Limbodessus compactus (Clark, 1862)

Michat, Mariano C., Alarie, Yves & Watts, Chris H. S., 2012, 3584, Zootaxa 3584 (1), pp. 1-110 : 17-19

Limbodessus compactus (Clark, 1862)

(Figs 12–13)

Source of material. Two specimens of instar III were used for the description ( Table 1). Larvae were collected in association with adults at the following locality: Australia, NSW, 2 km N Batemans Bay, 2–XI–1997, coll. C. H. S. Watts.

Diagnosis (instar III). Medium-sized species (HL 0.55–1.15 mm); head (Fig. 12) subpentagonal; nasale spinulae anterior to seta FR13 scarce (20 or less); occipital foramen well developed (HW/OCW less than 1.90); occipital suture present; lateral margins of parietal curved; secondary spiniform setae on lateral margins of parietal scarce; distal half of mandible broad; setae LA3, LA4, LA5 and LA8 hair-like; secondary setae on U absent (Fig. 13).

Instar I. Not available.

Instar II. Not available.

Instar III (Figs 12–13). Head (Fig. 12). MN less than 4.85 times longer than broad; MP less than 1.75 times longer than labial palpus; MP2 2.10–3.10 times longer than MP3; LP2 more than 0.65 times as long as LP1. Abdomen (Fig. 13). Chaetotaxy. Anteroventral margin of nasale with 49 lamellae clypeales distributed in 2 rows; proCO without posterior secondary setae; proCO with less than 11 secondary setae; secondary setae on U absent. Measurements and ratios that characterize the body shape are shown in Table 8.

Remarks. The description of L. compactus is based on two badly preserved instar III specimens which had the antennae, legs (except the coxae) and second urogomphomeres broken. For this reason, several morphometric and chaetotaxic characters could not be evaluated (the leg chaetotaxic characters would provide some good characters to distinguish this species from the others). Limbodessus compactus belongs to the epigean species characterized by the absence of secondary setae on the urogomphus ( L. amabilis , L. shuckardii ) (Fig. 13), and within this group it is characterized by its smaller size and by some of the morphometric measures given in the Table 8.