Triplectides cerradoensis, 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. 4. Triplectides cerradoensis sp. nov.

Figures 10 , 11

Henriques-Oliveira et al. 2019: 46 [as Triplectides gracilis ( Burmeister 1839) or as T. neotropicus Holzenthal 1988 ]

Type material.

Holotype: BRAZIL • ♂; Minas Gerais, São João Batista do Glória, Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Ribeirão Grande, Pousada Mata do Engenho ; 20°30′19.79″S 46°31′19.4″W; alt. 747 m; 24 Mar. 2015; light trap; J. L. Nessimian, I. C. Rocha, L. L. Dumas, A. L. H. Oliveira, S. P. Gomes leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 3216]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9192 . – Paratypes: BRAZIL • 1 ♂; Minas Gerais, São Roque de Minas, Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Cachoeira do Jota, Rio Araguari ; 20°08′50.00″S 46°40′12.00″W; alt. 1,141 m; 16 Sep. 2015; J. L. Nessimian, A. L. H. Oliveira, I. C. Rocha, P. M. Souto leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 2317]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9196 • 1 ♂; Minas Gerais, Catas Altas, RPPN Santuário do Caraça, trail of the Lobo-Guará ; 20°06′03.3″S 43°29′10.1″W; alt. 1,240 m; 13 Mar. 2015; D. M. Takiya, B. M. Camisão, C. C. Gonçalves leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 3725]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9195 • 1 ♂; Minas Gerais, Itabira, Ipoema, Parque Estadual Mata do Limoeiro, road to Comunidade do Cedro, Córrego Taquaruçu ; 19°34′48.6″S 43°28′28.7″W; alt. 715 m; 15 Dec. 2019; light trap; A. P. M. Santos, A. A. Alves, A. L. H. Oliveira, B. M. S. Cavalcante leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 5345]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9194 • 1 ♂; Minas Gerais, Itabirito, Vale do Catana, Cachoeira da Carranca 20°12′28.30″S 43°38′26″W; 10 Oct. 2010; light trap; B. Clarkson, I. C. Gonçalves, J. L. Nessimian, L. L. Dumas, N. Ferreira-Jr leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 3727]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9193 • 1 ♂; São Paulo, São José do Barreiro, Parque Nacional da Serra da Bocaina, 2 nd order stream near the park entrance ; 22°43′49.6″S 44°37′7.6″W; 20 Oct. 2013; light trap; P. M. Souto leg.; [DNA voucher ENT 2308]; DZRJ TRICHOPTERA 9197 .

Description.

Adult male. General color golden brown (in alcohol). Antennae, palps, and legs, golden brown. Head and thorax mostly golden brown. Forewings with forks I and V present (Fig. 10 A ); discoidal cell long and apically widened; tyridial cell almost twice the length of discoidal cell (Fig. 10 A ); cross vein s straight and short, r-m and m-cu almost the same width and aligned (Fig. 10 C ). Hind wings broad, with forks I, III, and V present (Fig. 10 B ); fork I with a distinct petiole (Fig. 10 D ). Length of forewing 13–15 mm, length of hind wing 9.5–11.5 mm (n = 6). Tibial spur formula 2, 2, 4. — Genitalia: Segment IX annular, in lateral view, narrow with anterior margin almost straight, posterior margin slightly convex medially and enlarged dorsally, produced over tergum X (Fig. 11 A ); tergum IX, in dorsal view, with posterior margin triangular, mesally protruded over the tergum X (Fig. 11 B ); some individuals have a median process with a very small incision apically, that is absent in the holotype. Preanal appendages digitate, thin, slightly longer than half the length of tergum X, bearing very long setae (Fig. 11 A ). Tergum X, in lateral view, with anterior area elevated with basal half less sclerotized than apical half, apex rounded and slightly upturned (Fig. 11 A ); in dorsal view, almost straight, with apex subtriangular and rounded, V-shaped apicomesal incision longer than half the length of the tergum X (Fig. 11 A, B ). Inferior appendages, long, extending beyond tergum X, bearing very long setae; 1 st article, in lateral view, wide at base, constricted medially, with apical portion narrow and rounded apically (Fig. 11 A ); apicodorsal lobe digitate, long, extending beyond second article, with very long setae (Fig. 11 A ); basoventral lobes digitate, rounded and bearing long setae (Fig. 11 A ); in ventral view, mesal lobes extending beyond insertion of the 2 nd article, broad at the base, sinuate with rounded and blunt apex, mesal lobe coloration with a brown to dark brown gradient towards apex, and in some individuals the apex may have a slightly rough texture (Fig. 11 C ); 2 nd article elongate, slender, wider at base, gradually curved mesad, and acute apically (Fig. 11 C ). Phallic apparatus simple, tubular, with a mesal apical U-shaped incision, in ventral view (Fig. 11 D ), with phallotremal sclerite small, rod-like, apically positioned (Fig. 11 D, E ). — Adult female, larva, and pupa unknown.

Etymology.

The specific epithet ‘ cerradoensis ’ refers to the Cerrado biome, the second largest vegetational biome in Brazil. The Cerrado, also known as ‘ Brazilian savannah, ’ extends over 1.5 million km 2 in the central Brazil and covers 11 states and the Federal District.

Distribution.

Brazil ( Minas Gerais and São Paulo States).

Habitat.

Specimens were collected in creeks of different orders and distinct physical characteristics, from stony to sandy bottoms in open areas with scarce marginal vegetation and with high luminosity.

Remarks.

In T. cerradoensis sp. nov. the inferior appendages, is characterized by a long mesal lobe that is broad at the base, sinuate, and terminating in a rounded and blunt apex (Fig. 11 A ), with a brown coloration gradually darkening toward the apex, represent a key diagnostic feature distinguishing this species from its congeners. Although this structure is somewhat similar to that of T. flintorum , the new species can be readily separated by the morphology of tergum X. In dorsal view, tergum X is nearly straight, with a subtriangular, rounded apex and a distinct V-shaped apicomesal incision extending to mid-length (Fig. 11 B ). In contrast, T. flintorum exhibits a straight, truncate apex on tergum X, with only a short apicomesal incision. Additional distinguishing characteristics include the configuration of the forewing crossveins: in the new species, crossvein s is short and straight, while crossveins r-m and m-cu are of nearly equal width and aligned (Fig. 10 A ). In T. flintorum , crossvein s is longer, also straight, and either directly contacting r-m or slightly distal to it, as observed by Holzenthal (1988). Intraspecific K 2 P divergences of COI sequences were relatively high for this species (8.7 %) (Table 3). The ASAP results for both COI and EF- 1 α sequences supported this new species (Fig. 1 ). Conversely, the bPTP analyses indicated more potential species within this taxon (Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Maximum likelihood tree based on the concatenated COI and EF- 1 α nucleotide sequences (lnL = – 19563.4365) analyzed in IQ-TREE. Only the clade including the neotropical lineages of Triplectides is presented, the small tree on the top left depicts the backbone of the entire ML tree, highlighting the shown clade. Numbers associated to branches are SH-aLRT> 85 % / UFBoot> 75 % support values. Bars on the right depict results of ASAP and bPTP (highest posterior probability supported delimitation) for COI and EF- 1 α respectively. — Abbreviations: ♂ – male; ♀ – female; L – larva. Only the specimens in which the sequences were generated here have the sexual forms identified.

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 10. Triplectides cerradoensis sp. nov., male wings (DNA voucher ENT 2308). A Forewing; B Hind wing; C Forewing cross veins, in detail; D Hind wing fork I, in detail. — Abbreviations: see legend Figure 2.

Figure 11. Triplectides cerradoensis sp. nov., male genitalia (holotype). A Lateral view; B Dorsal view; C Ventral view; D Phallic apparatus, ventral view; E. Phallic apparatus, lateral view.