Mecynostomella spinosa, Johanson, 2003

Johanson, Kjell Arne, 2003, Revision of the New Caledonian genus Mecynostomella (Trichoptera, Kokiriidae), Zootaxa 270 (1), pp. 1-24 : 5-9

Mecynostomella spinosa sp.n.

( Figs 1 , 6­8 , 15­22 , 54 )

Material examined: Male holotype: 5 km S Tohu , 100 m, Ponandou River , 20°49.5'S, 165°13'E, 22­23.ii.1984 [M. Pogue & M. Epstein] ( NMNH, alcohol ). 1 male paratype: stream on Mt. Aoupinié , 22 km SW bridge at Ponerihouen on Goa Road, 458 m (N37), 17­ 21.x.1972 [W.L. & J.G. Peters] ( NRM, alcohol) . 1 male paratype: same, except ( ROM, alcohol) . 1 female paratype: Province Nord , stream, Mt. Aoupinié, 21°08.940'S, 165°19.409'E, 409 m, Malaise trap, 24­28.xi.2001 [Johanson, Pape, Viklund] ( NRM, alcohol) . 6 male, 4 female paratypes: Province Sud , stream, Koghi Mt., 22°10.722'S, 166°30.501'E, 462 m, light trap, 6.xii.2001 [Johanson, Pape, Viklund] ( NRM, alcohol) . 1 male, 2 females: same, except ( ROM, alcohol) . 1 male paratype: Province Nord , stream, Col d'Amieu, 20 km N Sarraméa, 21°33.877'S, 165°49.922'E, 306 m, light trap, 2.xii.2001 [Johanson, Pape, Viklund] ( NRM, alcohol) . 1 female paratype: Province Sud , stream, Sarraméa, 21°37.883'S, 165°51.958'E, 220 m, light trap, 19.xi.2001 [Johanson, Pape, Viklund] ( NRM, alcohol) . 1 female paratype: Mt. Koghi , 400 m, 12­14.xi.1986 [ R. Brown & O. Pellmyr] ( NMNH, alcohol) .

Etymology: spinosa , is derived from the Latin spinosus, meaning thorny, referring to the spinose phallic endothecae. To be treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis: Male genitalia with segment IX having posteroventral margin produced posteriorly; lateral branch larger than gonocoxite, curving medially at proximal half; median branch short; and phallobasis divided into posterior and anterior sections with large endotheca laterally at central part. Female genitalia with segment X slightly incised apically.

Male ( Figs 1 , 6­7 , 15­19 ).

Head: Dorsal and frontal surface dark grey­brownish with few, long, blackish setae along margin of eye margin and posterior margin of head; lateral part of head yellowish. Dorsal part of head uniformly dark brown. Antenna with scapus approximately 3/4 as long as eye diameter, pedicel about as long as half eye diameter, flagellum with 38 flagellomeres.

Thorax: Pronotum shining yellowish­grey, with few dorsolateral, stout, dark brownish setae in one pair of small, distinct warts. Mesonotum dark brownish, without setal warts, but with few blackish setae arising from tubercles in pair of rows at scutum and slightly grouped at scutellum.

Wings ( Figs 6­7 ): Forewing length 5.3­5.8 mm (n=2), hind wing length 4.5­4.6 mm (n=2). Forewings dark greyish­black, hind wings grey. Venation as described for genus. Forewing Cu2 with scaloid setae ( Fig. 7 ).

Genitalia ( Figs 15­19 ): Segment IX, lateral view ( Fig. 15 ), about 1.8x higher than long; anteriorly ellipsoid; dorsally produced into rounded lobe; ventrally produced into posterior plate, also seen in ventral view ( Fig. 17 ); lateral margin produced posteriorly into wide, rounded plate partly covering proximal part of gonocoxite; setae present in band along ventral half of posterior margin. Segment X with simple central branch tapering along its length in dorsal view, with few minute setae on lateral part of apex; slightly higher ( Fig. 15 ) than wide ( Fig. 16 ); apex rounded in lateral view, pointed in dorsal view. Median branch about half as long as central branch; slightly trapezoidal with weakly produced posteroventral corner ( Fig. 15 ); long setae confined to posterodorsal margin ( Fig. 16 ). Lateral branch, lateral view ( Fig. 15 ), large, oriented dorsally, with distal half tapering toward apex; in dorsal view ( Fig. 16 ), proximal half oriented medially and bent posteriad at central part, partly covering central branch in some individuals; covered by setae along its length. Gonocoxite, lateral view ( Fig. 15 ), short, sub­straight, produced at apex; in ventral view ( Fig. 17 ), slightly curving medially at central part. Phallus complex: phallobasis, lateral view ( Fig. 18 ), with high central part, strongly depressed anteriorly, and with posterior ventral plate exceeding central part; ventral plate tapering strongly apically in lateral view; in ventral view ( Fig. 19 ), ventral plate tri­lobed apically; at central part, endotheca swollen, dark brownish, lobes armed with posteroventral spines.

Female ( Figs 8 , 20­22 ).

Wings ( Fig. 8 ): forewing length 5.5­7.0 mm (n=4), hind wing length 4.5­5.8 mm (n=4). Venation as in male, except fork 1 in forewing present, sessile. Genitalia ( Figs 20­ 22 ): Vagina apparently supported by series of posteriorly oriented spines. Segments VIII and IX fused ventrally, separate dorsally. Segment IX with setae restricted to ventral part ( Fig. 22 ); in lateral view ( Fig. 20 ), dorsal margin with small process immediately before fusion with segment X; ventral part produced posteriorly into semicircular lobe, which is trapezoid in ventral view ( Fig. 22 ). Segment X, lateral view ( Fig. 20 ) conical, with substraight dorsal and weakly undulated ventral margins; long setae confined to dorsolateral part of proximal half; minute setae present on apex and along ventral margin ( Figs 20­22 ); in dorsal and ventral views ( Figs 21­22 ) segment X tapers along its length, apex slightly incised; ventrally a sub­triangular slit with concave lateral margins and delimited anteriorly by a ventral bi­lobed fold, probably forms the anus.

Figures

FIGURES 1­5. Head characters of Mecynostomella species. 1. Mecynostomella spinosa sp.n. male, head, lateral view; 2, Mecynostomella fusca Kimmins, 1953, tentorium, frontal view; 3, same species, maxillary palp; 4, same species, labial palp; 5, same species, membranous area between labial palp segments 2 and 3, densely covered by microtrichiae.

FIGURES 6­14. Mecynostomella species, right wings and wing details. 6, Mecynostomella spinosa sp.n. male, right wings and vein terminology; 7, Mecynostomella spinosa sp.n. male, scaloid seta from forewing Cu2, highly magnified; 8, Mecynostomella spinosa sp.n. female, right wings; 9, Mecynostomella brevis sp.n. male, right wings; 10, Mecynostomella hollowayi sp.n. male, right wings, a indicates the position of a pale area in the Cu­ and A­ area of the forewing, and made from minute structures shown in the next figure; 11, details of a single structure forming a pentagon and with a central opening, and which build up a pale area of the forewing as indicated in the previous figure; 12, Mecynostomella fusca Kimmins, 1953, right wings, with area covered by sensillae indicated by a surrounding black line; 13, Mecynostomella flinti sp.n., detail from wing membrane of dark area between forewing Cu and A, showing position of a modified sensilla and sensilla bases (t), dorsal view; 14, same species and sensilla, lateral view.

FIGURES 15­19. Mecynostomella spinosa sp.n., male holotype. 15, genitalia, lateral view; 16, genitalia, dorsal view; 17, genitalia, ventral view; 18, phallus, lateral view; 19, phallus, ventral view.

FIGURES 20­22. Mecynostomella spinosa sp.n., female paratype. 20, genitalia, lateral view; 21, genitalia, dorsal view; 22, genitalia, ventral view.

FIGURES 53­54. Distribution maps of New Caledonian Mecynostomella. 53, caledonia (circles), hollowayi (rectangles), and sigma (triangle); 54, spinosa (circles), flinti (rectangle), brevis (triangles), and fusca (diamond).