Pontoperla katherinae Balinsky 1950

Zhiltzova, L. A., Cherchesova, S. K., Kataev, S. V. & Biasov, V. O., 2011, Description Of The Larva Of Caucasian Species Pontoperla Katherinae Balinsky (Plecoptera, Chloroperlidae), Illiesia 7 (8), pp. 89-91 : 89-91

Pontoperla katherinae Balinsky 1950

( fig. 1-3 )

Material examined. 1 larva, North Ossetia, river Kauridon, tributary of Fiagdon (basin of Terek), 9 V 2010, leg. L. Zhiltzova; 2 larvae , North Ossetia, river Kauridon, tributary of Fiagdon (basin of Terek), 11 VI 2010, leg. M. Shioloshvili, S. Cherchesova.

Mature larva. Length of body 11 mm. Color of body dark brown or blackish, wing pads and legs paler. Head slightly transverse, its width 1.2 times greater than length; epicranial suture very clear, nearly reaching to occiput; coronal suture very short or reduced, on available larvae it is indistinct. Ocelli small, situated in isosceles triangle. Compound eyes convex, their length approximately equal to length of occiput behind the eyes. Pronotum transverse, its width exeeds length about 1.7 times. Disc of pronotum dark, medial stripe light, narrow; lateral margins of pronotum completely pale. Border setae (bristles) rather short and not dense, situated uniformly along borders, on anterior angles they are noticeably denser. Wing pads distinctly rounded, with rounded apex, lateral border and apex pale. Anterior wing pads with light markings in anterior half. Legs pale, with dense setae along anterior edge of femur and along hind border and on surface of tibia.

Abdomen dark, with only narrow light longitudinal stripe medially.

Tergites of abdomen with dense border setae along hind margin and with several hairs laterally. Tergite 10 of abdomen slightly elongated, triangular. Hind margin of tergite 10 with uniformly spaced long setae, but of diverse length, longer setae alternate with 1-4 shorter setae.

Cerci pale, basal segment with short dense setae around hind margin; 9 and 10 segments are elongated, their length 2,6-2,7 times width; there are 2-3 long seta on apex, with one especially long seta; on segment 10 this seta is equal to 4/5of its length, and nine additional short setae of different length form the apical corona.

Diagnostic characters for P. katherinae and P. teberdinica : 1) Greater length of body – 11 mm ( P. teberdinica – 7 mm). 2) Color of body more uniformly pigmented; body of P. teberdinica conspicuously patterned, with dark and light spots on the head, pronotum and abdomen. 3) Setae on the body of P. katherinae are shorter and less dense.

Figures

Fig.1-3. Larva of Pontoperla katherinae Balinsky. 1. Habitus of the larva. 2. Tergite 10 of abdomen and base of cercus. 3. Segment 9 and 10 of cercus.