Chinoperla changjiangensis, Liu & Wang & Murányi, 2021

Mo, Rao-Rao, Liu, Rui-Jun, Wang, Guo-Quan, Li, Wei-Hai & Murányi, Dávid, 2021, Review of the genus Chinoperla Zwick, 1980 (Plecoptera: Perlidae: Perlinae) from China, European Journal of Taxonomy 775, pp. 62-85 : 64-71

Chinoperla changjiangensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2535AC4B-4844-43E7-95EC-F9F9F0793C33

Figs 1–5

Ochthopetina nigrifrons – Banks 1939: 449 (partim; a male paratype of C. nigrifrons ).

Chinoperla nigrifrons – Sivec & Zwick 1989: 14, fig. 3b (partim; a male paratype of C. nigrifrons ).

Diagnosis

Head with a dark brown central spot subdivided by the lighter M-line. Male tergum 9 with a trumpet-shaped median sclerite. Aedeagal tube with a T-shaped sclerotized dorsal marking. Aedeagal sac dorsoapically with a low membranous median lobe and fringed with several small spines at its margin; ventrally with a rectangular sclerite armed with three to five spines arranged in a comb-shape; ventrolaterally with two subapical groups of small spines; apically with a long straight spine and a large spinose lobe; laterally with six large curved spines on each side. Posterior margin of female sternum 8 slightly produced, forming a triangular subgenital plate with a shallow mesal notch. Eggs brown, oval shaped with small collar.

Etymology

The name refers to the type locality, Changjiang Li Autonomous County.

Material examined

Holotype CHINA • ♂; Hainan Province, Changjiang Li Autonomous County, Bawangling National Nature Reserve ; 19°15′1.440″ N, 109°2′2.4″ E; alt. 1000 m; 9–10 Jun. 2007; Jie Zeng leg.; CAU.

Paratypes CHINA • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; CAU • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; HIST .

Other material

CHINA • 1 ♂ (paratype of C. nigrifrons ); “Hainan, Ta Han ” [Hainan Province, Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County, located in Limushan Town]; 23 Jun.1935; L. Gressitt leg.; MCZ .

Description

Male

ADULT HABITUS ( Figs 1A , 3A–C ). General color pale brown. Forewing length 6.8–7.0 mm, hindwing length 6.1–6.2 mm. Head pale brown, with a dark brown central spot subdivided by the lighter M-line; biocellate, ocelli about 3 diameters apart of each other but still closer to each other than to the compound eye; antennae brownish. Pronotum pale brown, trapezoidal, with obscure paler rugosities and darker midline; anterior corners pointed but posterior corners obtuse. Legs pale brown, joints darker; wings subhyaline and yellowish brown, veins brown, Sc of forewing short, typical of the genus; cerci pale.

ABDOMEN ( Figs 1B–D , 3D–E ). Sterna 3–5 with hair brushes. Dark median sclerite of tergum 9 trumpetshaped, about half as long as the segment, heavily sclerotized, distally forked with two blunt points. Hemitergal processes slender, about 2.5× as long as basal width; triangular in lateral view; basal callus fully covered with sensilla basiconica.

AEDEAGUS ( Figs 2 , 3F ). Aedeagal tube dorsally sclerotized, sclerite forming a T-shaped marking. Sac as long as the tube when fully everted, distinctly curved dorsad; dorsoapical surface with a low membranous median lobe and several small spines located in a fringe; a single large straight spine about as long as ⅓ aedeagus length and a large spinose lobe medially at apex, directed dorsally; ventral surface with a large basal patch of spinules, and a rectangular sclerite armed with three to five spines arranged in a combshape; two subapical groups of small spines located in ventrolateral surface; lateroapical part with six large curved spines on each side.

Female

ADULT HABITUS ( Fig. 4A ). Forewing length ca 8.0 mm, hindwing length ca 7.0 mm. Habitus generally similar to male.

ABDOMEN ( Fig. 4B ). Subgenital plate of sternum 8 slightly produced, triangular, bearing a small semicircular mesal notch.

EGG ( Figs 4C–D , 5 ). Length 272–280 μm, width 214–218 μm (N = 5). Several mature eggs were dissected from female terminalia. Oval-shaped with obscure opercular line, widest in subequatorial area towards opercular end. Anchor absent from the studied eggs. Collar short and button-shaped. Chorionic surface brown with heavy and distinct punctuations throughout. Micropylar orifices sessile, much larger than punctuations, set on subequatorial line.

Distribution

China: Hainan Province. Known only from the type locality.

Remarks

One of the male paratypes of C. nigrifrons ( Banks, 1939) belongs to C. changjiangensis sp. nov. The aedeagal tube of this male had been damaged before our examination.After further gentle squeezing, the sac was nearly fully everted but quite distorted; the observable armatures are illustrated on Fig. 3F . Since the aedeagus is partly damaged, we are not sure whether additional spines remained hidden and were not disclosed in the present study, hence the specimen is not designed as a paratype of C. changjiangensis sp. nov.

The new species and C. biprojecta Lü, Yan, Li & Wang, 2019 are most similar in head pattern, hemitergal processes, aedeagal tube, and aedeagal sac that is apically armed with a long spine, a large lobe and a comb-shaped sclerite. However, C. changjiangensis sp. nov. is easily distinguishable from the latter by the trumpet-shaped median sclerite of tergum 9 and the comb-shaped sclerite of the aedeagal sac with five short spines arising from the rectangular sclerite. In C. biprojecta , the median sclerite of tergum 9 is triangular with two finger-shaped projections bearing several black tiny warts, and the comb-shaped sclerite has four longer spines extending from the triangular basal sclerite. The apical portion of the aedeagal sac of the new species has six curved lateral spines on each side and three groups of short spines, while in C. biprojecta the lateroapical spines of the aedeagus are longer and hook-like, without more spine groupings. In addition, the apical lobe of the aedeagus of C. changjiangensis sp. nov. is covered with distinct small spines, whereas in C. biprojecta it is bare.

Besides the distinctly different armatures of the aedeagal sac, C. changjiangensis sp. nov. can easily be distinguished from the sympatric C. nigrifrons by external morphology: the anterolateral extension of the interocellar marking is moderately angled, not so rounded or heart-shaped as in C. nigrifrons ; the hemitergal lobe is evenly tapering in lateral view, not like the medially abruptly tapering lobe in C. nigrifrons that could be observed both in dorsal and lateral aspects. Both of these characters were overlooked in previous studies (compare Sivec & Zwick 1989: fig. 3b and Figs 1 , 3B, D–E vs Figs 6B–E , 8A–B ).

Figures

Fig. 1. Chinoperla changjiangensis sp. nov., ♂, paratype (HIST). A. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. B. Terminalia, dorsal view. C. Cleared terminalia, dorsal view. D. Cleared terminalia, lateral view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 2. Chinoperla changjiangensis sp. nov., ♂, paratype (HIST). A. Aedeagus, lateral view. B. Apex of aedeagal sac, lateral view. C. Aedeagus, dorsal view (diagram of dorsoapical spines indicated by arrow). D. Apex of aedeagal sac, ventral view.E. Aedeagus, ventral view. F. Apex of aedeagal sac, oblique ventral view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

Fig. 3. Chinoperla changjiangensis sp. nov., ♂, paratype of C. nigrifrons (Banks, 1939) (MCZ). A. Adult habitus, dorsal view. B. Head, dorsal view. C. Pronotum, dorsal view. D. Cleared terminalia, dorsal view. E. Cleared terminalia, lateral view. F. Aedeagus, dorsal view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars: A = 1.0 mm; B–F = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 4. Chinoperla changjiangensis sp. nov., ♀, paratype (CAU) A. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. B. Terminalia, ventral view. C. Eggs, lateral view. D. Entire egg, lateral view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars: A–B = 0.5 mm; C–D = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 5. Chinoperla changjiangensis sp. nov., eggs. A. Entire egg, lateral view.B. Entire egg, lateral view. C. Lid end, lateral view. D. Lid end, apical view. E. Collar end, lateral view. F. Micropyles (indicated by arrows). Abbreviations: see Material and methods.

Fig. 6. Chinoperla nigrifrons (Banks, 1939), ♂, holotype (MCZ Type 22693). A. Adult habitus, dorsal view. B. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. C. Terminalia, dorsal view. D. Cleared terminalia, dorsal view. E. Cleared terminalia, lateral view. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars: A = 1.0 mm; B–E = 0.5 mm.

Fig. 8. Chinoperla nigrifrons (Banks, 1939). A–B. ♂, holotype of C. furcomacula (Wu, 1973) (IZCAS). A. Cleared terminalia, dorsal view. B. Cleared terminalia, lateral view. — C. ♂ from Mount Yinggeling (HIST), forewing. Abbreviations: see Material and methods. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.