Atalophlebia gubara, Dean & Suter, 2004

Dean, J. C. & Suter, P. J., 2004, Descriptions of new species and a new genus of leptophlebiid mayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) from the Northern Territory, Australia, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 61 (1), pp. 111-118 : 111-113

Atalophlebia gubara sp. nov.

Figures 1–13

Type material. Holotype: male imago, Gubara (Baroalba Springs) , Kakadu National Park , Northern Territory, 12˚49 ’ S 132˚53 ’ E, 14 Aug 1999, J.Dean ( NMV T-18498).

Paratypes: collected with holotype, 8 male imagos ( NMV T-18499–T-18506) .

Other material examined. Northern Territory. 3MI, 2N, Gubara (Baroalba Springs) , 12˚49'S 132˚53'E, 14 Aug 1999, J. Dean; 1FSI,1N, Gulungul Creek (Radon Springs), 12˚45'S 132˚55'E, 18 May 1988, P. Suter; 4N, Gulungul Creek (Radon Springs), 12˚45'S 132˚55'E, 13 Aug 1999, J. Dean; 3N, Manggabor Creek, Arnhem Land, 12˚17'S 134˚05'E, 26 Aug 1999, J. Dean; 1MSI, 1FI (both reared from nymphs), Walker Creek, Litchfield National Park, 13˚05'S 130˚42'E, 31 Aug 1999, J. Dean; 2MSI,2FSI, (all reared from nymphs), 3FI, 2N, Magela Creek, Bowerbird Billabong, 12˚47'S 133˚02'E, 30 June 1990, P. Suter; 1N, Magela Creek, 1.5 km d/s Bowerbird Billabong, 12˚46'S 133˚02'E, 28 May 1988, P. Suter; 7N, Magela Creek, d/s Bowerbird Billabong, 12˚47'S 133˚02'E, 3 May 1990, D.Cartwright; 1N, South Alligator River, d/s Gimbat, 13˚35 ’ S 132˚36 ’ E, 2 May 1990, D. Cartwright; 1N, South Alligator River, Koolpin Crossing, 13˚32'S 132˚33'E, 18 Aug 1999, J. Dean; 1MI,1FI, South Alligator River, Koolpin Crossing, 13˚32'S 132˚33'E, 14 Oct 1987, P.Dostine; 2N, South Alligator River, Coronation Hill, 13˚36 ’ S 132˚37 ’ E, 20 Apr 1987, P. Dostine.

Description. Imago. Length of male: body 6.8–7.9 mm, forewing 6.1–6.9 mm; Length of female: body 6.5–7.9 mm, forewing 6.0–7.0 mm. Head medium brown; antennae medium brown; male eyes with upper lobes medium brown, lower lobes grey, upper lobes separated by distance approximately equal to diameter of median ocellus. Thorax with meso- and metascutum medium brown; thorax laterally pale yellow, with small patches of dark brown pigment. Forelegs medium brown, femora with dark brown bands a little beyond midlength and at apex, tibiae with dark band at base and more heavily pigmented in apical half. Middle and hind legs paler, yellowish, femora with dark bands as in foreleg, tarsal segments also darker brown. Tarsal claws similar, with apical hook and opposing ventral flange ( Fig. 3 ). Forewings hyaline, cross veins in costal and subcostal spaces washed with brown pigment; elsewhere in forewing many crossveins and cells washed with pale brown ( Fig. 1 ). Male abdomen dark brown, pattern of paler yellow maculae, predominantly along midline ( Fig. 4 ); abdominal sterna pale, with some darker brown markings. Penes narrow at midlength, broader in apical half, the two halves fused almost to apex; a pair of large ventro-lateral lobes at about three-quarters length, and closer to the apex a smaller ventro-median lobe ( Figs 5–7 ); median lobe underlying deep pockets with internal spine-like setae ( Fig. 8 ). Male imago with 3 apical filaments, dark brown in basal half and white in apical half. Female abdominal colour pattern similar to male; abdominal sternum 9 with posterior margin deeply excised ( Fig. 9 ); strongly projecting egg guide on posterior margin of abdominal sternum 7. Subimago. Wings yellowpale brown, forewing with suffusion of darker brown covering most cross veins. Abdominal colour pattern similar to imago but lateral pale areas more strongly developed. Nymph. General colour medium to dark brown, paler markings on abdominal terga; legs yellowish with brown bands on all segments. Labrum broad, width approximately 2.5 times length along median line ( Fig. 10 ). Foretarsus with about 10 ventral spine-like setae, each seta less than one-sixth diameter of tarsus ( Fig. 11 ). Abdominal segments 2–9 with relatively short posterolateral spines, those on segment V about one-eighth length of segment ( Fig. 12 ). Gills on abdominal segments 1–7; all gills with upper and lower lamella tridigitate ( Fig. 13 ).

Etymology. The species is named for the type locality.

Comments. Although previously undescribed, this species has been included in keys as Atalophlebia sp.1 ( Suter, 1992) and Atalophlebia sp. AV16 ( Dean, 1999). The species is distinguished from all other species of the genus by the structure of the male genitalia, and in the nymph by the shape of the gills, the size and number of ventral spines on the foretarsus and the short posterolateral abdominal spines.

Figures

Figs 1–13. Atalophlebia gubara. Male imago: 1, forewing and outline of hind-wing; 2, hind-wing enlarged; 3, foretarsal claws; 4, abdominal terga, dorsal; 5, penes lobes, ventral; 6, penes lobes, lateral; 7, penes lobes, apical; 8, penes lobes, ventral pockets (cleared slide preparation, spine-like setae internal). Female imago: 9, sternum, abdominal segment IX. Nymph: 10, labrum; 11, foretarsus; 12, lateral margin, abdominal segment V; 13, gill, abdominal segment IV.