Protohermes motuoensis Liu & Yang, 2006

Hassan, Muhammad Asghar, Hayashi, Fumio & Liu, Xingyue, 2020, First record of the dobsonfly genus Protohermes van der Weele, 1907 from Pakistan (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Zootaxa 4732 (3), pp. 422-434 : 423-426

Protohermes motuoensis Liu & Yang

( Figs. 1–3 )

Protohermes motuoensis Liu & Yang, 2006: 54 . Type locality: China (Xizang Autonomous Region or Tibet of China: Medog).

Diagnosis. Head yellow, vertex posterolaterally with three pairs of widely separated black spots; anterolateral portion of pronotum with a pair of sinuous, slender, black vittae, which sometimes are separated at midlength, posterolateral portion of pronotum with a pair of parallel black vittae and a pair of narrow transverse black stripes. Wings hyaline, longitudinal veins yellow, most crossveins blackish brown. Male sternum 9 posteriorly with a deep V-shaped incision, forming a pair of broad, subtriangular posterolateral lobes; ectoproct elongated, nearly 1.5 times as long as tergum 9, clavate, proximal-ventrally with an additional short lobe.

Redescription. Male. Body length 38–48 mm; forewing length 46–48 mm, hindwing length 41–43 mm.

Head yellow, vertex posterolaterally with one or two pairs of small black spots; post-ocular spine short and acutely produced. Compound eyes brownish; ocelli yellow with inner margins black, lateral ocelli close to median ocellus. Antennae blackish brown, subserrate with scape and pedicel yellow. Mouthparts yellow, with distal half of mandibles and distal two segments of maxillary and labial palpi blackish brown.

Prothorax yellow; anterolateral portion of pronotum with a pair of slenderly hook-like black stripes, posterolateral portion of pronotum with a pair of longitudinal black vittae and a pair of narrow transverse black stripes. Meso- and metathorax pale yellow. Legs yellow with dense yellowish setae, pretarsal claws reddish brown. Wings hyaline and immaculte; veins yellow except for most crossveins blackish brown; RP 8 or 9 branched; 8-12 crossveins between RA and RP; MA distally bifurcated; anterior branch of MP 4-branched, posterior branch of MP 2-branched.

Abdomen yellowish brown with short yellowish setae. Tergum 9 subtrapezoidal, both anterior and posterior margin shallowly incised. Sternum 9 slightly longer than tergum 9, posteriorly with a deep V-shaped incision, forming a pair of broad subtriangular posterolateral lobes. Gonostylus 9 unguiform, with a long, strongly sclerotized apex, which is feebly curved. Ectoproct about 2.0 times as long as tergum 9, slightly widen and feebly curved distad, densely setose, in particular on inner portion, and proximal-ventrally with a short subcylindrical lobe. Gonocoxite 10 slightly arched. Gonostyli 10 short, digitiform with ventrally setose.

Female. Body length 57–64 mm; forewing length 58–63 mm; hindwing length 52–57 mm.

Abdomen yellowish brown with short yellowish setae. Fused gonocoxites 8 subtrapezoidal in lateral view. Gonocoxite 9 short and broad, subtriangular, posterior portion ventrally incised, with a small gonostylus 9. Ectoproct short with posterior margin incised, leaving digitiform dorsal and bow-shaped ventral lobes.

Material examined. PAKISTAN: Khyber Pakhtunkhawa : 2♂, District Swat , [35.054092°N, 72.564847°E], 760 m, 11.ix.2019, Fazullah ( CAU) ; 1♂ 1♀, [locality unknown] ( NIM) ; BHUTAN: Thimphu: 1♀, Lungtenphu [27°26′N, 89°39′E], 2300 m, 19.vii.1996, H. Feijen ( RMNH) ; CHINA: Xizang: 3♂ 3♀, Medog , 80K, 23.vii.2012, W. Li ( CAU) ; 4♂ 5♀, Medog , 80K, 23/ 24.vii.2012, W. Li ( CAU) ; 1♂, Medog , 80K, 21.vii.2012, J. Wang & C. Zhang ( CAU) ; 6♂ 4♀, Medog , 80K, 24.vii.2012, J. Wang & C. Zhang ( CAU) ; 1♀, Medog , 80K, 21.vii.2012, X. Li ( CAU) ; 2♂ 8♀, Medog , 18.viii.2011, Q. Zhan ( CAU) ; 1♂ 6♀, Medog , 30.vii-1.viii.2014, T. Zhang & Y. Li ( CAU) ; 2♂, Medog, Bari , 29.vii.2014, T. Zhang ( CAU) ; 1♀, Medog, Aniqiao , 1062 m, 6/ 7.viii.2011, L. Wang ( CAU) ; 2♀, Medog, Hanmi , 2100 m, 25.vii.2011, L. Wang ( CAU) ; 4♀, Medog , 80K, 18/ 19.viii.2011, L. Wang ( CAU) ; 1♀, Tongmai , 22.viii.2011, L. Wang ( CAU) ; 1♀, Zayu, Xia Zayu , 1500 m, 26.viii.2010, W. Bi ( CAU) ; 9♀, Zayu, Xia Zayu , 3.vii.2011, L. Wang ( CAU) ; INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh: 1♀, Kameng, Salari , 9.vii.1961, F. Schmid ( CNC) ; Himachal Pradesh: 1♂, Simla , 2134 m, viii.1939, F. Bailey ( NHM) ; Haryana: 1♀, Ambala, Carleton ( MCZ); NE- PAL: Gandaki : 2♂, Ganesh Himal , 2 km East of Thangjet, 2260 m, 20.vii.1995, M. Hreblay & T. Csövári ( HNHM) ; 1♀, Pokara, Mt. Annapurna , 2000 m, 15.vii.2014, F. Liang ( CAU) ; 1♂, Lukuche Klrola , 9.v.1968 ( NSM) ; 1♂, Kulu ( RMNH) .

Distribution. Bhutan (Thimphu); China (Xizang Autonomous Region); India (Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh); Nepal (Gandaki); Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhawa).

Remarks. This species was originally described by Liu & Yang (2006b) solely based on female specimens from Medog in southeastern Xizang Autonomous Region or Tibet of China. Yang & Liu (2010) first reported the male of this species based on specimens from Nepal. Besides Pakistan, here we also report the first record of this species from Bhutan and India. After examination of a large number of specimens, we found that the cephalic and pronotal dark markings are frequently reduced in some individuals of P. motuoensis . All specimens from Pakistan we examined have these markings reduced or even completely lost. However, the male genitalia show identical characters between specimens with well-developed and reduced cephalic and pronotal markings.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Protohermes motuoensis Liu & Yang, habitus of adults from Pakistan. A. Male; B. Female. Scale bar: 5.0 mm.

FIGURE 2. Protohermes motuoensis Liu & Yang, habitus of adults. A. Male from Nepal; B. Female from Xizang, China. Scale bar: 5.0 mm.

FIGURE 3. Protohermes motuoensis Liu & Yang (illustrated specimens from Pakistan). A. Male head and pronotum, dorsal view; B. Female genitalia, lateral view; C. Male genitalia, dorsal view; D. Male genitalia, ventral view. e: ectoproct; c: callus cercus; gst: gonostylus; gx: gonocoxite; T: tergum; S: sternum. Scale bar: 1.0 mm. Pakistan.