Triplectides caparaoensis, Henriques-Oliveira & Nessimian & Takiya & Santos, 2025

Henriques-Oliveira, Ana Lucia, Nessimian, Jorge Luiz, Takiya, Daniela Maeda & Santos, Allan Paulo Moreira, 2025, Hidden diversity of the long-horned caddisfly genus Triplectides Kolenati, 1859 (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae) in Brazil revealed by DNA and morphology: new species descriptions and larval associations, Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 83, pp. 757-796 : 757-796

3.2. 3. Triplectides caparaoensis sp. nov.

Figures 6 , 7 , 8 , 9

Henriques-Oliveira et al. 2020: 46 [as Triplectides ultimus Holzenthal 1988 ]

Type material.

Holotype: BRAZIL • ♂; Espirito Santo, Dores do Rio Preto, Pedra Menina, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Rio São Domingos, Cachoeira da Farofa ; 20°28′19.20″S 41°49′41.90″W; alt. 1,897 m; 06 Jan. 2013; light trap; L. L. Dumas, B. H. L. Sampaio, A. L. H. Oliveira, J. L. Nessimian leg.; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9158 – Paratypes: BRAZIL • 1 larva; same data as for holotype; 27 Mar. 2012; A. L. H. Oliveira leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 1987]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9162 • 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; 14 Jan. 2014; light trap; A. L. H. Oliveira, G. A. Jardim, J. L. Nessimian, A. L. R. Silva, C. Portela leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 2381]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9163 • 1 larva; Espirito Santo, Dores do Rio Preto, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Cachoeira dos Sete Pilões ; 20°28′56.80″S 41°49′50.30″W; alt. 1,869 m; 14 Jan. 2014; A. L. H. Oliveira leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 3719]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9164 • 1 larva; same data as for preceding; 06 Jan. 2013; A. L. H. Oliveira. J. L. Nessimian leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 1995]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9165 • 1 larva; Espirito Santo, Iúna, Serra do Caparaó, Rio Claro, Cachoeira do Rogério ; 20°22′05.5″S 41°49′51.50″W; alt. 1,071 m; 24 Mar. 2012; A. L. H. Oliveira leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 1986]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9161 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Minas Gerais, Alto Caparaó, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Vale Verde, Rio Caparaó ; 20°25′11.6″S 41°50′44.80″W; alt. 1,306 m; 05 Oct. 2010; white sheet; L. L. Dumas, J. L. Nessimian leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 5928]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9160 • 2 ♂, 1 ♀ same data as for preceding; MNRJ • 1 ♂; same data as for preceding; 07 Oct. 2010; UV light; L. L. Dumas, J. L. Nessimian leg. DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9159 • 1 ♂; same data as preceding; MNRJ . • 2 ♂, 1 ♀; Minas Gerais, Alto Caparaó, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Vale Encantado, Rio José Pedro ; 20°24′38.10″S 41°50′03.60″W; alt. 1,912 m; 05 Oct. 2010; B. Clarkson, I. C. Gonçalves leg.; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9156 • 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9157 .

Description.

Adult male. General color golden brown (in alcohol). Antennae, palps, and legs, golden brown. Head and thorax are mostly brown. Forewings with forks I and V present (Fig. 6 A ); discoidal cell apically widened; cross vein s sinuous; cross vein r-m slightly shorter than m-cu (Fig. 6 C ). Hind wings broad, with forks I, III, and V present (Fig. 6 B ); fork I with petiole (Fig. 6 D ). Length of forewing 18–22 mm, length of hind wing 15–18 mm (n = 9). Tibial spur formula 2, 2, 4. — Genitalia: Segment IX annular, in lateral view, narrow, with anterior margin almost straight and enlarged dorsally, posterior margin slightly concave medially (Fig. 7 A ); in dorsal view, tergum IX with posterior margin subtriangular, slightly protruding mesally, some individuals have a small, rounded median process that is absent in the holotype (Fig. 7 A ). Preanal appendages digitate, half the length of tergum X, setose, slightly constricted basally, narrowing to the apex, in lateral view oblong. (Fig. 7 B ). Tergum X, in lateral view, wide basally, saddle-like, with a membranous median region, slightly elevated, tapering apically to a rounded apex (Fig. 7 A ); in dorsal view, wide basally, bearing very short stout setae, apex slightly widened and subtruncate, with apicomesal incision extending to half length of the segment (Fig. 7 B ). Inferior appendages, long, extending beyond tergum X, bearing very long setae (Fig. 7 A ); 1 st article, in lateral view, wide at base, constricted medially, with subapical portion slightly widened, and narrowing towards the apex (Fig. 7 A ); apicodorsal lobe digitate, elongate, extending beyond 2 nd article, with very long setae (Fig. 7 A, C ); basoventral lobes digitate, elongate, narrower in the apex, extending beyond 2 nd article, bearing very long setae (Fig. 7 A, C ); in ventral view, mesal lobe shorter than basoventral lobe, subquadrate, wide at base with apex obliquely truncate, internally acute and externally rounded (Fig. 7 C ); 2 nd article short, slender, gradually curved mesad to acute apex (Fig. 7 A, C ). Phallic apparatus simple, tubular, with a mesal apical incision (Fig. 7 D ) with phallotremal sclerite small, rod-like, apically positioned (Fig. 7 D, E ). — Adult female. General color golden brown (in alcohol). Antennae, palps, and legs, golden brown. Length of forewing 18–20 mm, length of hind wing 14–16 mm (n = 3). Tibial spur formula 2, 2, 4. — Genitalia: Sternum VIII, in ventral view, with a sclerotized plate, brown; sternum with anterior margin concave, posterior margin with a shallow V-shaped incision mesally (Fig. 8 A ). Segment IX sclerotized dorsally, posterior margin subtruncate, with pair of small dorsal processes, fused (Fig. 8 B ). Preanal appendages small and setose; in lateral view, short, broad at base, subtriangular, truncate, slightly concave apically, where a minute sensilla-bearing process is fused each preanal appendage (Fig. 8 B ). Lamellae well-developed, sclerotized, flap-like, quadrangular in lateral view (Fig. 8 A, B ). Gonopod plate subtriangular with apicomesal process striate; spermathecal sclerite elongate, broad, and sclerotized, in ventral view (Fig. 8 A ). — Larva. Total length 12–18 mm (n = 4) (Fig. 9 A ). — Head: Coloration (in alcohol) dark brown, with yellow oval areas around stemmata. Muscle scars reddish brown (Fig. 9 B ). Head subrectangular, enlarged posteriorly (Fig. 9 B ). Labrum reddish brown, subrectangular with a brush of setae on anterior margin. Mandibles asymmetrical, dark, typical for Triplectides (left mandible with 6 teeth around a concavity and right mandible with 5 teeth). Submentum oval. Ventral apotome subtriangular, elongate, with anterior portion wide with a constriction at mid-length and posterior portion narrowing to an acute tip (Fig. 9 B ). — Thorax: Pronotum dark brown; anterior margin crenulate: crenulations rounded except for the anterolateral corners slightly pointed (Fig. 9 C, D ). Mesonotum brown to dark brown almost completely covered by a pair of sclerites: sa 1 each with 1 long single seta; sa 2 each with 3 setae, anteromesal and anterolateral long and one short posterior setae; sa 3 each with 5 setae, a very long on the corner and other 4 shorter). Metanotum covered by 3 pairs of sclerites, sa 1 quadrate, bearing each a long single seta, sa 2 weakly sclerotized, subquadrate, each with single seta, sa 3 sclerites oval, same length or slightly longer than sa 1 sclerites, each with 4 setae (2 very long, 1 short, and 1 very short). Prosternum subrectangular. Mesosternum with pair of sclerites subtriangular and curved laterally. Metasternum with setal areas bearing 15–25 setae (Fig. 9 E ). Foretrochantin with dorsal margin curved, anteroventral corner rounded and anterodorsal corner pointed and upturned (Fig. 9 C ). Legs dark brown to reddish brown with lighter stripes, and setose (Fig. 9 G ). — Abdomen: Gills simple, present on segments II – VIII, segments II – VII with dorsal, lateral, and ventral filaments; segment VIII with ventral filaments (Fig. 9 H ). Segments III – VIII with lateral fringes. Segments II – VII without dorsal setae. Segment VIII with a pair of setae laterally, and a pair of very long setae on posterodorsal margin. Segment IX dorsal sclerite with 6 very long setae on its posterior margin, 2 lateral and 1 mesal, and 2 pairs of very short setae behind those pairs (Fig. 9 F ); anal claw single and pointed with a small dorsal accessory hook (Fig. 9 F ). — Larval case: Length up to 14 mm (n = 4). A simple hollow stick or composed by hollow wood stick with attached leaves and smaller sticks with silk near the opening (Fig. 9 I ). — Pupa unknown.

Etymology.

The epithet caparaoensis refers to Serra do Caparaó Mountain range, where specimens of this new species were collected.

Distribution.

Brazil ( Espiríto Santo and Minas Gerais States).

Habitat.

This species was found in Atlantic Forest streams with crystalline waters, larger than third order, with waterfalls, sunny, and large deposits of leaf litter. So far, this species is only known from Serra do Caparaó mountain range.

Remarks.

The male of Triplectides caparaoensis sp. nov. is similar to that of T. ultimus Holzenthal, 1988 and T. nessimiani Desiderio and Pes, 2020 by having a short mesal lobe on the inferior appendage. However, in T. caparaoensis sp. nov. the mesal lobe is subquadrate with apex obliquely truncate with the internal margin slightly acute at the corner and the external margin rounded (Fig. 7 A ), whereas in T. ultimus the external margin is subquadrate and slightly concave in anterior margin, and in T. nessimiani the mesal lobe has an acute lateral projection and 5–7 stout ventral setae basally. Furthermore, the new species can be easily distinguished by tergum X slightly widened apically with subtruncate apex, and apicomesal excision extending anteriorly near half-length of the segment (Fig. 7 B ), while in T. ultimus tergum X has rounded apex and in T. nessimiani the tergum X is short and obliquely truncate at apex. The new species is also recognized by the preanal appendages which are digitate and oblong (Fig. 7 C ), being digitate and slender with pointed apex in T. ultimus and digitate with a rounded apex in T. nessimiani .

Figures

Figure 2. Triplectides gracilis (Burmeirster, 1839), male wings (DNA voucher ENT 5922). A Forewing; B Hind wing; C Forewing cross veins in detail; D, E Hind wing fork I in detail (E: DNA voucher ENT 0672). — Abbreviations: Sc = subcostal vein; R = radial vein; M = median vein; Cu 1 A = anterior first cubital vein; Cu 1 P = posterior first cubital vein; Cu 2 = second cubital vein; A = anal vein; s = sectorial cross vein, r-m = radial-median cross vein; m-cu = median-cubital cross vein; Dc = discoidal cell; Th = thyridial cell; I, III, V = forks I, III, and V, respectively.

Figure 6. Triplectides caparaoensis sp. nov., male wings (paratype). A Forewing; B Hind wing; C Forewing cross veins, in detail; D Hind wing fork I, in detail. — Abbreviations: see legend Figure 2.

Figure 7. Triplectides caparaoensis sp. nov., male genitalia (holotype). A Lateral view; B Dorsal view; C Ventral view; D Phallic apparatus, ventral view; E Phallic apparatus, lateral view.

Figure 8. Triplectides caparaoensis sp. nov., female genitalia (paratype). A Ventral view; B Lateral view. — Abbreviations: see text 2.2.

Figure 9. Triplectides caparaoensis sp. nov., larva (DNA voucher ENT 1995). A Habitus, dorsal view; B Head, dorsal, ventral, and lateral views; C Pronotum and trochantin, lateral view; D Thorax, dorsal view; E Thorax, ventral view; F Abdominal segments VII – X, dorsal and lateral views; G Right fore-, mid-, and hind legs; H Diagram of distribution of abdominal gills (I – IX = abdominal segments); I. Larval case.