rectangular shape of subgenital plates with a bilobed posterior margin. However, the female genitalia differ in detail. The spermatheca of  L. georgiaehas a strongly sclerotized central arch and caudally connected arms, similar to  L. liguricaand some members of the  primasub-group. Both species are apterous and are distributed within a relatively small area in the different mountain systems.  Leuctra liguricais known from the western edge of the Ligurian Apennines to the eastern margin of the Ligurian Alps ( Ravizza 2002);  L. georgiaeoccurs on the western slopes of Meskheti Range (Lesser Caucasus) in Adjaria, Georgia. Furthermore, the styles of  L. georgiaeresemble remotely the styles of  L. tarnogradski,which are short.  L. georgiaealso differs from  L. tarnogradskiby the different shape of the posteromedial sclerite on tergum IX, by the lack of ventral vesicle on sternum IX, by the lack of wings, and by the very different shape of the female subgenital plate ( Zhiltzova, 2003).   Distribution.Apparently, larvae of  L. georgiaeoccur in the Kintrishi River, near the town of Kobulety located in Adjariain the southwestern corner of Georgiabordered Turkeyto the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea ( Fig. 25). The Kintrishi River flows down from western slopes of Meskheti Range (Lesser Caucasus) into the Black Sea. The Kintrishi River at the typelocality on altitude 180–190 ma.s.l. flows through a canyon with a width 5–6 m( Figs. 27, 28). Despite the river being at flood stage, the water was clear, flowing at 0.3–0.9 m/s. Adults of  L. georgiaewere collected walking on the snow.   Etymology.This species is named after Georgia, where it occurs. 2235669111 FSC, EATB, FEB D. Palatov Georgia 41.786533 Kintrishi River 1 41.9565 6 552 1 Ajaria holotype 2235669112 FSC, EATB, FEB D. Palatov Georgia 41.786533 Kintrishi River 1 41.9565 6 552 7 7 Ajaria paratype