Alloperla furcula Surdick, 1981

Stark, Bill P. & Kondratieff, Boris C., 2010, Larvae Of Eight Eastern Nearctic Alloperla Species (Plecoptera: Chloroperlidae), Illiesia 6 (20), pp. 267-276 : 269-271

Alloperla furcula Surdick

( Figs. 11-15 )

Alloperla furcula Surdick, 1981:349 .

Holotype ♂ ( United States National Museum), South Carolina, Aiken Co., Upper Three Runs Creek , Savannah River Plant

Material examined. South Carolina: Aiken Co., Upper Three Runs Creek, Savannah River Plant , Road C, 2 May 1985, B.C. Kondratieff, 1 larva ( CSU).

Mature larva. Body length 6.5 mm. General body color brown without distinctive pattern. Head slightly paler forward of median ocellus ( Fig. 11 ). Anterior pronotal margin with about 5-6 moderately long setae at corners and posterior margin with a pair of long setae at corners ( Fig. 11 ). Mesonotal wingpads with ca. 8-9 outer marginal setae, metanotal wingpads with ca. 4 outer marginal setae beyond apex of mesonotal wingpad and ca. 2 inner marginals ( Fig. 12 ).Fore, mid and hindlegs each with a sparse ventral fringe of long silky setae ( Fig. 14 ). Abdominal terga with a pair of minute pale mesal spots; posterior tergal fringes consist of stout setae with several (ca. 5) interspersed long thin setae; a few intercalary setae occur near lateral margins but none are located in median tergal field ( Fig. 13 ). Cerci consisting of 12 apparent segments ( Fig. 15 ), vertical fringe developed on segments 7-12; longest dorsal setae in segmental whorls of mid cercal segments about as long as segment.

Comments. Alloperla furcula shares a reduced number of cercal segments (12-13) with A. natchez Surdick & Stark ( Brown & Stark 1995) and A. prognoides ( Ray et al. 2010) . The three species are allopatric with A. natchez known only from Mississippi, A. prognoides known from southwestern Alabama and adjacent areas of the Florida Panhandle, and A. furcula known from South Carolina. In addition, this species can apparently be distinguished from A. natchez and A. prognoides by the presence of a pair of pale spots on the abdominal terga.

Figures

Figs. 11-15. Alloperla furcula larval structures. 11. Head and pronotum. 12. Mesonotum and metanotum. 13. Abdominal terga 8-9. 14. Right foreleg. 15. Lateral aspect of cercus, dorsum left.