Hydropsyche iberomaroccana González & Malicky 1999

Bemmoussat-Dekkak, Soumya, Abdellaoui-Hassaine, Karima, Sartori, Michel, Morse, John C. & Zamora-Muñoz, Carmen, 2021, Larval Taxonomy and Distribution of Genus Hydropsyche (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) in Northwestern Algeria, Zootaxa 4915 (4), pp. 481-505 : 486-491

Hydropsyche iberomaroccana González & Malicky 1999

( Figs 6 , 7 )

Material examined: Chouly Wadi ( CH 1): 1 mature mƋ pupa ( UTA), 21.x.2014; Chouly Wadi ( CH 4): 2 mature mƋ ( UTA), 11.vi.2015 and 2 mature mƋ ( UTA, UGS), 1.x.2015; Tafna Wadi ( TFF) : 3 mature mƋ ( UTA), 16.x.2015; Isser Wadi ( IOM) : 1 mature mƋ ( UTA), 12.iv.2014 .

Khemis Wadi (KH1): One larva, 03.vi.2017, was reared in the laboratory, obtaining 1 Ƌ imago (UTA).

H. iberomaroccana morphotype 1 larvae: Chouly Wadi at Ouled Mimoun ( CH 4) : 10 larvae ( UTA, UGS), 25.x.2014, and 7 larvae ( UTA), 17.iii.2017; Tafna Wadi ( TFF) : 12 larvae ( UTA), 04.ii.2018; Khemis Wadi (KH1) : 13 larvae ( UTA), 17.i.2015 and 36 larvae ( UTA), 17.ii.2017; Isser Wadi ( IOM) : 14 larvae ( UTA), 21.xi.2016 .

Hydropsyche iberomaroccana morphotype 2 larvae: Chouly Wadi ( CH 2) : 12 larvae ( UTA, UGS), 12.ix.2014; Chouly Wadi at Ouled Mimoun ( CH 4) : 46 larvae ( UTA), 17.iii.2017; Tafna Wadi ( TFF) : 4 larvae ( UTA), 12.iv.2014 ; 33 larvae ( UTA), 25.v.2014; Khemis Wadi (KH1) : 2 larvae ( UTA) 20.iv.2014; Isser Wadi ( IOM) : 46 larvae ( UTA), 12.iv.2014 ; 47 larvae ( UTA), 17.iii.2015, and 55 larvae ( UTA), 17.iv.2015 .

Description: H. iberomaroccana morphotype 1 having light brown body ( Fig. 6A ) with narrow frontoclypeal apotome and straight anterior edge and with light ( Fig. 6A ) or dark ( Fig. 6B ) oral spot and blurred V-shaped aboral spot ( Fig. 6B ). Hydropsyche iberomaroccana morphotype 2 ( Fig. 7A ) body having brown color slightly darker than morphotype 1, with dark oral spot as well as barely visible round aboral spot ( Fig. 7B ; Table 2). Both morphotypes having submentum with long lateral lobes ( Figs 6C , 7C ) and posterior prosternites pigmented ( Figs 6D , 7D ).

Distribution and ecology: The distribution of this West Palearctic species is limited to the Iberian Peninsula, Morocco, and Algeria. González et al. (1992) found this species in different regions of the Iberian Peninsula under the names of H. cf. punica and H. sp. “ gr. pellucidula ”. The larva has been described by Zamora-Muñoz et al. (1995) as H. cf. punica . In 1999, González & Malicky were able to overcome the problem of synonymy with H. punica and described the male of H. iberomaroccana . In fact, they discovered significant differences between the larvae of H. punica Malicky 1981 from Tunisia and that of H. iberomaroccana . It was recorded for the first time in Algeria by Sekhi et al. (2016). This species is not abundant in Great Kabylia ( Sekhi et al. 2016).

It is a rheophilic, alpine, and high mountain species which is also recorded in hills and plains, it has a wide altitudinal distribution from 3100 m a.s.l. to below 200 m a.s.l. ( Graf et al. 2008). It is an epirhithral and metarhitrhal species showing a preference for coarse gravel, stones, boulders, and bedrock substrates ( Graf et al. 2008).

In our study, this species was recorded from four sites at altitudes between 551 and 916 m a.s.l. Heterometric pebbles covered with periphyton seem to be its habitat type. This thermophilic species occurs in waters with temperatures between 18–22.7°C, with fast current velocities, and rich in organic matter.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Hydropsyche iberomaroccana González & Malicky, 1999, morphotype 1. 6A, head and thorax, dorsal; 6B, cephalic capsule, dorsal; 6C, cephalic capsule, ventral; 6D, posterior prosternites, ventral. [scale bar = 1 mm].

FIGURE 7. Hydropsyche iberomaroccana Navás 1932, morphotype 2. 7A, head and thorax, dorsal; 7B, cephalic capsule, dorsal; 7C, cephalic capsule, ventral, 7D, posterior prosternites, ventral. [scale bar = 1 mm].