Neoperla oculata Banks, 1924

Pelingen, Arthien Lovell, 2024, Description of Neoperla philippinensis sp. nov. confirmed using integrative taxonomy and some notes on Neoperla oculata Banks, 1924 (Plecoptera: Perlidae), Zootaxa 5399 (5), pp. 570-578 : 575-576

Neoperla oculata Banks, 1924

Neoperla oculata Banks 1924: 428 (original description); Neoperla pallicornis Banks 1937: 137 (part); Neoperla oculata Jewett 1958: 84 (part); Neoperla oculata Sivec 1984: 30–32 (designation of lectotypes and paralectotypes).

Material examined. 1 ♁ adult ( PL82 ); PHILIPPINES: Mindanao, Surigao del Sur; Tandag, middle Tandag River [895]; ca. 9°03’33’’N, 126°05’57’’E; ca. 26 m a.s.l.; 04 December 2018; leg. Pangantihon; AdMU in ethanol. 1 ♁ adult ( PL162 ) , 2 ♀ adults ( PL91 , PL108 ); PHILIPPINES: Mindanao, Agusan del Norte; RTR, San Antonio, Agay River ; Coco plantation [889]; ca. 9°03’50’’N, 125°38’32’’E; ca. 130 m a.s.l.; 04–05 June 2018; leg. Freitag & Pangantihon; AdMU in ethanol • 1 ♀ adult; PHILIPPINES: Mindanao , Agusan del Norte; Cabadbaran , Del Pilar , Payas River [887]; ca. 9°11’34’’N, 125°36’34’’E; ca. 660 m a.s.l.; 23 June 2018; leg. Pangantihon; AdMU in ethanol ( PL101 )

Description. Imago ( Fig. 1B ): Medium sized species. Forewing length of male: 11.0 mm, female: 13.0 mm. General color brownish yellow. Ocelli quite large, relatively of the same size in both male and female; ocelli nearly touch each other. Head pale nearly white, mottlings very faint brown. M-line distinct. Antenna and palpi darker than head. Pronotum almost rectangular with pointed anterior corners and curved posterior corners, head and eyes nearly as wide as pronotum, ground color almost white, has a median light brown stripe, area adjacent to the median line are distinctly paler; sublaterally, is a broad area of paler rugose pigmentation. Meso- and metanotum light brown. Legs brown, tibia as dark as femur; leg proportion 1.0: 1.1: 1.3. Wings hyaline, nearly transparent, veins brown.

Male terminalia ( Fig. 2B ): Sterna and terga 2–6 simple. Posterior of tergum 7 with small median hump with strong blunt curve lined with sensilla basiconica. Tergum 8 without process, median with sensilla basiconica and long setae. Tergum 9 median with sparsely arranged long setae. Hemitergal lobe with simple dark edges and sparse short setae. Hemitergal processes curved sinuously and slightly raised in lateral view.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 2D ): Aedeagi of specimens PL82 and PL162 correspond with the “typical form” of N. oculata as illustrated by Sivec (1984: 31).

Egg ( Figs 4A–B ). Color dark brown, elongated oval, length ca. 330 μm, width ca. 190 μm, hatching line visible. Punctate chorion with elongated hexagons in the collar end. Micropyles occur singly and randomly arranged.

Nymph. Unknown.

Notes. Neoperla oculata has been previously documented as a variable species and can easily be misidentified ( Sivec 1984). Earlier in this study, N. philippinensis sp. nov. was initially thought of to be N. oculata , however, based on the current available material and DNA barcoding these are treated as separate species.

Distribution. This species is known so far only from Luzon and Greater Mindanao, Philippines.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Male habitus. a. Neoperla philippinensis sp. nov. b. Neoperla oculata Banks, 1924.

FIGURE 2. Male terminalia dorsal and aedeagus lateral. a. & c. Neoperla philippinensis sp. nov. b. & d. Neoperla oculata Banks, 1924 (typical form).

FIGURE 4. Eggs. a. & b. Neoperla oculata Banks, 1924. c. & d. Neoperla philippinensis sp. nov.