Protonemura berberica Vinçon

Vinçon, Gilles, Mur, vid & nyi, 2009, Contribution To The Knowledge Of The Protonemura Corsicana Species Group, With A Revision Of The North African Species Of The P. Talboti Subgroup (Plecoptera: Nemouridae), Illiesia 5 (7), pp. 51-79 : 68-72

Protonemura berberica Vinçon & S{nchez- Ortega, 1999

( Figs. 1-2, 4 , 6 , 11-12 , 46-58 )

Protonemura berberica Vinçon & S{nchez- Ortega, 1999:231. (original description from Morocco); Vinçon & Zhiltzova, 2004:193. (composition of the P. corsicana group); Lounaci & Vinçon, 2005:(distribution); Mur{nyi, 2007:28. (distribution)

Nemoura (Protonemura) algirica auctt., nec Aubert, 1956: Aubert, 1961 (partim):218. (records from the Moroccan Rif).

Protonemura sp. : S{nchez- Ortega & Azzouz, 1998:452. (records from the Moroccan Rif).

Material examined. Morocco, Rif: Ketama, Djebel Tidirehine, 1800 m, 24-IV-1960, 1♂ nymph and 7 larvae - 2♀ 1♂ larvae (1♀ larva prepared for SEM, ♂ larva pharate, terminalia of the larval skin missing) (Besuchet leg, labeled P. algirica det. Aubert, Aubert coll. ZML, published as N. (P.) algirica in Aubert 1961); spring 14 Km South West Ketama , 1500 m, 21- VII-1980, 2♂ 1♀ (Berthélemy coll. CGV); 14 km from Boohivid, 3-VI-1992, 2♂ 1♀; Loukous brook, 300 m, 5-VI-1992, 1♂ 2♀ (dried specimens, labeled P. algirica Azzouz 1992 det and leg, GUC); Spring between Bab- Besen and Ketama, 1600 m, 22-II-1996, 2♂ 5♀; above Azila Ketama, Djebel Tidirehine, 1600-1800 m, 4-VI- 2006, 3♂ 9♀; Djebel Tidirehine, 2000-2100 m, 4-VI- 2006, 6♂ 16♀ 1 larva (Vinçon leg, CGV) - 3♂ 3♀ ( HNHM; 1♂ and 1♀ terminalia prepared for SEM) . Imago ( Figs. 1-2, 4 , 11-12 , 46-51 ). A detailed description is already given in Vinçon & S{nchez- Ortega (1999). The male is well characterized by the apex of the paraproct’s outer lobe, bordered by a regular comb-shaped fringe of spines ( Fig. 49 ), and by the terminal filament of the epiproct risen upwards ( Figs. 4 , 11 , 48 ). This filament is short and bifid at the tip ( Figs. 1-2, 4 ).

Mature larva ( Figs. 52-58 ). Body relatively slender, body length 9.0–10.5 mm ( Fig. 52 ). General color pale, yellowish brown. Pilosity pronounced but not distinct. Scales present only in the dorsal midline of the femora and on the tarsi. Legs typical of the genus, tibiae slightly longer than femora; width of hind femora more than one third of its length. Head stout, pale with indistinct, slightly darker patches. The pronotum is subtrapezoidal, with hardly visible granules and rounded corners; it is slightly narrowing towards the posterior margin and its length is two thirds of its maximum width. Cervical gills simple, the longest one equivalent to the width of the fore coxa. Wing pads of typical length for the genus. Abdomen relatively slender, integument light and matt, first 6 abdominal segments divided by pleura. Terminalia of the larval skin is missing on the single examined pharate male. Genital opening well visible on the mature female larva and placed under the anterior half of sternite VIII; paraprocts not pointed. Cerci long, with more than 30 segments; segment sides nearly parallel, the width of segments 13–17 is three fourths of their length.

Pilosity: Head with dense, stout but acute bristles, and a few sensilla; eyes bearing small setae between the ocelli. Antennal segments with short pilosity. Pronotum with dense, stout but acute bristles, and a few sensilla. Margin of the pronotum bearing acute bristles, the length of the longest ones is less than 1/15 of the pronotum’s width ( Fig. 53 ). The bristles on the anterior corners of the meso and metanotum are as long as the marginal bristles of the pronotum. The setae placed in lines on the wing pads are short but acute. Legs with dense setation. All femora bear both short and long, acute bristles and a few thin hairs. Long bristles occur mostly on the outer surface; on hind femora they are placed all along its length. Bristles not in a regular arrangement; the longest ones reach one fourth of the femur’s width on all legs ( Figs. 54-55 ). A bald median line is conspicuous on the dorsal surface of all femora and it is covered with rounded scales. Tarsi relatively slender, covered with thin hairs and bristles, metatarsi with triangular scales on the dorsal surface; apical spike of tibiae short. Tergal segments with short bristles and a few thin hairs. Paired spines on the posterior margin acute, not much longer than the other spines of the row; on tergite V they reach one fourth of the segment’s length ( Fig. 56 ). Distal margin lacking tiny triangular spikes around the row of bristles. Cercal segments with acute bristles, blunt or thin ones occur only in the apical whorl ( Figs. 57-58 ). The apical whorl on segments 13-15 is a set of 9–11 strong, acute spikes mixed with short, blunt and short, thin setae. Longest bristles reach two fifths of the segment’s length on segments 13–15.

Affinities. Protonemura berberica is closely related to P. dakkii sp. n. by the shape of the epiproct, with its terminal filament rising upwards in lateral view; this character is not observed in the other species of the P. talboti subgroup. The male clearly distinguishes by the shape of the paraproct’s outer lobe with its regular fringe of spines, and the female by its strongly developed vaginal lobes and the presence of a strongly pigmented pregenital plate on sternite VII. This plate is also present in P. talboti , but absent or hardly visible in the other mentioned species. The larva is very similar to those of P. dakkii sp. n. and P. talboti , and only the pharate males can be identified with sure, on the basis of the male imago terminalia under the larval skin. However, it differs from P. talboti by its pale habitus and the scarcity of stout, blunt bristles on the pronotum, tergites and femurs, from P. dakkii sp. n. by the longer bristles on the margin of the pronotum.

Geographical distribution. This species is probably endemic of the Moroccan Rif ( Fig. 6 ). The previous citations of P. algirica from the Rif all concern P. berberica , as it was verified by the study of adults and male nymphs from the collections of Aubert, Berthélemy, S{nchez- Ortega and Tierno de Figueroa.

Figures

Figs. 1-4. Apex of the male’s epiproct of the Protonemura corsicana group. 1: the terminal filament and the apical part of the dorsal sclerite, dorsal view; 2: the terminal filament and the apical part of the dorsal sclerite, dorsoapical view; 3: the terminal filament, the apical part of the dorsal sclerite and the spiny bulge of the ventral sclerite, lateral view; 4: the terminal filament, the dorsal sclerite and the spiny bulge of the ventral sclerite, apical view (1-2, 4: Protonemura berberica Vinçon & S{nchez-Ortega, 1999; 3: P. talboti (Nav{s, 1929); scale 0.02 mm).

Figs. 5-6. Distribution of the species of the Protonemoura corsicana group. 5: Protonemura corsicana subgroup; 6: P. talboti subgroup, P. consiglioi subgroup and P. spinulata subgroup.

Figs. 7-15. Epiprocts of the North African species of the Protonemura talboti subgroup. 7-8: Protonemura dakkii sp. n.; 9-10: P. talboti (Nav{s, 1929); 11-12: P. berberica Vinçon & S{nchez-Ortega, 1999; 13-14: P. algirica algirica Aubert, 1956; 15: P. algirica bejaiana ssp. n. (7, 9, 11, 13: lateral view; 8, 10, 12, 14-15: dorsal view; scale 0.5 mm).

Figs. 46-51. Terminalias of the imago of Protonemura berberica Vinçon & S{nchez-Ortega, 1999. 46: male terminalia, dorsal view; 47: male terminalia, ventral view; 48: male terminalia, lateral view; 49: male paraproct, ventrolateral view; 50: female pregenital and subgenital plates, and vaginal lobes, ventral view; 51: female pregenital and subgenital plates, and vaginal lobes, lateral view (scales 0.5 mm; scale 1: Fig. 49, scale 2: Figs. 46-48, 50-51).

Fig. 52. Habitus of the matured larva of Protonemura berberica Vinçon & S{nchez-Ortega, 1999. (scale 1 mm).

Figs. 53-58. Larva of Protonemura berberica Vinçon & S{nchez-Ortega, 1999. 53: front angle of the pronotum; 54: hind femur; 55: outer apical part of the femur; 56: 6th tergal segment; 57: basal segments of the cercus; 58: 15th segment of the cercus (scale 0.1 mm).