Smicridea (Smicridea) palifera Flint 1981

Albino, Jeyson Lazaro Duque, Pes, Ana Maria & Hamada, Neusa, 2011, Smicridea (Trichoptera, Hydropsychidae) from 3 Brazilian Amazonian States: New species, larval taxonomy and bionomics, Zootaxa 3113, pp. 1-35 : 29-33

Smicridea (Smicridea) palifera Flint 1981

Figs 83–95

Smicridea (Smicridea) palifera Flint 1981: 23 ; Flint et al. 1999: 74; Blahnik et al. 2004: 4.

Pupa. Length 4–4.5 mm (n = 5) ( Figs 83–86 ).

Pupal head. Labrum, in dorsal view, with 2 lateral lobes small and rounded, each with 8 long setae; central lobe wide, 2 times as wide as long with 10 short setae on straight anterior margin ( Fig. 83 ). Mandibles asymmetrical and broad at base, right mandible with 3 mesal teeth and long apical tooth with mesal serrations, left mandible with 4 mesal teeth and long apical tooth with mesal serrations; each mandible with transverse row of few setae on dorsal side ¼ distance from base of each mandible and longitudinal row of 7–9 basolateral setae ( Fig. 84 ).

Pupal thorax. With sparse setae.

Pupal abdomen. With hook plates anteriorly on segments II–VIII, posteriorly on segments III–IV; in hook-plate pair 2a each plate with 2 strong and 5 small hooks; in hook-plate pair 3a each plate with 3 strong and 6 small hooks, in hook-plate pair 3p each plate with 4 strong and 8 small hooks; in hook-plate pair 4a each plate with 2 strong, straight and 6 small hooks, in hook-plate pair 4p each plate with 3 strong retrorse hooks; in hook-plate pair 5a each plate with 2 strong and 2 small hooks; in hook–plate pair 6a each plate with 2 strong hooks; in hook-plate pair 7a each plate with 2 strong hooks and 1 small hook; in hook-plate pair 8a each plate with 1 strong hook and 2 small hooks ( Fig. 86 ). Abdominal apical processes on segments IX–X straight, widely separated, each with apical brush of setae (8 long and 5 short setae) ( Fig. 85 ).

Larva. ( Fig. 87–95 ). Length 4.5–6.0 mm (n = 8). Color in alcohol brown, lateral habitus as in Fig. 88 ; body covered with setae.

Larval head. Rectangular in dorsal view, longer than wide ( Fig. 88 ). Region near eyes yellowish, light scars resulting from muscle insertions in dorsal posterior region, otherwise with light brown stain ( Fig. 88 ). Covered with short, thin setae on dorsal and lateral regions; 1 pair of long setae over eye (pair #9); 2 pairs of long setae, 1 on clypeus margin (pair #1) and other on lateral margins of eyes (pair #14), coronal suture short, 1 pair of median setae near clypeus anterior margin (pair #3) ( Figs 88, 90 ). Coronal suture short; frontoclypeal suture V-shaped, with convex dark anterior margin irregularly crenulated ( Fig. 88 ). Labrum oval; covered with short and thin setae; pair of long submesal setae near anterior margin; fringe of small thin setae mesally along anterior margin; pair of brushes of long lateral setae ( Fig. 94 ). Mandibles asymmetrical, left mandible with 3 mesal teeth,1 subapical tooth, 1 apical tooth, brush of submarginal setae at mid length extending beyond mesal edge; right mandible with 5 mesal teeth, 1 subapical tooth, 1 apical tooth, no setae in median region ( Fig. 94 ). In ventral view, stridulation files long and wide, reaching lateral portions of head, with thin and well marked striations; 3 small spots on each ventrally resulting from muscular insertions; ventral apotome divided, posterior region wider than longer, triangular, anterior region small, well sclerotized anteriorly ( Figs 90, 92 ).

Larval thorax. Notal sclerites light brown, covered with short thin setae ( Figs 88 , 93 ). Pronotum with longitudinal ecdysial line ( Fig. 93 ); in ventral view, gills absent on prosternum; mesosternum with 1 pair of ventrolateral gills, metasternum with 1 ventrolateral pair of gills and 1 simple ventral gill, each gill with elongated stalk and lateral filaments arising irregularly. Legs similar, although prothoracic leg somewhat shorter than meso- and metathoracic legs; foretrochantin simple.

Larval abdomen. One pair of simple gills and 1 pair of double gills on central region of abdominal segments I– VII. Abdominal sternum VIII with single, sternite triangular, with the posterior margin rounded, bordered posteriorly by 3 pairs of long setae and 3 pairs of medium setae ( Fig. 96 ).

Diagnosis. The pupa of S. palifera differs from those of the other species by having 10 short setae on the anterior margin of the central lobe of the labrum and 8 medium setae on each lateral lobe of the labrum. The pupa is similar to those of S. truncata and S. obliqua by having a labrum with small lateral lobes and a large central lobe. The pupa of S. palifera also differs from other species in the number of the hooks on the hook plates, principally in hook-plate pairs 5a and 6a each with 2 strong hooks on each plate.

The larva of S. palifera can be distinguished from other larvae in the subgenus by the quadrangular shape of the head and by the anterior margin of the frontoclypeus with a convex margin and irregular serrations, light scars resulting from muscle insertions on the posterior region; and stridulation files that are long and wide, extending to the sides with thin, well-marked striations.

Biology. The specimens of S. palifera were collected in intermittent streams, with widths ranging from 2 to10 m (n = 9), located on Maracá Island, which has vegetation with a predominance of Savanna bushes, water pH 5.5– 6.5; and sandy stream bed and leaf litter as predominant substrate. Larvae were collected mostly on leaf litter and submerged tree roots. Pupae were collected on macrophytes and leaf litter in areas of low water velocity.

Distribution. Venezuela; Brazil, Roraima and Rio de Janeiro states.

Material examined. BRAZIL, Roraima, Amajarí municipality, Estação Ecológica de Maracá, igarapé 2, N 03°36'88" W 061°47'42", 11–19.ix.2007, A.M.O. Pes, J.L.D. Albino and U.G. Neiss, leaves, 8 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA); igarapé 3, N 03°39'00" W 061°47'02", 12.ix.2007, A.M.O. Pes, J.L.D. Albino and U.G. Neiss, leaves 10 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA); igarapé 4: 03°39'00" N 061°47'02", 13.ix.2007, A.M.O. Pes, J.L.D. Albino and U.G. Neiss, leaves, 9 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA); igarapé 5, N 03°39'08" W 061°48'03", 14.ix.2007, A.M.O. Pes, J.L.D. Albino and U.G. Neiss, leaves, 34 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA); igarapé 6: N 03°39'08" W 061°48'02", 14.ix.2007, A.M.O. Pes, J.L.D. Albino and U.G. Neiss, leaves, 14 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA); igarapé 7: N 03°39'00" W 061°47'00", 16.ix.2007, A.M.O. Pes, J.L.D. Albino and U.G. Neiss, leaves, 3 pupae, 10 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA); igarapé 8: N 03°40'94" W 061°44'95", 17.ix.2007, A.M.O. Pes, J.L.D. Albino and U.G. Neiss, leaves 2 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA); igarapé 9: N 03°37'77" W 061°44'41", 18.ix.2007, leaves 3 pupae (2 pharate males), 91 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA); igarapé 10: N 03°37'29" W 061°48'34", 19.ix.2007, A.M.O. Pes, J.L.D. Albino and U.G. Neiss, leaves, 1 pupa (pharate male), 110 larvae [alcohol] ( INPA).

Figures

FIGURES 83 – 86. Smicridea (Smicridea) palifera Flint 1981, pupa. 83) Labrum, dorsal view; 84) mandibles, dorsal view; 85) right side of abdominal segments IX – X, dorsal view; 86) hook plates (left side, 2 – 8 = abdominal segment number, a = anterior, p = posterior), dorsal view.

FIGURES 87 – 92. Smicridea (Smicridea) palifera Flint 1981, larva. 87) Right lateral view; 88) head, dorsal view; 89) head, ventral view; 90) head, right lateral view, 91) left side of head, ventral, showing the stridulation structure; 92) thorax, dorsal view.

FIGURES 93 – 95. Smicridea (Smicridea) palifera Flint 1981, larva. 93) Mandibles, dorsal view; 94) labrum, dorsal view; 95) ventral sclerites on abdominal segments VIII – X, ventral view.

FIGURES 96 – 97. Smicridea (Rhyacophylax) coronata Flint 1980, male genitalia. 96) Left lateral view; 97) dorsal view.