Rhopalopsole brevicula, Mo & Wang & Yang & Li, 2018

Mo, Raorao, Wang, Guoquan, Yang, Ding & Li, Weihai, 2018, Two new species of the Rhopalopsole magnicerca group (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) from China, Zootaxa 4388 (3), pp. 444-450 : 445-447

Rhopalopsole brevicula sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 & 2 )

Description. Forewing length ca. 5.0 mm. Head ( Fig. 1a ) with occiput brown, bearing a large subquadrate dark brown spot from ocellar triangle to frontoclypeal area, wider than pronotum; compound eyes black; antennae dark brown. Pronotum ( Fig. 1a ) brown, subquadrate, all angles obtuse. Thorax brown; wings grayish brown, veins brown; legs pale brown. Abdomen and terminalia brown.

Male ( Figs. 1 & 2 ). Tergum 9 ( Figs. 1b & 2b ) moderately sclerotized except a large lighter triangular area medially, with a pair of strongly sclerotized paramedial bands covered by many knobs at mid-posterior margin. Sternum 9 ( Fig. 2c ) basally with tongue-like vesicle bearing dense hairs; subgenital plate wider than long, extended to the anterior part of subanal lobe. Tergum 10 ( Figs. 1b & 2b ) central plate subquadrate, poorly sclerotized areas connecting strongly sclerotized lateral and mesal sclerites, anterior margin nearly straight, while the posterior margin rounded; the lateral sclerite thin, and the mesal sclerite forming a dumbbell-like plate; transverse bars triangular, distinctly sclerotized and narrowly separated in the middle; lateral projections ( Figs. 1b , 2a–2b, 2d ) sclerotized, forming a small subquadrate plate, wider than long in lateral view. Cercus ( Figs. 1b , 2b–2d ) short, upcurved and constricted subapically, without apical spine. Epiproct ( Figs. 1b, 1d–1e , 2b, 2d ) strongly sclerotized, small and triangular in dorsal view and in caudal view basal half quadrate with a triangular tip, forming an upcurved hook and quite thick in lateral view. Subanal lobe ( Figs. 1c–1e , 2b–2d ) distinctly sclerotized and upturned, covered by longitudinal furrows and with a pair of dark rod-like sublateral processes in ventral surface, the processes nearly triangular in lateral view and forming an M-shaped structure with the ventral part of the apex in caudal view, a thick membranous dorsal portion present above the M-shaped structure.

Female. Unknown.

Type Material. Holotype male ( HIST): China, Guangxi Autonomous Region, Fangcheng, Jinhuacha Nature Reserve, tributary of Jiangping River , N21°54.316' E107°54.203', 295 m, 11-VI -2012, leg. G.Q. Wang.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the short lateral projection.

Distribution. China, Guangxi Autonomous Region.

Remarks. Rhopalopsole brevicula is a member of the R. magnicerca group as proposed by Sivec et al. (2008), with males possessing paramedial bands of ornamentations on tergum 9, a hook-like epiproct, boat-like subanal lobes, and cerci without an apical spine. Males of the new species are unique in having two short lateral projections that are wider than long in lateral view and by the subanal lobe with a pair of rod-like processes in ventral surface that are nearly triangular in lateral view. The subanal lobe of R. gladifera and R. porntipae have similar rod-like processes in ventral surface ( Sivec et al. 2008), however, the short lateral projections distinguish the male of R. brevicula . Other species of the group have elongate plate-like spines ( Sivec et al. 2008, Chen & Du 2017, DeWalt et al. 2017, Li & Yang 2012, Li et al. 2017, Qian & Du 2013). Males of R. sapa Stark & Sivec, 2012 ( Stark et al.

2012) have similar shaped short lateral projections, but the lateral projections in R. sapa are longer than wide in lateral view (fig. 10 in Stark et al. 2012).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Rhopalopsole brevicula sp. n. (male). a. Head and pronotum, dorsal view; b. Terminalia, dorsal view; c. Subanal lobe, ventral view; d. Epiproct and subanal lobe, lateral view; e. Epiproct and subanal lobe, caudal view.

FIGURE 2. Rhopalopsole brevicula sp. n. (male). a. Lateral projection, lateral view; b. Terminalia, dorsal view; c. Terminalia, ventral view; d. Terminalia, lateral view.