Mortoniella albolineata

Blahnik, Roger J. & Holzenthal, Ralph W., 2011, Revision of the austral South American species of Mortoniella (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae: Protoptilinae) 2851, Zootaxa 2851 (1), pp. 1-75 : 6

Mortoniella albolineata subgroup

Most of the new species described in this paper are included in this newly recognized subgroup of the M. leroda species group. Previously described species in this subgroup include Mortoniella albolineata Ulmer, 1907 ; M. teutona ( Mosely, 1939) ; and M. unota ( Mosely, 1939) . As in the other species subgroups recognized for Brazil, species in this subgroup are characterized by a reduced hind wing venation (only fork II present) ( Fig. 38A ), and also by an additional set of male genitalic characters, including the following: Fused inferior appendages with dorsally upright lateral lobes; phallotheca with well developed, but variably shaped, dorsolateral processes; endophallic membrane with a single stout ventral spine and without sclerotized phallotremal spines; and tergum X with a Vshaped or U-shaped mesal excision and without an apicomesal projection. None of these characters is unique to the M. albolineata subgroup. That the subgroup is a natural one is evidenced by the close similarity of the species to one another; indeed, many are only reliably distinguished by characters taken in combination. Most of the species have a typical 0:4:4 spur formula, but a few of the smaller species have a 0:3:4 spur formula. This character is also found in the M. pumila subgroup, as discussed below, as well as in the M. ormina species group. The M. albolineata subgroup as a whole shares character similarities with both the M. leroda and M. florica subgroups from Central America ( Blahnik & Holzenthal 2008), both of which, however, have both forks II and III in the hind wing present, as well as having a rather characteristic sinuous inflection of the dorsal phallic spine. All of the species of the M. albolineata subgroup have dorsolateral processes on the phallicata that seem to function as lateral guides for the paramere appendages, a common attribute for species of the M. leroda group in general, and a consistent character of the M. florica subgroup, but members of the M. albolineata subgroup always lack an apicomesal projection of tergum X. Many of the species of the M. albolineata subgroup have inferior appendages with an asymmetric ventromesal projection, as in members of the M. leroda subgroup, but this does not seem to indicate a necessary close relationship of species in the 2 subgroups and does not even seem to circumscribe an inclusive clade for members of the M. albolineata subgroup with the character.

Figures

FIGURES 38–40. Wings of exemplar species: 38, Mortoniella albolineata Ulmer: A—forewing; B—hind wing. 39, Mortoniella argentinica Flint: A—forewing; B—hind wing. 40, Mortoniella froehlichi, new species: A—forewing; B—hind wing.