Tibetisoperla sclerotica sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 5F951431-4255-4A09-B0BB-A645800BB1B1

Figs 5–9

Diagnosis

General color dark brown. Vesicle reduced to a black transverse band. Ventrobasal sclerite of aedeagus black, generally subquadrate in outline with a triangular postcentral notch.

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to the sclerotized ventrobasal sclerite of everted aedeagus.

Material examined

Holotype CHINA • ♂; Qinghai Province, Menyuan County, Meihua village; 37°16′6.99″ N, 102°8′3.58″ E; alt. 2979 m; 30 Jul. 2021; Wei-Hai Li leg.; HIST.

Paratypes CHINA – Qinghai Province • 1 ♀; same locality as for holotype; 31 Jul. 2021; HIST • 2 ♀♀; Menyuan County, Xiami Town, Qihankaigou; 37°9′30.73″ N, 102°1′52.09″ E; alt. 2694 m; 3 Jul. 2021; Wei-Hai Li and Rong-Rong Shen leg.; HIST • 1 ♀; Menyuan County, Zhugu Village, Sigou; 37°7′54.39″ N, 102°23′57.56″ E; alt. 2570 m; 28 Jul. 2021; Bin Zhang leg.; HIST • 1 ♀; Menyuan County, Liuhuanggou; 37°47′45.24″ N, 101°14′53.16″ E; alt. 3407.8 m; 29 Jul. 2021; Zhuo-Yin Jiang leg.; HIST • 2 ♀♀; Qilian County, Zhamashenxigou, Dongchagou; 38°9′14.18″ N, 100°1′22.40″ E; alt. 3015 m; 9 Jul. 2021; Wei Zeng leg.; CAU .

Description

Male

ADULT HABITUS (Figs 5A, C–D). General color dark brown to black (Fig. 5A). Head mostly brown, with dark area around ocelli, tentorial callosities and M-line, the area sometimes extending to center of occiput. M-line dark brown. Triocellate, anterior ocellus slightly smaller. Antennae brown, scape darker, palpi brownish. Pronotum disc with dark brown rugosities and wide, brown, longititudinal stripe disjunct with thin black midline. Legs brown, femora darker. Wings hyaline, veins brown. Cerci brownish, apical segments darker.

ABDOMEN (Figs 5D, 6, 7A–B). Forewing length ca 7.1 mm, hindwing length ca 6.0 mm. Abdominal tergal pattern obscure due to entirely black coloration. Tergum 9 bearing two patches of black sensilla on posterior margin by triangular medial membranous area extended anterolaterally forming a T-shaped paler marking. Tergum 10 with thin, longitudinal, pale, medial line; distal half bilobate, with 4–5 apical setae. Vesicle located on posterior margin of sternum 8, reduced to black transverse band. Paraprocts with recurved spiny apical sclerite, covered by ca. 13–14 tiny spines.

AEDEAGUS (Fig. 8). Mostly membranous except for a dark ventrobasal sclerite, sclerite subquadrate with triangular postcentral notch; greatly enlarged posterior to ventrobasal sclerite. Aedeagus apical third upcurved and generally globular before narrowest nipple-like apex, brownish; mostly covered by fine spinules but lacking large spine.

Female

ADULT HABITUS (Figs 5B, 9A). Forewing length 7.8–9.8 mm, hindwing length 5.8–8.0 mm (N=7). Body coloration generally similar to male.

ABDOMEN (Fig. 9B–D). Abdominal segments lighter and terga 1–8 with black medial tergal stripes in young individuals. Tergum 10 unmodified. Sternum 8 with sclerotized lateral portion and posterior subgenital plate, anteromedial portion membranous. Subgenital plate broadly triangular with dense long hairs, covering anterior third of sternum 9, with a posteromedial notch; lateral margins partially separated and heavily sclerotized. Sternum 9 with a pair of slope paramedial strips.

EGG. Unknown.

Distribution

China: Qinghai Province. Presently only known from Menyuan County.

Remarks

The new species closely resembles T. wangluyui Huo & Du, 2021 in dark body coloration and reduced vesicle on sternum 8, but it is easily separated from that species by the large ventrobasal sclerite of aedeagus which is entirely membranous in T. wangluyui .